The Star. MONDAY, OCTOBER 18, 1909. A SCHOOL EXHIBITION.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 9675, 18 October 1909, Page 2

The Star. MONDAY, OCTOBER 18, 1909. A SCHOOL EXHIBITION.

The deceision of the school teachers to co-operate with the representatives of the Education Board and the Christchuroh Poultry Club in holding an exhibition of school garden produce is a commendable one^ and is calculated to give a much needed stimulus to this useful adjunct of school life. It had been intended at first to confine the exhibition to garden produce alone, but at the meeting held on Saturday the scope of the exhibition was broadened to include manual work and cookery exhibits. This should result in the gathering together of a collection of produce and work of an extremely interesting character. Sentimentally the garden has been described as "the veriest .school of peace," and there is no doubt that as ah ocoupation gardening has delights that appeal to almost everybody who systematically engages in it. A*"* it carries its own rewards in its handsj from to harvest. Gardening is a school of patience, as well as one of peace, and the healthy emulation when school vies against school in an effort to show the best results is both pleasing and useful. Oanterbury is particularly well-suited for such a competition, for it does not 'belie its reputation as one of those favoured spots where the enthusiast has only to scratch the ground and Nature will blossom like the rose. Of course, the country schools have the best facilities for " making good " in this special • branch of school industry, and with carnations and carrots in the syllabus they are apt to run off with all the honours. It is for this reason that we are glad to see that manual work and codking will form part of the school exhibition. This will give the town boys and girls a chance to distinguish themselves, for these particular arts are given more attention in the city than in the country. The town cookery classes have already done a great deal towards equipping the girls for after life, and while they-bardly yet appreciate the, philosophy that tells that the shortest v way to a man's heart is through his stomach, and that the 'somewhat brutal motto of " feed the brutes" is supposed to be a part of the modern woman's education, they are enthusiastically learniiiig the best way to give effect to this doctrine if it should ever ibe necessary to demonstrate it. In the field of manual work, too, the town boys are excelling, and this is due in a great measure to the facilities that are afforded for technical education. The modem schoolboy, blessed with enthusiasm and intelligence, will not hesitate, under expert tuition, to attemot to build anything; from an airship to a potato-masher. We can conifortably*count upon a brilliant diversity of exhibits iii the promised show, for the energy of childhood has as many varied outlets as politics.