W.E.A.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 11732, 23 June 1916, Page 7

W.E.A.

NEWS AND NOTES. (By IDEALIST.) POPULAR LECTURES. June 2-WTho Electric Motor," Mr E. E. Stark. July I—"Modern Education," Mr C. T. Aschman. July 8—" Town Planning," Mr S. Hurst Sen gov. July To—"Town Planning," Mr S. Hurst Seagcr. Chvistehurch Centr?—President, Dr Chilton; joint honorary secretaries, L. G. Whitehead, M.A., Coys' High School, and E. J. Howard. Trades Hall. • # • • • Tutorial Classes. Mondays; 7.30 p.m. Economics (RiccaHon). Wednesdays, 7..'t0 p.m. Economics. Thursdays. 7.30 p.m. Psychology. Saturdays, 8 p.m. Popular lectures. Rooms: 102, Hereford Street (opposite Parcels Post Offico).- » • » • » " Yon will do the greatest service to tho State if you shall raise, not the roofs of tho houses, but the souls of the citizens; for it is. better that great souls should dwell in small houses rather than for mean slaves to lurk in great houses."—Epictctus. » • » • # Mr L. G. Whitehead, M.A., the W.E.A. pychologist, has kindly consented to write a short article dealing with psychology, showing how a knowledge of that soienco is a necessity for all those who are grappling with the greatest sociological and philosophical problems of to-day. It is hoped to publish Mr Whitehead's <*mtributioli nest week. • • * 4 »

The debate arranged between the Canterbury College economic class and the W.E.A. students will take place on July 27. Tho subject, " Whether protection would be in the best interests of tho British nation after the war," is a vitally important and interesting one, and it should also furnish the general public with somp idea of the valno of tho W.E.A. as an educational institution. • • • * •

The economic class is now enjoying a short vacation. The war has thrown into the limelight many pressing economic problems, the solution of which can only bo attempted by those versed in tho mysteries of political economy. The great questions which will present themselves at tho eud of tho vfor wjill be no pure, abstract enigmas with which professors of economics havo been wont to < jugglo in tho past, but matters which will be forcibly brought homo to everyone, but no ono who has notl assimilated the first principles of economics will be justified in attempting to find a way out of the labyrinth that. has been created. The W.E'.A. class has therefore attracted many ambitious individuals who are desirous of helping to clear tho economic atmosphere when hostilities havo ceased, and although such work is less spectacular than that of the soldier or sailor it is not too Jmuah to hopo that it wfill be as successful. It is not yet too late to join the economic class and full particulars can ho obtained from the secretaries. • * • • «

The class which meets in the Biccarton Town Hall on Mondays, studying industrial history, is making very satisfactory progress under the tutelage of Mr Copland, M.A. There aro still a few vacancies for students. • * . .

•??„™ E. Stark's lectures dealing with Tho Electric Motor " havo been among tho most popular of tho Saturday evening lectures. Mr Stark is no>, only a master of the subject with whir). he deals, but he has also the great advantage of having apparatus that can produce all sorts of mysteriously weird and beautiful things, and although the titlo of his addresses would suggest that it made special appeal only to a certain section, yet Mr Starks's remarks are generally free from unnecessary technicalities, and therefore should provo both interesting and instructive to tho merest layman. Mr Starks's last leeturo on " The Electric Motor" will be given at tho electrical testing rooms, Armagh Street, on Saturday evening, at 7.30 i>.m. *■ « •* .* *.

Of peculiar interest to students and friends of the W.E.A. will bo Mr C. T. Aschman's address on '' Modern Education, which lie will giro on Saturday, July 1. Mr Asohman has made a. lifelong study of the matter with which ho is going to deal, and W.E.A. students are anxiously awaiting his lecture. tt * * * *

"The Highway," the journal of tho English W.E.A., publishes a list of forty-ono students who have been killed in tho great irar. Hundreds of students had enlisted. * « • a *

A very valuable- course of lectures dealing with "Chairmanship" will shortly be given in Auckland, and a. class is now being formed. Tho various trado unions in the city have been circularised for .members, and it is understood that tho Hon G. Fowlds will act as tutor. * « • * *

The psychology class, under Mr L. Ci. Whitehead, M.A., has been dealing with some very interesting-matters of late. A recent lecture, of great interest and importance, especially to the student, was a. lecture on "Memory,' while probably the most interesting and instructive lecture of the whole course was the one dealing with "Dreams," ;\. summary of which will appear next week. Psychology is a very hard word to most people: it suggests all sorts of ponderous and mystical things, but Mr Whitehead illuminates his subject with such a iiuus of auecdotes and other oisily assimilative explanatory matter that the most prosaic-looking subject turns out to be overflowing with all .sorts of easily understandable and intensely interesting things. Visitors are always welcome at the psychology class, which is held on Thursday evenings, commencing at 7.30. ' a '* * * « «■

"Memory" was tho subject recently dealt with" by Mr L. 0. "Whitehead, At..A. Tho lecturer said that <: memory " was a very .ambiguous word, and from ilio point of view of tho psychologist it would bo hotter to limit the in-tc-.rprctn.tkm of tho word as meaning the'"revival of images." In its fullest sense, however, it denoted tho power of retaining, reproducing and recognising. A good memory depended chiefly upon interest. K ono could not become interested in a subject it was only reasonable io suppose that tho impressions received from attending to it could "not again be recalled. Thero were, however, exceptions to this rule. Idiots had been known who had had n marvellous power of recalling such difficult things as long lists of disconnected words, but there is no range of interest in an idiot's mind. There were other quite normal individuals who also had remarkable powers of memory, a good example being tho late Lord Salisbury. This power was obtained by hereditary endowment, and was not in any way due to special training. The most serviceable memory was the one that enabled its possessor to recall tho essential facts at the time, when they worn most nettled. Minds diil'cred greatly in their psychological retentiveness. Professor James had divided them into two categories, " wax brains" and ".jelly brains.''' Thero might be a great mind without much retontiveno's, but the work of -mc!' would only be great in cjuaiiry and i»"t hi

quantity. The secret of a good memory was the forming of numerous and diverse associations. Only by the association of the things to be remembered with those, already in the mind could they be remembered. Pacts learned in a few hours (''cramming") seldom formed associations, and therefore the knowledge acquired will make no permanent impression upon, the mind at all. Dealing with the improvement of the memory the lecturer quoted tho opinion of the great psychologist Professor James, who said that " there cap be no improvement of the general or elementary memory; there can only foe improvement of our memory for special systems of associated things," and " all improvement consists in tho improvement of one's habitual method of remembering facts." Tho only way then to improve tho memory was to acquire a better method of memorising. • • # » #

The winter is conducive to study, and thoso who have been contemplating but who have not yet joined the W.E.A. should do so now. A few hours' sacrifice a week may hurt you for a while, economics or psychology may seem fit subjects' only for those specially gifted with a. superhuman power for cogitating about " dry-as-dusir' 1 matters, and tho five shillings which a year's tuition costs may mean a little loss tobacco or some other small inconvenience, but these objections are really not worth consideration when you. think what these little sacrifices may mean to you in the future. The W.E.A. method of imparting information, too, is such a simple and reasonable one that it is a shear delight to be a f-tudtont. It is quite-a pleasant change from tho usual process of learning, tt is the student and not the tutor who does the questioning. Though probably a university professor, he considers himself one of the class and therefore ho is better able to help you. This helps you not only to havo more confidence in yourself, but also in your teacher, who, by the old way of doing things, has very little opportunity of intimately associating with his pupils and consequently can not have a true conception of the difficulties that beset them, or on the other hand arrive at a real idea nf tho merits of each individual under him. • « • •

The arts of growing vegetables, rearing shrubs and making the home more beautiful by the planting of flowers are subjects which make a practical appeal to a. very large number of people. As a rule most people are content to attend to tlie.se matters without worrying themselves much about expert opinion, but tho war has taught tho virtue of economy, and therefore the lectures that have been delivered on Saturday evenings by Mr "W. Wiekens, the city gardener, .have proved very valuable to many amateur cultivators of the soil. Mr "Wiekens lectured on Saturday evening boforo a. largo audience on "Lawns." Mr Wickens's remarks were ongerly followed, and after lie had answered a number of questions a hearty vote of thanks was passed to him.