WHAT OTHER WRITERS ARE SAYING.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18188, 22 June 1927, Page 8

WHAT OTHER WRITERS ARE SAYING.

Large Classes. To compel teachers to attempt to keep in order and instruct 60 or 80. or sometimes 100 children at once must of necessity throw a tremendous strain upon the physical and mental energies and the disciplinary powers of the instructor. At the same time it is manifest that practically no individual attention can be given by the teacher to each separate pupil. The natural result is that the brighter children get along by themselves, and the slower and duller pupils arc left struggling hopelessly in the rear, without any chance of adequate encouragement or assistance. In this way there arises the problem of the “retarded” child, of which so much has been heard recently. We believe that the excessive size of our primary school classes is the source and origin of this and other educational evils, and that the worst defects in our education system will never be remedied till this fundamental source of weakness is removed.— “Auckland Star.” f n m Reaping the Whirlwind. Thirteen thousand immigrants came into New Zealand for the year ended March 31, 4555 of them during the last three months; there are more than five thousand men on relief works and yet unemployment is so serious as to cause a feeling of bitterness amongst the workers in all the cities and big towns. This is not the result of depression, but of obstinacy. Mr Coates was warned that large numbers of men were out of work, yet he persisted for seven months after the warning was given in maintaining the full quotas of immigrants. Three or four millions could easily be assimilated if we had a liberal land settlement policy and could borrow sufficient to lend out at a cheap rate of interest to finance the new settlers until they got on their feet. But we have no settlement policy, and we can borrow little more than will adjust our adverse trade balance. The Prime Minister states that already 4000 or 5000 men in excess of requirements arc now employed by the Public Works Department. What are they doing? If they are fulfilling essential duties they are not superfluous; if they are merely putting in time to collect wages it is a queer kind of economy the Government practises. The unemployment and immigration questions are intimately related, and the Prime Minister cannot disavow responsibility for the present trouble. The Reform Government appears to be incapable cf doing anything without causing a hopeless muddle, and we are not surprised at the change of heart experienced by a large number of its previous supporters, who placed faith in Mr Coates and his Ministers as protectors of their multifarious interests.—“ Southland Daily News.”

Crowd Psychology. The study of American crowd psychology, of which the Lindbergh demonstration is an extreme example, affords some ground for reflection, and even a little uneasiness. Mass pageantry, mass opinions, mass drives of public opinions, mass rallies to the sound of the big drum, have become part and parcel of the United States public’s method of thinking and acting. The enthusiasm and ardour of a few control the movements of the many. The danger is that having given up thinking for themselves they may on fateful occasions be led astray by the illogical catch-cries of professional propagandists. In this atmosphere of constantly changing temperatures, from one hectic occasion to another, there can be no stability of public opinion in great national crises. The operations and results of certain large-scale propaganda movements have demonstrated that the ability to command and direct a crowd is a dangerous power, and from two points of view: First, that the power may find itself in unscrupulous hands; second, that the mass, having acquired momentum may escape control. This is well illustrated in the organised demonstration of public anger in Russia over the assassination of Voikoff. There is no real public opinion in Russia; that is to say, no public expression of opinion adverse to the Red regime is tolerated. The proletariat is largely illiterate. In a political sense it is completely so. Hence it is a perfect medium for propaganda, especially for the propaganda of hate. An intelligent Russian, if he were allowed to say so publicly, would ridicule the attempt by the Soviet leaders to cast the responsibility for Yoikoff’s death upon the British Government.—" The Dominion,” Wellington.

Prince Henry as Hunter. Prince Henry, who was the principal guest at the Royal Academy Banquet at Burlington House, London, facetiously wished the members “ a large and enthusiastic field at the opening meet.” “ Please remember,” he said. “ that by profession I am a soldier. Consequently, this speech has been somewhat on my mind, so that you can understand that during the practice field exercises I sometimes found my thoughts switched off from the R.A. of Aldershot to the R.A. of Burlington House. (Laughter.) We have this in common—we belong to the two oldest professions in the world; the artist and the hunter. I have read about a marvellous example of prehistoric art. In 1864 there was discovered in the South of France a mammoth tusk, upon which was sketched what is thought to be the slaying of a mammoth by the hunter’s spear. That must have been a great kill after a memorable run—the thrill of it has outlasted a thousand centuries.”