WORKERS’ EDUCATIONAL ASSOCIATION NOTES.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18466, 18 May 1928, Page 11

WORKERS’ EDUCATIONAL ASSOCIATION NOTES.

(Contributed.) From time to time, the purpose of the W.E.A. movement in reference to the wise use of the leisure hours has been stressed in this column. The facilities now given to men and women to obtain further education is a golden opportunity for the enrichment of their minds by the coming into contact with new worlds in literature, art, science. This point was admirably stressed by Dr M. Lyle Spencer upon assuming the duties of president of the University of Washington, when he stated “ that value does not reside In the mere act of making a living—in eating, drinking, housing ourselves comfortably and -in securing monetary gain. The highest values are in the things of the spirit. We work in order to have leisure, and according as we spend that leisure we have our purest pleasures and otar greatest happiness in life, for it is in our leisure hours that we enjoy most fully our spiritual possessions. We need education therefore for avocation, for the mental horizons that give breadth of vision and richness to life. The United States has been trained for work. It has not had adequate education for leisure. In consequence it has idle hours which it is wasting on things that are unworthy. There are those indeed who believe that as a nation we are threatened by a vast amount of leisure, which may destroy us because we lack the culture and the character to give it value. In these facts and conclusions lies our need for emphasis on knowledge and appreciation of the things of the spirit. Though a liberal education is not materialistic, it is nevertheless immensely practical. It enriches experience and builds character, without which there can be no true education.” These conclusions are as applicable to New Zealand as to America, because we are still a pioneering nation. Therefore the need of the W.E.A. movement is paramount. The drama class was favoured last Tuesday evening with the reading of three one-act plays by a party of students ably organised by Mrs Neliigan. The three plays were “ Lonesome Like,” by Harold Brighouse; “The Inca of Perusalem,” by G. Bernard Shaw; and “ The Bishop’s Candlestick,” by M’Kinnell. The class expressed in no uncertain way its appreciation of the interpretation of these plays. In order to give a student the opportunity of taking part in these public readings, the casts are different each evening, but on Tuesday evening next Miss Livingstone has kindly consented to give a public reading on her own. The attendances are being well • maintained; in fact, students are still enrolling. The real purpose of the “ drama,” as explained by Shakespeare, “ the holding up a mirror to life,” gives the students an opportunity of understanding the problems that confront society, and also it gives them a realistic picture of present-day life situations. It thus broadens their minds and acts as a stimulus to thought. This is real education.

The movement is still expanding into the country districts by the formation of two new classes, one in Kaikoura and another in St Andrew’s, South Canterbury. This .expansion is made possible by the inauguration of the box scheme, which obviates the necessity of a tutor. The lectures being already written, it only requires a leader of a grou|> with a general knowledge to make the class a success. . In most of the country classes the local teacher becomes the. leader. This gives the teacher the opportunity of meeting adults and discussing practical world problems with them. The group then becomes the local centre of the main cultural influence experienced in the village. This scheme can extend to every village and township where a local school is established.

The interest in the proposed trip to Mount Cook is increasing. Quite a number of students have signified their intention of visiting the Hermitage. The opportunity is now being extended to the public to join the party.

Public Speaking Class. At the usual weekly meeting of this class, held on Monday evening, there was a good attendance of students in spite of the inclement weather. After a class reading of part of one of Grattans speeches, the tutor (Mr John Rigg) gave a lesson on accented force and emphasis. Accented force, he said, gave a rhythm and a cadence to speech, and emphasis gave force. The principal difference between the two was that the former was placed only on trie syllable of a word or on a word of one syllable, while the latter stressed the whole of a word. He gave examples to illustrate both. Referring further to the matter of emphasis, Mr Rigg warned students against overemphasis. There were different degrees of emphasis according to the nature of the subject. Students could take it as an axiom that the more you emphasise, the less you emphasise. There were six rules governing emphasis that should ,be committed to memory—(l) To discover emphatical words, seek for an antithesis; (2) emphasise the subject of a new thought and the words which introduce it; (3) emphasise very important words although an antithesis is not apparent; (4) emphasise words that create a comparison; (5) give each emphatical word its proper degree of emphasis; and (6) do not over-emphasise. In criticising the speeches of students on Mr R. M. Macfarlane’s address on “ Labour and the Empire,” the tutor said that advantage had been taken of the opportunity by some students to show an anti-imperial spirit, but not one had brought forward any facts to show that Mr Macfarlane’s principal contention was wrong, namely, that organised labour was opposed to anything which would tend to disintegrate the British Empire. He complimented Mr Macfarlane on his speech, which was concise, well arranged and nicely, delivered. A very interesting address was delivered by Mr J. W. on “ A Soldier's Life,” and he was accorded a hearty vote of thanks by acclamation. This address and the question, “ Is the higher education of women justified by results?” will be discussed at the next meeting of the class.