EDUCATION AND EFFICIENCY.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume L, Issue 12601, 5 September 1910, Page 5

EDUCATION AND EFFICIENCY.

A MESSAGE TO THE NATION

SIR ROBERT STOUT'S SENTI-

MENXS

EXAMPLES FROM THE OLD

WORLD

A PLEA FOR THE STRENUOUS

AND SOBER LIFE.

(J er Press Association.)

AUCKLAND, September 3. Addressing tho Auckland Rationalist Association on the subject of Education and Efficiency to-night, Sir Robert Stout said that in Great Britain there was no city where such progress was being made in the matter of business and commerce as in Glasgow, and the most notable thing about that city was the way the- <Klucation of the young people was studied. The university was the finest institution in the city, and the one of which the citizens were most proud. No young man could hope to obtain a good position or make: good wages who had not attended one of the city's technical schools and become proficient in the science of his own trade. Now, what were New Zealand's needs, and where; would we learn a lesson from these older countries which had done so much for education.? The New Zealand educational system had a great deal to commend it, but it had its weak points which ought to be remedied. For instance, in his opinion, the country teacher should be more highly educated and better trained than the pity teachers; instead of this, very many country schools were under the cars of comparatively untrained and too often uncertificated teachers. Benjamin Franklin said he would have a Bible and a newspaper in every house and good scholars in every district. It was quite true that the good scholars, ■tho best scholars, must be there to train the boys arid girls of the country districts. Why had Denmark come to the front? Why coiilcl that little country produce butter and cheese better than the product of any other ; European country? • Because in their schools the Danes had applied science to the making of . these articles, and had" turned out their boys skilled in their manufacture. NeAv Zealand should do tho same thing. The boys and girls of the country should be taught all about seeds and plants, and the .soils best suited to them, the treatment of milk, what makes it go sour, and so on. If New Zealand is to succeed in the industrial world it must •educate its youth accordingly. (Applause.) Again, in the country districts they must have amusements which appeal to the people. The youth" of the country should not have to travel to the city in order to have what they consider "a good time." They should have a better time in the country than in the city, and should be happier in fresh air and amongst the flowers and birds and trees and insects. Only by the raising of a healthy and well-edu-cated people could New Zealand hope ; to compete with' the Argentine ana the other countries of the world m the wool and butter trade. Mr Gilbert Anderson had recently said that a good deal of New Zealand, meat was not much better than that of the Argen % tine. ' That showed that improvement was being made in that country. Well. New Zealand must bestir itself and j become still better." This was our only ! hope. Unless we are better than other people we cannot succeed. Therefore the highest attention must be paid to education. In >this respect we must follow the example of Germany, where the welfare of the people was conserved hot only by the adequate training ot the young, but by the abolition of slums in cities—(hear, hear)— hy the care _ofr tho people's health, and by a plentiful supply of fresh air and pure water. A prosperous country must have a people physically strong as well as intellectually trained. There were several things which were impairing the health and consequently the efficiency of young New Zealanders. For instance, hundreds had the drug habit very badly. What could that mean in the future? That morning as he went to his Court ho saw four young men, nice-looking . enough young fellows, smoking cigarettes. They were pale-faced and lacked the fresh vigorous look of the healthy youth, but what could one expect? He had noticed solicitors practising 111 Court whose fingers were brown with twisting cigarettes and their faces were weak, their eyes lacked ; lustre, and their whole bearing showed what inroads the habit was making on them. Was this efficiency ? In a recent French magazine all the great physiologists ot Europe had united in the condemnation of the cigaretts habit, especially amongst the young, to whom it did enormous harm. In many American companies they "fired out" employees who were pronounced cigarette smokers. Tobacco was a sedative, and did not make them energetic, but inclined them, to do no work. They did not read but spent their time fiddling with, cigarettes. New Zealanders smoked much more than English people One or two countries had bigger tobacco bills, including Holland and Germany, but New Zealand was very high on the list. . There was another bad habit, the taking of liquor The young man who drank beer and smoked cigarettes had a. very poor future "ahead of him. He was impairing his physical health and undermining his moral being. One could almost tell such a man by his want of energy and the way he crawled into his office in the morning, generally five minutes late. (Laughter.) New Zealanders must drop these drug habits, which were degrading their bodies, "the sacred temples .of the soul." While he was in Europe lately he had always got up early. In Paris he used to watch the young people going to work at 7 a.m., and they looked healthier and fresher than Au'cklanders at 8 o'clock. Tho question arose—-Who is to look after the education of the youth and tho efficiency of the nation? Clearly it was tf.e duty of the State. The State looked after public wealth- and public health, why not after public education? "• Some of the oldest pioneers of New Zealand had recognised this duty oF the State to provide secular education for its children. Sir William Fox was one of the first advocates of secular education, although himself a deeply religious man. Sir Wm. Fitzgerald and Featberston had 'oeeri of the same opinion ' Religious instruction, they said, should bo left to the Church. There was too much waste in Neu T Zealand. Tobacco and. liquor were .i terriblo waste. They were not necessary to happiness or health, so that there was no excuse for their use. The State should lead the way, and no Civil Servant should be seen smoking either at his work or near it. Such a waste was comparable to the great waste of timber by burning. Twenty-five years ago he had been laughed at for telling an Auckland audience that they would shortly have no kauri trees left. How many were there now? It was true that the Government had planted 25,000,000 trees, but the work was far behind and must bo urgently pushed on. What future was there for a country that went on wasting its national resources ? The timber had been burnt from many places, leaving only bare clay faces on which a rabbit cannot live. Timber was becoming more valuable every year, and in New Zealand millions of pounds worth of it had been <I,o ß t,royed in order to put down grass. Again, many people: seemed anxious

TEBEGRkPHie

that New Zealand should sell all its coai and encourage its export. To do so \tas foolish; as they were beginnine: .to recognise in Great Britain. A Royal Commission had reported that at the present rate ;of consumption there would be no .coal lefty in Scotland in. another 175, years, fhe effect of the lailure of this supply.! would be incalculable, and would probably mean the loss of half the population of the country. The coal in England and Wales would probably last ilonger--three or lour hundred years—but by that time it would be at such a depth that it could not be worked at a profit, yet in spite of these lessons there • were people who wished to seSd the finest coal in the world away from New Zealand to Japan and elsewhere. The Government -.vas wisely conserving tho water-power ni the country, and this in time would make up for the loss of coal. There was enough water-power in New Zealand to serve a population of from ten to fifteen millions.. In fact, it was the Dominion's best asset. In conclusion the Chief Justice" said that not only must our children -be brought up strong physically and mentally, but their moral welfare must be looked after. They must be truthful, for truth was the foundation of all morality—(hear, hear) —and they must have kindneiss of heart and honesty. Any man who had these qualities was a good citizen, no matter what his creed may be.