THE STUDY OF HISTORY.

Wanganui Chronicle, Issue 12848, 26 January 1912, Page 2

THE STUDY OF HISTORY.

AN IMPORTANT SUBJECT

DISCUSSED BY UNIVERSITY

SENATE

(Per Press Association.) WELLINGTON, January 25. The report.of the Recess Committee on History was presented to the University Senate to-day. The report i states that the chief education autho--1 ritios in New Zealand are unanimous ! thai history is tho.most neglected sub- ; jeet in tho education system. A _stu- ; dent entering the University had little i encouragement or opportunity for purj suing studies in" history. Few of the degree~--examinations' required itint to delve deeply into it.' "At^the ,'OtagoUniversity there is riot oveii a lecturer ;on English history. A^s Auckland Uni- | versity College there is a part-time l^cI turer who .is respomsible not only for I history but for economics, mental j science and commercial geography. At j Victoria College there is also- a part- ) time lecturer, who is also responsible i for economics imd oommeroial educa- , iion. At Ca.nterbui"y College alone is . there a professor, but he has to teach ! economics and direct the studies in ! commerce. From the bottom to the j top of our education system, history.", continues the report, "is heavily handicapped -compared with other subjects." jln most of the examinations, including i tho Cival Service examination, 'history is an optional subject. The ~ remedies suggestetl are that the children should be taught it in the primary schools, 'arid they would learn to take an interest dn it. It should be a compulsory pass • for higher standards and-for free place ! and proficiency .passes, dt should also ibo a compulsory subject in -the secondary schools, and that in the higher examinations it should be allotted a more I'npoitanc place. ,Mr G. Hogben (Inspector-General of Schools) did not agree with all that - the repoi t set out. New Zealand, for , instance, in its neglect of history, was I not the only offender in the British ~ Empire. He was hopeful, however, j that tho report would give a, stimulus to tho study of history in the schools. llt was one of tho best* of studies. The J University, ho contonded, was the worst . sinner in its neglect of history. JHe | was generally in favour of the general tone of the report He agreed with Mr Tibbs that at had .been difficult to find a place in the curriculum for his-' tory He proceeded at length to show that the encouragement of the study of history had not been neglected by any means by the Education Department. The main reason for tho teachin <r of history was that it would help to turn out better citizens. "Civic 7' instruction ooujd not be complete without the 'inclusiomof history. - ~ • Professor J. ltankino Browiii said that elementary authorities on hfefcory shd'uld be read in the schools. He referred'to tho important effect that a thorough education in history, especially in anr r:ient history, had on the* mind "a.nd outlook, such, for instance, .as was given at Oxford. He agreed with the recommendations of the Committee regarding University work that eoonomics should frorni a separate gronp and include history treated from the economics side. Professor Macmillan Brown, as a member of the History Committee credit to Mr Yon Haast, the chaeTauthor of the excellent report. He personally had always deplored the small place of historyl in the schools' curriculum" He beJdevod that this revul«icfn of feeling in favour of the inclusion of history, in the Universities and schools was the growing outcome of the feeling that we were part of the-Bri-tish Empire before we were occupied with our young .colonial life,*, ' •■<■" '" - Professor Hight'said that 'it .wa^s' es~ - pecdally important in 'N&w Zealand^ be-r cause of - our-extreme democracy, that' histpry .should lie studie:!. Our -civic .system Tvis based: on -the assumption 'tliat everyone over-;?l years was-an-ex-l^rt an history.. 'There- should be tbl9 knowledge of history if the— young -people were to •enjoy properly the'prm-' leget, thrust upon thorn. : Everyone in this Domhrioß, he; said, has to" bo a j citizen. Only a oomparAtiy«iyl->IW of / iis oan <bo mathematiciaiis/-cheniifrts and - linguists. . . Provision should-' ty> made throughout the whole; education ,system for the efficient training of citizens. It is important also because of • our -isolation." We lend to Ik-come paroohlal. We must regard other iuationsin the proper |TglH. We^caii-do-^that - and discover,' our .-»'al relations with them only by a study at history, and perhaps of geography. 'jTcar, hear.) Professor Sairaojid saia that history should not be vievv^d net- < a^ an .academic subject. It }, M \ ,' n (l ]j er .gj^ Travel -to young poop!? »•.«•' most vtiluable as bioadeoi^g the •» »; ,ok, and history should jbava the same effect, but it <iicl not jfollow that history 'should have tho game'place with academic gub* jeots iii the curriculum. History -was not a subject that admitted of- being taught in the «,ame -way a<» other iub^ jects. It -could be Ljif. bet-tor read by students than taught 1 rty v nroiesbor. -What would a man Ho t\'lu> was- '.appointed in tho University to teach the history of England? Could he give them something better than they had already? ; A Senator—They can get other subjects ialso from books. " - Professor Salmond—lt does not apply tho sarao in their case. Take philosophy, for instance. Students could not understand philosophy without the aid of xi professor. Professor Macmillan Brown—Oh, - surely ? Professor Salmond—No; they -could not. (Laughter.) He-added 'that history could bo too .easily crammed. Dates and facts wern sometimes crammed into tho mind. Therefore they should be careful an their alterations. Tho Chancellor agreed that credit had to be given to'Mr Vdm Kaast for the valuable report. "Wo know," he said, '•'that history. Ls more easily studied than in tho old days with * the text books wo now have." ' A gi-eat advance had been made sinco • Carlyle's dtay and tho popularising of history. History had taken a subordinate place in New Zealand ilitorature because it had been thought that it could not be taught 'and tho r-eligious question ignored. It was thought that it would necessarily mean a discussion on Protestantism-or Catliolicism, and a fear. existed of sectarianism in tho schools. That was why history was not made a compulsory subject in the Act of 1877. Tho Chancellor remembered the introduction of the Education Bill by Sir E. W. Stafford, making this provision, and ho had himH>lf supported it as a member of the House for the reasons mentioned. The , samo care had been displayed nrAus-' tralta. The;, Sydney University had prohibited history from being made a compulsory degree subject. History by them "was kept in the background.' "We are getting rid of ■ all that, now-," said tho Chancellor. One of the' great';'difficulties was the -pa-oneness of professors Ito become partial. It wias better, tborofore, to have text ■ books that gavo all sides of the "subject. If the University . was to teach - tho young pebplo ..- civics, they .would perforcerhave to an-.' cludo.a rapro 00-mploto . study of his- ' tpry. ■ Tho report was adopted,, and tho recoon mendations of the History Reces3 Oammittee were agreed to, ias follows • .Junior scholarships, for history.in tho junior scholarship .©xamination;; The 'niaximiini marks \ obtainable, should bo 600. B.A.- decree Tepeajt ancl eena,Osr scholarehip history.; (including constitu-

tional history) should be a single full subject, with an extended curriculum worthy of the increased importance of ■ the subject. Jurisprudence and constitutional history together should also be a separate subject for the B.A. degree, but not for repeat or senior scholarship M.A. degree and Honours in Arts. History should form a separate group, with. an enlarged curriculum. Economies should forma separate group and include history, treated from the economic side. Languages for Airta degree, "the rescript-ion for a language, either ancient or modern, for the Arts degree should require from the studentsome general knowledge of the history of at least the period to which the set of books belong. The Committee also recommend "that a copy of -this report be sent to the Minister of Education, his attention being specially directed to those parts (relating to the primary and ' sconda^y schools." Committees were -authorised to deal with the matter, and to report to the Sen-ate '..