OUR EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM

Waikato Times, Volume 89, Issue 13892, 18 October 1918, Page 2

OUR EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM

iiv r. A. ill' la Mare.)

VII. 7ME SECONDARY GCKOOLC. i! Ii 11(• kt y stick, or oval leather, or skill', Hi - imoiu.'l, in" ]'tl in' friir. — Here's lu-K ! fur I! 1 i-imrt we've li.nl For cii.uii'i's llcil and li.i!!!<-s wiin; I'.,:' Ihe wi«•!.<•! I'riii', iin.l tli«' ft-'!-i in fi'Mii'. Anil I!ii■ 111;in who's safe for ;i tintrllii.ir i• iL.• 11; II • ":tr t-• •in lh:l silmws :i----mettle, And lli>' man wi'o wins his 11• .11 from scratch. Tlh n 1: l>i 111.- sportsman's road . I!l • ; iil'i*killls, "i'lir c 1 ii]11 > thai baffles, II::• risk lli.il :;i: v.'s: Ami here's In the merry heart thai reckons Tin' rough with the smooth, ;;p.d never swerves." .Victoria t'niversily College Sports Song.) I suggested in my last article that there had heen implanted in our seeonilary schools a. more generous idea of buildings and playing lie|ils than !.)• longed to the original plan of our primary schools. This, however, may he nn exaggeration, for the minds which conceived the policy left the Dunedin, Christehurch. and Auckland schools grievously lacking in grounds, and seem to have lacked vision to see heyond the idea of cram day schools. Perhaps it was that the new policy had enemies, that funds were lacking. Jt would he interesting to know the slovy of those undercurrents of forty odd years ago. The Church of England scpo'iU, to 111 eir credit, lie il snid, were in heller ease. Their school in Christchureh was part of the Canterbury Sell lenient scheme, and in Wanganui the Church took advantage of the Trust for Pool' Children, and have not failed in the provision for games.

1 assume that,, at the present time, there are no Iwo opinions about il, the Church of England was right when it dedicated the lands and the Stale was wrong when il erected costly buildings on town sections. It is a curious and interesting fact that these Church schools are in the main class schools, available principally; to the well-to-do. It is not my purpose here to criticise this state of affairs. I suggest that it is a true general statement of the fact. Neither do I wish to create opposition. What I do want to do is to awaken the people as a whole to the fact that their own schools are running with a handicap. I would have the people know that their children are not getting an equality of opportunity in this one particular respect. I want them to believe that the only real way they can effectively deal with class and denomination in education is by making the undenominational schools of the State the best schools in the land. I think, that there is many a Churchman who will agree and sympathise with this statement of the case.

Some parents may, in reviewing the situation feel inclined to make a very just criticism. It may be that the same reflection coloured the view of the founders of our system. Is it not true, they may ask. that the part played by sport in the English public schools, not to come nearer home, h is been a doubt fill if not a ""pernicious one. It is worth while looking at this contention. because it raises a question concerning which much has recently been said and written in England. "The Loom of Youth," a novel by a public school boy of 17 years, came as a bombshell upon the public school world. The book was so well written that il was hard to believe a school boy had produced it. If a school boy had written it. it was difficult to believe that it was not true. A school boy had written it, and it was in substance an indictment of the English public school. (>ur public schools, il seems to say, have noble buildings, beautiful grounds, and ancient traditions. The traditions overpower and control the system, and the overpowering and controlling tradition is sport. Everybody is forced by the tradition to pass through the same mould, and the enforcing power is the young, ingenious, inexorable boy who has himself been case-hardened an ! soul-cauterised by the process. We are not concerned just now with the justice of this attack, but we are concerned to recognise that it is just as dangerous to put sport in its wront perspective as it is to put the acquisition of knowledge in its wrong perspective. The gospel of work am; liic gospel of play, like the gospel of power and the gospel of peace, have to take due place in the constitution • f tilings, and a universe based on any one of theni alone is foredoomed to destruction.

What then is the right relation between work and play in secondary schools? 11 is the same, old story, and we must repeat it again and again for our souls' behoof. Life is not play, neither is Jhe preparation fur it. Duly urns! hold its place at the foundation, all else is built upon it. Jt is the school's job to teach, the pupil's to learn, and any school which forgets the fact is without vitalising power. There is an analogy here to the old

"paradox of pleasure," the great truth of ethics that pleasure, as an end in itself, is condemned, to failure. Pleasure has its true place as incidental to some higher purpose. Even so, games liavo their true place only as incidental to life's work. A good school may be known by the just relation found in it between work and play. But if 1 had to choose between two extremes, the cram school, which looks tirst to examinations, and the sporllnschool, with no academic aims, 1 should regretfully choose the latter and offi ;• prayers for both. I am approaching the end of the space a.llolt"d this article, and there are still some mailers which require attention. 1 shall leave "hem for the nex l article and say a few words -an the question of sport, with which this article has be.mi mainly concerned. !n England arid the British colonies it has always been said that the public schools I to which our secondary school-, are analogous) and the universities .vc the homes of pure amateur sport. If this statement is true, or approximately true, these institutions f-re a national asset. The

age :> ,i <• i:i■ i»ii• i - i"i;• I one, its spirit—l" get, Miinciiii'v.r tor ii'jliiin&r. 'i'l■ • ■ spirit of sf>c::'t, i l ' ii is not ill:- contradiction is !!<<• of commercialism. '!"!:>• fiHi':cHi• -nII i«3<*;' of sport is health, joy, tin 1 of health. Tin' of i-::<t ;-i i! <_■:»ln is an ir.hort'Tit eo::tradii'tion '"Sport for jr.ilii" is in deepest tnilli a coiii, ■ iictioii in terms. If is a sad -ii'! an .'.inoiis thing thai we cannot play hriiigc without a stake, "n<l liml tti.it li.'lf-n-crowrj a hole supplies a tonic io our golf. If lie'onirs to t!i<■ I'cii-vioii of our best schools that monetary gain is the profanation of sport,, anil t.luy are strict in their observances. The Stale has a peculiar interest in this iiiato sport is the most drinoc.ratic of our institutions. On the fi ■ I< 1 in'jn of alt classes incut oil t'iuai terms

3iv! ill" !'<•• f nun is the truest sportsman. Wliil' 1 conHicting interests arc «livi'iintr nun into classes the single, put pose iif sport unites them anil proviii":. ;i basis of human interest ami sympa!!;>'. This hand is broken anil I*!!:' ! -.(i! iPjy :ie as soon as professionalism begins. 1 may look at a )•>■:• i"; tltl I,!iU!<".', hilt 1 IllUSt !1 )t <-(111iji« ie willi him. 11' I play cricket wiih him I i11::i;• i!i:;!■ ■!y become a "Mr." Nllw the schools do, a> ;; whole, keep the banner of pure spurt Hying, if (lie process were bagUll at ! tie primary si'imols. iiiel given il; e broader j,iii'■ l sre.hic 1 >;• sis at It;" s Hilary SChon!. pel'iiaps Ihere would he less h..ck-iiiiintr in i 11• ■ years. I'erhans i'ie Bishop of Auckland ri'n'.i • : !> •ekslidintr in thi.s : , llnl ■ • <M!I! 1e■ I til the children rf Siao' > lad us. at any rate, ir; -is! iin !!ii' pleyiiiT fields.