Appendix C.J

E.—2.

V

It has a high utility value as well, being " the shorthand of expression," and it often becomes indispensable in the occupation chosen by the child after leaving school. Its importance is so obvious and so universally recognized that no course of instruction can lay claim to completeness which does not make ample room for its inclusion. In quite a number of schools, however, the possibilities of the subject appear to be but imperfectly recognized. For instance, it is not an uncommon occurrence to find freehand drawing done entirely from line copies, and but little attempt made at applying the principle of co-ordination. The ideal plan would be to dispense with copies altogether, and do all work from real things ; but in many cases it would be difficult to follow this method, so that a certain amount of drawing from copies may be indispensable. The value of a training in expressing in form and colour the impressions obtained from an examination of suitable objects must not be overlooked ; hence all courses in drawing should provide for utilizing common objects as copies, not occasionally, but frequently—indeed, the real object should be the rule, the line copy the exception. The correlation of drawing with other subjects of instruction should be constant, a matter which calls for the thoughtful attention of many teachers. Nature-study, science, geography, and arithmetic can all be linked with the drawing-lesson. Memory drawing—if care be taken that the images of objects are properly visualized and correctly drawn —becomes a highly useful exercise. By memorizing the proportions and shapes of objects and studying the function of their parts, the powers of observation and reasoning are sharpened ; and, further, " the scholar's vocabulary of form is gradually increased until he is able to represent objects once seen with comparative ease, and express his ideas as readily with the pencil as with the pen." We are glad to notice that the advantages of free-arm drawing are being recognized, and that this form of drawing is being taught in the lower classes in a large number of schools. A child obtains command of the muscles of shoulder and arm sooner than those of wrist and fingers, hence the need for providing him in his earlier years with some form of drawing-exercise by which freedom of movement is secured and in which control of wrist and finger muscles is not essential. Experience goes to show, moreover, that free-arm drawing should not be confined to the lower classes, but should be continued throughout the school life of the pupil, gradually lessening in amount as the higher standards are reached. Voice-training. —A good deal of attention has of late been directed to this subject, here and elsewhere, as its importance both to the teacher and to the entire community is now generally recognized. The training of the voice is the tuning of the vocal organs, and the removal of defects, whereby the instrument is enabled to do its work efficiently and easily. Voice-production, as the name implies, is the producing or making of the voice ; singing or elocution is the art of playing upon it. The object of voice-training is the acquisition of the perfectly healthy action of that part of the body which is engaged in the production of voice, and as teachers are amongst the greatest voice-users the need for training in their case is at once apparent. There seems but little doubt that the reason why so many teachers lose their voices or suffer from " weak throats " is that, having so much voice work to do and being unaware of the complex nature of the mechanism of speech, they unconsciously make improper use of their vocal organ, and sooner or later damage its more delicate parts. Voice-training, however, aims at more than merely enabling a teacher to preserve his power of effective speech and avoid throat troubles ; by the control of the vocal organs a habit of clear utterance and pleasant intonation can be acquired, whereby the speaker will have little or no difficulty in obtaining the power of expressing what he feels. In other words, voice-training tends to remove faulty expression, faulty pronunciation, faulty accent, and helps to develop that complete power over the organ of speech which enables its possessor to convey his meaning readily and with pleasing effect. "A. pleasant, musical, conversational voice is a most valuable asset, but however richly the speaker may be endowed by nature it is possible to improve the voice by bringing into prominence the good qualities and improving the defective. How many possessing pleasant conversational voices are able to preserve that pleasantness when using the more dramatic voice in teaching, lecturing, or acting ? " We regard voice-training as a special and highly important form of physical education, and trust that ere long the necessary steps may be taken to enable all teachers to reap the benefits by which a course of training in this subject would undoubtedly be followed. The Service. —We have been obliged during the course of our report to speak somewhat freely and disapprovingly of certain matters connected with the work in the schools, to express disappointment at conditions we found obtaining during the course of some of our visits, to find fault with methods, and to complain of inattention to needed details. Though all this has become necessary in our review of the year's work and in our efforts to point out the better way, we are fully alive to the fine spirit of earnest enthusiasm which permeates the service and finds expression in the resolute effort and splendid work so frequently met with. We feel more strongly as each year passes how much we all owe to those men and women in our service who labour so cheerfully, so persistently, so earnestly, so successfully —-often in the face of difficulty, disappointment, discouragement, opposition—to train and educate our young people, and so prepare them for the responsible duties of citizenship by developing that sense of service on which the welfare of the community ultimately depends. We would take the opportunity of conveying to the service our warm appreciation of the loyal and whole-hearted support we have received in our efforts to deal with the many difficult problems inseparable from the work in which all have a common interest. E. K. Mulgan, Chas. W. Garrard, William Burnside, James T. G. Cox, G. H. Plummer, [-Inspectors. Maurice Priestley, N. T. Lambourne, James W. Mcllraith. | Th« Secretary, .Auckland Education Board. N. R. McKenzie,