FREE GYMNASTICS.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1085, 25 March 1911, Page 7

FREE GYMNASTICS.

THE SWING OF THE PENDULUM. At the last meeting of the Wellington Education Board, a somewhat mixed reception was accorded to certain proposals by the Commandant of t';,e Junior Cadets (Major T. W. M'Donald) with reference to the introduction to tho schools of a system of free gymnastics in place of tho present system of physical drill with dumb-bells, poles, rilles, etc. The board's inspectors were heartily in support of the proposals, but not so some of tho members, who wero not inclined to discard at a moment's notice a system which had put the board to 110 inconsiderable expense to establish. Accordingly. decision of the question was deferred for a month. In connection with the discussion, the following letter, addressed by Mr. Royd Garlick to Major M'Donald, supplies a curious ilistanco of the swing of tho pendulum ill educational ideas:— "I have been greatly interested," says the writer, "in tho report of the discussion, at the last meeting of the Education Board, which followed upon your suggestion with regard to physical education without apparatus. 1 1 have always maintained that for tho proper physical development of normal children, apparatus is entirely unnecessary. A professional training in Swedish, and medical gymnastics teaches this, and my experience in private practice (which included the instruction of over 1000 children in tho New Zealand schools)led 1110 to arrange a short courso for nso in schools about five years ago. In 1907 this was brought to tho notice of tho Conferenco of School Inspectors, and, I understand, was recommended for uso in the State schools; At any rate, the'following' year some 96 of the Wellington Board's teachers were instructed by me, in this course, under arrangement with tho board. Tho results, as detailed in my report to the board at tho end of the course, were certainly satisfactory, and I have since received many letters from teachers expressing their appreciation of its usefulness. .Consequently, I am surprised at tho doubts 'expressed bjr some ;niombers of the' board,' ! ns to the wbtli'm'cf your suggestion.. . ." Mr. B. Dovey, of the Wellington Physical Training School, is another drill aqwrt who has subscribed to the advocacy of free' gymnastics for schools, and in 190S tho Government Priming Office published a pamphlet 011 the subject, for issue by the Education Department, to schools.