WORE AND BRAINS

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1988, 19 February 1914, Page 4

WORE AND BRAINS

The announcement by the General Manager of Railways of his intention to encourage employees to makesuggestions for increasing the usefulness and smooth-running of the service, and the fact that this system has already been tried by the Public Service Commissioners with : satisfactory results, ■ should be good news to young people with ability and enterprise, There is no doubt that the young New Zealander has his fair share of brain-power, and if he would only put a little move of it into the serious business of life it would be better for .himself and for the community in which ho lives. Ho does not seem to throw enough enthusiasm into his work, and is too ready _ t° accept- and perpetuate traditional methods, without worrying, himself as to whether they can be improved or not. It must be admitted, however, that the blame does not lie entirely on the,shoulders of the young people. Those in authority are < sometimes quite eontent with things as they are, and are apt to quench the spirit of the youthful reformer, who has ideas of his own. It is .even stated that sviggcs* tions made have been, in some cases, ■adopted either wholly or with modifications without, giving credit or recompense to the man from' whose brains they emanated. Such unfair methods must, of Course, discourage anything in the nature of originality, and it is, therefore, satisfactory to know that Mr. Hi ley and the' Public_ Service Commissioners have made it quite clear that any now idea coming from employees in their Departments will receive sympathetic consideration, and if it- can b® .put to practical use it will be paid for. This assurance: should /encourage: tho. application of more' intelligence and inventive power to the. work under their Joi 1 tho,. State, employee of ability and enterprise is ■ sure to become more ke'en at his business if he knows that any effort he may -make.'to improve- upon the timehonoured way of doing things will be rewarded and appreciated, The consideration of this matter naturally ieads us back to our schools, where boys should be taught to think clearly, and make full use of their brains. Lord Bryce, in a recent speech on ; educational methods, said thai the English boy was certainly not inferior in intelligence or character to tho boy of. any other , country. "Why then,'' lie asked, "does he not care more for'nis work in -school) and cave | more for knowledge after he has left school '1 The desire for knowledge lis natural to all._and -especMly to I'the young. Discipline is less hard to-day than it used to be, and' teach" . ing is more rational. . Why, then, do our young people show less ze.al for knowledge- than those of many other nations, and certainly less than the Chinese ? Is it the fault of the schools, or of the parents, or is ' it ■because. the passion for amusement is now exceptionally strong 1 Or hav-e other competing interests—such as that portentously engrossing interest in' athletic competitions to which the constantly'gTOwing columns and pages devoted to ; 'sport' in our newspapers bear witness— .grown so rank as to choke the love of knowledge V' Lobd Bbyce did not attempt -to answer these questions, but they certainly need an answer.