SATURDAY, JANUARY 6, 1917. A GOOD START IN LIFE

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2970, 6 January 1917, Page 6

SATURDAY, JANUARY 6, 1917. A GOOD START IN LIFE

, The scheme of educational reform outlined by Miss _ Myers in a memorandum supplied to members of ■ tho Council of Education ■ is characterised by a thoroughness which .is as commendable as it is refreshing. Like,- many other educationists, . Miss Myers'is evidently convinced that our school system is radically unsound. Its basis is

weak, and until its foundations arc strengthened time and energy 'spent in tinkering and tampering with the ' superstructure arc wasted. The health of the child must bo the first consideration. Our present method of education does not make sufficient, allowanceNfor tho fact that a child's future career may bo made or marred during the first five 'years of its life—before it reaches school age. It has become quito plain that the responsibility of the State with regard to tho upbringing of its children must begin -earlier.. However successful remedial treatment may'be, tho fact remains that prevention is always better than cure. In an address delivered.at tho annual conference of the New Zealand Educational Institute, Dk. Elizabeth Macdonald stated' that one of the chief contributing causes of physical defects was want, of know,- . ledge on the part of .parents- and others .of the needs of, children bc- ■ .fore they arrive at school age... If children were properly/:cared for up to that ago they would stand a much better chance of bqing physically, mentally, and morally healthier than under present conditions. As convener of the committee set up by the Council of Education to deal with medical inspection, mentality, tests, and physical- education, Miss Myers has given- careful consideration, to tho vitally important question of giving the child a good chance from the very beginning of making tho best of life. With this end_ in view, she advocates tho coordination under one' organising centre.of all infant welfare agencies; such 'as the Plunkei Nurse scheme, and'these combined efforts would be linked on to the education system, which would carry on the' task of watching over the physical and mental development of the children during their school career. .Miss Myebs's proposals may. at first .sight' appear to. bo over-ambi-tious, but .closer study shows .that the suggested modifications and extension of existing aims and methods .are less formidable than they might at first sight appear.: They do not involve a general reconstruction of our schooLsystenv Their main purpose lp -.to increase its .'efficiency bv broadening it basis. Miss Myers | does .not expect'that her .full scheme i will be put into .operation forthwith. The realisation of her ideal' must be a gradual process. It is to be < hoped that the amount of time" and thought which is at present being concentrated upon education problems will -result in a consensus of expert opinion regarding the goal to be attained. It. is essential that we should make up our minds as to" where -we want to "go before: we set out on our journey. ' Our educational guides have been indulging in too much laimless wandering iri the past, and. it is high timo they got on to .a straight road, leading to some definite point. •No real progress can bo expected until they evolve a complete and consistent system,, which, as Miss Myers suggests, can be "advanced to .later stages gradually as .the result of experience and investigation." A promising start has.already been made in regard to. .organised infant welfare work by' the Plunket Nurso bocicty, and tho Hon. G. Russell recently announced that a big campaign is soon to be inaugurated with the object of raising money to enable this useful society to extend its field of operations. But tho Plunket Nurses and other infant welfare workers are at present quite unable to do all that requires to be done for the children prior to the commencement of their school'life. The State will have to do moro than it has hitherto attempted to safeguard the health of tho infant population. Medical inspection has already become a-recognised part of our education system, and tho time has come for supplementing tho work of the school doctors by tho appointment of nurses, who will form a connecting link between the school and the home. It is highly desirable That tho parents should ho induced to take a greater and a more intelligent interest in the health and training of their children. The war has taught us that tho nation's greatest asset is its- children. They are its most precious possession, and it would bo unreasonable, as well as false economy, to grudge the money spent on well-planned, well-directed efforts to safeguard their health and to give them the best possible oppor

tunity of -.becoming, good men and . women,'and good citizens, i Miss MrEns lays much stress upon tnq. value of mentality tests, which I • would bear the samo, relation to the intellectual condition.of the children as. the present med;cal inspection bears to their physical well-being."' Tho combined object of inspection . and. tests is to find out, and, if possible; to remove at the earliest sfca-e, the causes ; of physical and '• intellectual retardation, and to provide , for better adaptation of educational agencies to .tho individual capabili-* tics qf the children. The London educational authorities are making some very important experiments with the object of improving the health and mental capacity of the boys and-girls who ..attend their schools. Br. L. Haden.Guest, the London County Council's Scn'ool Medical Officer, states that a halftime "psychologist" has recently been appointed by the.- council ' to assist in the school doctor's work, ' and. tho-day of a complete mental, in addition to physical, inspection is at no great distance in the future. ■J. he : rejection of such a large percentage'of recruits owing to physical detects emphasises tho necessity of Paying more attention to the health of ■ our boys and . girls. It is ■ the start that counts.-Only by proper ca.ro of the children can .the vigour ot the. nation's, manhood : -bo maintained. It as. now generally recognised that there must bo a more thorough application of. science 'to the woi'k of improving the/mental find ..physical fitness of our race,, Dr. .Guest fells us that .in future wl may look forward to regular medical inspection of 'all'..infants, school children, and probably of all young people; and we may look beyond the inspection, to systems of treatment and prevention'which shall raise the Standard of physical vigour and mentality of the nation to a surprisingly high point. "Tho application of science to life is only begun .by medical inspection, which is, indeed,,only one aspect of this application. The process must inevitably go further. The teacher < wants to know, not only how a child is physically.equipped, but much about the mind, and the emotions, and the intifition." The tin,? has fully come; for organised andeoura- - geous efforts' to make better' use of the knowledge at bur disposal with' tluvobject of realising the ideal of a thoroughly well-born, well-nur-tured,- and well-educated people. i