TRAINING OF GIRLS

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3128, 5 July 1917, Page 7

TRAINING OF GIRLS

EDUCATION COUNCIL'S PROPOSALS CRITICISED INTERESTING SPEECHES !. Sir Eobert Stout presided at a raoek- ;. Scg held , in the Concert Chamber to discuss the Council of Education's proposels Tespectitg the vocational training of Eirls, a. meeting which had been • arnuiged by the Sueiety for the Protection Women and Children. Iα introducing tho subject the chairman said that fee. .wsa pleased to. see tho interest that ■ Ws being taien in, questions of education. He did not think wo were half even in war- time, to the value of sueh questions. Hβ spoke of the advancement that was beins made, in '■.Engtend and AValc3, particularly referring to the latter country, whero it, was proposed to impose a, rato of a, penny in tiie £ to provide free university education, for the people. . lady Stout, who was the first speaker, rsaiditwas the 4th of July, the day on .which America struck out lor independence, and 6he hoped that, they would be able \n etriko a blow at the, Council of ''Education's ideas on tho restriction of girls' education. The first attack woa made before the war, when it was denuded that restrictions should bo plao «d on girls qualifying , for Me Civil Service examinations. " She emphasised the .value, of a higher education, without undervaluing domestic science, which was so essential for husbands, (Laugh,lor.) ' At tho same time sho believed that while a woman should havo a thorough Jtnowledge of domestic hygiene,- a man did not want to eat, all tlio tinio ho was at. home, and a. certificate of responsibility for fatherhood should be demanded equally with a knowledge' of domestic science in women. There wore some women who wero totally -unfitted Jfor motherhood, but-wero splendidly equipped for a commercial or professional life. .'

Professor Hunter 6poke of tho social «tatus of women. Hβ made a. point of the decision of the University Sono,to onot to allow a girl to matriculate iintil ' gh : e had gone through a domestic science. Ibis he thought was most pernicious and unfair. If it was desiredi that a i:ejstem of domestio science in eccoudary VRohook should exist, it should be of tho very b&st. Thero was nothing worse than that whici was cheap, nasty, and compulsory. If they wore going to have • • only domestic science— : they must be prepared .to, spend money. If fliey were not prepared Ho spend ' money; then they could not liave an educational 6ystem of any real value. Mr. W. H. L. Foster moved: "That this meeting of "Wellington citizens, while in full sympathy .with, domestic training for women, strongly protests against any alterations'of our' educational ' syeUrn that will' place disabilities on women and deprive them of educational ■ rights equal to those of mou. That the meeting consider that the adoption of * the recent proposals of the Council of Education on this matter would have these disastrous, cansoquenceai. and therefore calls upon the Department not to give effect to them." Mr. Foster said he regretted very much that the meetius : of the' Council of Education, had been held in camera—the .Press were not admitted. Hβ was 'fiorry that was so because they had no record of tie divisions. That, was important because the personnel, of. a minority- might 'outweigh the personnel of the majority. He had ' oitperience of such meetings, and he-was afraid' that.. they .sometimes became mutual admiration societies—"you vote for my pet scheme arid I'll.not'oppose jours. s '. Mr,"'Foster said'he was there as champion 'of .the. primary schools.oppose the recommendation that the education for girls, from fhe ithird standard upwards bo differentiated, and that they should, be under the oharge.of women teachers. The Council of Education had reaffirmed a resolution of last Septem- , bor-that vocational training should .bo 'given effect to in tho primary schools in the case of children froui 10 to U years ■of .ago. As--to.TOcationnl -.training, in primary- schools, the Council of.Education should answer, two questions.. The first was: Did children between 10. and H years of ago.require ia leain physiology and hygiene, tho principles and practice'of .homecraft, ecenomy in feeding and clothing, and tlie care of children? "WeTe they subjects for such, young chilIren?- He said,, "No." Secondly,-should positions, be earmarked for women? Hβ agreed ; with Ijady Stout that- women should -have the. same rights as men, and.therefore did not believe that positions should.be earmarked for -women. If they-had the capacity and ability l thoy would get such positions. (Applause.) He pointed out.that.tihe school week was only 25 hours, and asked if thoy ■wenl;

Trhittline away with an hour or tivo for this ?jid that, when ivere they Koing k> . get' the necessary timo. to attend 1o the subjects made compulsory by the Education Department? He also read into it, ' that the change tronld .ultimately-mean the segregation of tlio sexes from Hie ■ third standard upwards, and that.. he ■thought, would be doing griovone harm ' to the men and. women of- to-morrow. They were often asked about tbo moral risk. He had been teaching for nearly 40 yeare, and never had ho known one case wheie a boy or. girl had ever come by any harm by mixing together at our primary schools. -He had known of beautiful friendships formed, and . if

they did. sometimes develop into eome-, thing more tender and sentimental, well what, was wrong with that? (Applause.) Thatwßtj the right and proper thing. Ho often wondered if tlio educational experts took into consideration tho material they wci'o experimenting with. Whilst ho pupposed that they had thie consideration Hβ much at, heart as he had, ho was at tiuica inclined to doubtit.

Miss Coad eeconded l.he motion, and in doing go said that, if the Council of Education's course* wa« put into practice, the girls would, neither got n. good training in domestic science nor »j. good general education. Mies M'Lean said thai, sbn (bought that, l.ho Council of Education had done good work, and sho hoped that now they had ft body to consult, at least twice a year that they would not havo things sprung-.on them, bomb-like, as in the past. Referring to the proposed differentiation, in education, elie reviewed the history of Education for girls, going back 'to 1836, when 'accomplishments such as music and dancing were the chief subjects.; Indeed, the subjects were then considered in inverse order to their value—morals and Teligion. were .t.l. the bottom, and accomplishments at the top. She. also objected in this vocational training to the proposal that it sh'ould. be compulsory. nhe thought any system'of education should be free and elastic, not narrow arid hard. She' also mentioned that, with the new compulsory subjects, it would not be possible for pupils to qualify for the free places in the high schools in two years. The course would have to be' three years, and the regulations would have to be altered in. that direction. In conolusion, Jfisß M'Lean caid that sho could see signe in''this country of the "utilitarian outweighing subjects of higher educational value. In saying that she sho was disagreeing witli the Minister ol Education. She did not know what, trie war had taught others—it had taugiit her that ideas ruled tho world to a greater extent Hh'an industrial success. Teach the children to think—«s a child thinks, so will it b«.' (Applause.) Mm. H. Smith thought that tho time for serious vocational training was after the ordinary school years, because at that time the girls took more intorest in. euch things. She also agreed with Miss Coad that if there were fowcr subjects taught in the primary education it would-be better. Ono of the most difficult things was to teach girls to think. More horaw had be«n mined by women unable to think than by tho6e unable to cook. ■ (Applause.) Miss Myers defended tho proposals of the Council of Education, which she did not think would have a narrowing eifeot.

Mrs. A. R. Atkinson, also made a most interesting speech in CTpport of the ideas embodied in. the Council of Education's recommendation.

On being put to the meeting, Mr. Foster's motion was declared carried, with six dissouticnts, on a ehow of hands. Thoso who voted for the motion numbered about fifty.