EDUCATING SOLDIERS

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 85, 4 January 1919, Page 8

EDUCATING SOLDIERS

THE NEW ZEALAND SCHEME WHAT IS BEING DONE Interesting comment on the provision made for tho education of New Zealand soldiers during the demobilisation period are contained in a letter received by Professor T. H. Ensterfield v of Victoria • College, from Captain J. B. Kirk, under whose the education system in use in : the New Zealand Expeditionary Force was established. The letter is as follows:— . ■ ■ i "London November 10, 1018. "My dear Professor, —I' was. interested ill the points raised by you in your letter to me recently received, and I am looking forward to discussing them with von , more fully than I can do at present,-on , my return to New Zealand, for which place I leave England either about the end of next month or during January. The schools founded undeSr ihe'educntion scheme which I had the privilege of initiating and establishing are nil running smoothly and well, t'he policy has been olcariy laiiS down nnd pursued with excellent' results, and • now that the wai 13 drawing to its end I iwl that with Fonie feeling of satisfaction I can set my face towards my home and friends in the Southern Pacific. Colonel Stewart, D.5.0., M.C., who was professor cf classics in Canterbury College, will continue j'the work as Director of Education, and prob- ■ ably control it during the whole period of demobilisation. ' •• v : 'Tt has been very cheering and inspiring to see how the men Applied themselves to the work of construction when the opportunity was made available to them, and to-day I have the satisfaction of wearing boots made in our own schools bv orir own pupils, while the fellows who gave un so much and fo greatly dis. counted their futrore. carpers, are busib learning, in well-equipped (lapses, the .crafts'of. the carpenter and builder, the plumber and sanitary eriffimer/tlie electrical engineer,; the mechanical and motor engineer, and the art of 'the "stained gla«s window worker, lettering, window dressing, end business methods, kinernii operating, and various other frad»s which I need P"t enumerate. In addition, general and scientific agriculture,■- dairy farming, .fruit farming, poultry and nia raising, horticulture,- wool'classing and pt-oclr-brecding classes. Mso . - f.lassen ill shorthand and typewriting:; Jiave,' their keen students; while the demands and desires'to those who want to continue their studies, in law, ar-counhncy, nrehitectlire, and certain higher branches of science are met and provided for. The : purely scholastic (a.s oppo.W fo ■ voca- ; tional) subjects, such'as. Engl.ish, lns- • tory. geography, elementary, tookkeepinfr. arithmetic, and -kindrpd-subjects are well develonrd, while the laws of'health., and the elementary principles, of economics, are paid special'attention to. Ind»e<l, i , is these two latter subjects that I look for the bwst results from the.ppintof view of <rood citizenship. In the pnst-the •principles -of economics have .been lalmnst exclusively enunciated within the walls of'university colleges to-men: who'wern more or less to know them as well founded theories, while • the men and women who .were a'iso to wrestle outside with the pressing and' growing problems of ■life, and who, in respect to them were asked' to cast in vnMlisent vote, were thus deni»d all knowledge of the prin. ciples underlying these problems. For years this has been impressed upon me, ..and was mv main reason for nwop-int-ini» myself with the Workers' ■ Educational Association, and my. greatest jov' has been.to go into onr large clas?»s in our t.welve schools in England, and to the. intelligent i"terest\evinoed "' in the. , .treatment' and- discussion 'of. vthe ' pronVm's examined in the .economic , . Has""!: whifh hav« proyd to be-' + hn' mo=t pnnnlnr and: keenly'sou»'it'aft|>r w'Moh have be°n set'iin. . W? interest in e'lii""ition . centres i" the n"ne. that n ' shall' vpt have efMriisVd the t.ri^ c !"le flint. tW -gTeat thing upon which tl>" . miiid of the "i-owintAK"d Vlpvnlnnin?; and nerhans.ambitious .child,Mo,to be c»ntrrfl nnnn is ,not. , 'non' , y,M=. not nli"n. is.not. "ower. ..but thnt hapr>'iVs.= whjo'i cqmps from, the'knnHii'lge of work nobly con--i>"iverl arid well'tlni'e,: ind it <=""">■; to me 1 tbi>f; through a knowledge of: Hm'/nrin-. (iipl<«:'of economics in a v ""uo mo-" -lnnrl to"'th;iß desired >r=ult.'.' -'ifr o"": i"innirot from th* l knnwl n 'lt™ p f • be matorial thin«<! and the w« : * ; «""!-T hayp c'-'nofl. but the r"w».r T Ti"r» Ojcriuirod of seei" o : bpnutv wh<""P Jw'nutv oopmeth not. nnd of n ,, ,"' , ' , "' -anrl 'ViTniony wh<""' annarenW-. fh«ro i= , t.iTii«*s .e'Vripft .onlv .mq"ord. ■ And-this incn'rntio" rnmpej fri>**> >hn »<-ents of ftp V"'K t'"ctriicwlo' th" eurcp"" , ;, f'yn fnil'ii-n- , r" its pnohV tllP WO-il<i nf tb" p-nr,li»*« and the :<eers and ihe-mavtye. of tl" , "" -«'ho have piicc'^p*!'* , !. and tlinep -n-lio fnilnro havp raisp- , . t l '-''- nan<!p to inßni"ng hf'" bpfni-e me: n"'] as J ,«it in mv -rl>»ir. ."* valk alout bi c,i '^ r i' , "Inr*"' (aTid. T T hnro i« '•'•»rp a -nlacß that is not), c"iim< , nr"< to concentrate unon any work. Tom in an ot.mo=T)horp "it ones ron"pp'nl. inviforat'icf, a'nimatini , . And if''t : 's;<'to W rendinp. -wherein He? mncVof th». nninV-' "•ling of my worlc.-thntl-cin-lo"!.-, for ' the F"'irce of my hapnines?—lcio" - ledi" , — enn it not be' the oase f-liat I'n worV. pnd from nne's work, whethn' , it be'by brain or brawn, one mar 'nlace nn,l derive thnt which, we all long to n'ttnin. and which ' so many wrongly a^crib o to the pow»r of monev_ to pnrchase—hanninesßj 'Take the artisai, th» man working with n'pwp.of-.mcW, w] fining lus work well. Tf hf» merplv, dnv after. day, Ro»s on fnithfnllv Ti»T f ormi«cr : fHp same task, his life-work will nev?i--tlVelow hnve a tendency to' becomomechanical and ioylew. Tn the metal he is handling he will see only heavy.ugly, material;: but if : when ho takp« it lin'he can hove pome knowlerlw .of the mine from wlrch the ore was dug. of the manner and life and customs of the miner and his form of government, of thp .'means of transit,tn the. .sea const, nnd of transport across,the wnters- if he, is.iyvare-of th» fin* fl-"in," on .the shin which carries jit, of ' the nationality of ths seamen who navigate the vessel, nnd of the habits of the foreign pconlf"! in- - habiting the strange lands to which the ship tr<\rt»s; if be. An followithe treat-' ment of the ore by the.various hpate and. acids which will be'applied to it, know their origin and something of the''- effpct; fipe thei> pnttern-maker, the - d".sijti ,,, r. tho artist "t woiTj, and '• conceive the finished article foreseen by tl> e maker, purely a r»w intent will awaken, a new icr be his, nnknmni nnd nnbelieved Ijpfnre. . pnirlnlv nnrl inatleniiatply T am failing fully 'and plainly to exnress my, me/inino , . mv co n Ti"H' , n. niv burnin'" de«ire. l>ut if po T fep'i . thnt v"UT fulWTcTinwlrflge. v our ev.niMtliy. »M ki-dlin'ess will creat"*. th« nfmospliPre, nnd th»t ; you ;- ; 'l '?<*<">■' n'iit my i"iT>'prf"«tions '" v'Hi -i-»\ir th^vrnK , T woi'''l' -arw tlm ■. witt'er 1 staw f'irti'er. ffi> boar mu n h- of >niifpreicps between emnloyer and •d. l«b'-een can'Wiefc and Inbnnrer. 1<»tw°e!'i thnop in afflueTie» nnd th(-{=» "-ith who ffenerally VHevq thnt "neb *ni. iirnmote. the ireneril ,npnd ,»rtd 'it ■upon a firm and settled, basis, Th" common purpos". th« pommon. I'm. r>£ such ponfpranc*! is admitted, iv , "'. I wish, that T could fp"l that t''».y 'will 'effoct wl-at is so greatly desired.' bul to my mind they, "on ne''er attain theiv in the hiV'pot: degree until a further fipfot is snniliexl—common knowledge. To-day, generally speaking, the man at the top, the man with capital, who hns been used to every comfort' if not to everv luxury,, has not, becnuso of his environment and outlook, that knowledge ami understanding of and personal sympathy , which h" should have with Hioso at' 1 the bottom; the men with little r.o who have bpon used to few if any comforts and denied luxury. And those : at the bottom have either no knowledce, or if em; "onernlly a fnls° one. of the responsibilities and anxieties, the tremendous difficult!) , !; and financial oblientions of those nt the top', to whose eneTgy. enterprise, and resource so mu'cb is owed by every one. In short, knowledge is wanting on either side—knowledge by the one of thei life to the other. _ To some extent the tragedy of war w ; th all its common sufferings.'and sacrifices;'• its common sharing of hardships, difficulties.', d'nrl dftiigers, hns supplied this and caused to generate a noble tolerance which if watered, nurtured, nnd symnathetipnlly developed. • will prodnoo for tho world a spirit of mutual respect and co-operation which will allow of all vexed

questions being settled, not only by those animated with a common v purpose, but possessing a common knowledge. It is my hope, my desire, -my fervent- , wieh. that this may eventuate, nnd that the policy of education in the New Zonliind Army which I have had the privilege of being so closely associated with, lauy in no small way tend to and help totwds this greatly to be desired end. •■ "1 agree with all you say in respect to the encouragement of our li?st men and women in research work, and un luv return hope to continue my interest in and my endeavour for that science xhiCn can -make , a people great—tne scieuo of education. ' i have delivered , addressee at. Lou'doi. University nnd at Cambridge, and am tf speak before the Eoyal <V.orinl I'.i-titute next month. .'• ' "Yours always, "J. ).?■• 'Ktßh "