THE TEACHING OF TEMPERANCE

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 220, 11 June 1920, Page 8

THE TEACHING OF TEMPERANCE

' INSTRUCTION IN THE SCHOOLS DECISION OP MINISTER OF EDUCATION 1 The intention of the Education Do- !■ partment to make arrangements for i some more definite instruction of the S.' children' in the State schools, in the pubs - ject of temperance was announced yesby- Mr. C. J. Parr, Minister, of !. Education, replying' to a deputation representative of temperance bodies, in the Dominion. ... ii. The, speakers for the deputation were the Eev. E. S. Gray, Mrs. A. 11. Atkinson, and tlie Rev. John Dawson. It_wns : by them pointed out to the Minister s■: that provision was already made by i. which teachers could give instruction in ' temperance, under tho general heading of hygiene, but that the provision was perI: missive merely, and the result was that ,no induction was given. They asked i that temperance instruction bo one of the j" ordinary subjects of tho school curricu- ;■ Inm, in which class tests should be jv*given as in other subjects of the ordin- ; ary course of instruction. All the speak- '> ers made it' clear also that, they did sot ask for any partisan instruction. [■ They did not ask that the instruction •V should have any reference to prohibition, i or to voting or elections, or anything of tithe sort. What thev did aslc was that S:', the. children should be informed of tho facts concerning the effects of alcohol ; in relation to hygiene or health. The Minister, replying, said that he realised, that the deputation had not s come to him as members of the prohibition party. For his o*ri purt he_ chose j to take the subject from the point of i view of a parent, and he would take it i that the members of the deputation i- would be content to hn,vo the spibject | approached from this viewpoint. He '/■ hail a good deal of sympathy with the i- viows of the deputation, and lie did not I think that any ropsonably-minded parf;. ent—be he prohibitionist, moderate i -drinker, or even immoderate drinker (if ■ there were any such in this country)— could object to sound instruction being : given ito his little boy or girl on the i 'subject of temperance, and the dangers f of. alcohol to the human organism. Onco t this was admitted, then the question be- ' came a practical one of how tho in- : struction was to be arranged for; how it i could be fitted info a syllabus already ! " well laden. Obviously the proper placo ' for . instruction of this kind was under j the heading of health or hygiene. ■ Already provision was made for temperfiance' teaching, but ho feared that this I teaching had been up till now mostly of an,iindefinite character. It was now ' suggested to him that it shoukl.be made • • nuicli more definite and snecifie. He f-' was fully disposed to agree that the time had arrived when tho teaching of temi -pernnce in the . schools, sound insltrucly'tion npon alcohol in its relation to the v human body, should bo given more _ in detail 'and more He had : already been engaged in considering the best method of teaching tlie subject— ' (hear, hear)—and he bad already resolv- : ed upon a plan of action. (Hear, hear.) ; He proposed to see that every teacher, ; in the scheme of work he prepared, for i ' the year, should make provision in the ; time devoted to health and hygiene for | some portion of that time to bo devoted v to ithe subject the deputation bad come ; to discuss. He thought that this would, hbo an. easy matter. Inspectors would be ■" instructed to pee that in every scheme of ■'. work the teacher had given instruction "in tho. way of scientific matter with re- !' gard to the subject of alcohol. The in- ' speotor would ascertain from the school ; diary what instruction, had been given l ; in this subject in the course of a .year, : and inspectors in their oral examinations h would be expected to put questions to the ; children' which would indicate the nai tare, and, extent of the teaching received. Mrs. Atkinson :'Will he give the teach- : ers marks for this subject? , l . Mr. Parr said that _ marks were not • • given for'different subjects now, but the ; inspector when ho came to sum -up the I' work for a school, would have to take ; account of all branches of work, and if : the school Should b(j weak in one subf' .iect iifc would be . the inspector's duty to • 'draw attention to that weakness. Jlri Gray asked that the subject be i not made a subordinate-one in the \ school work. ' | , Mr. Parr said that, this would not be : 'the case .at all. Special attention was j. being given to it. -The subject would 1 v ' be treated much, as geography was treat- | <* ed .today. Of course it would not be ipossible, to' give a ,greait deal of time to ' it. The children had. to be instructed 1 i' in:,the; "Three. B.V' and they had to be ] ' proficient in these essentials within a r' limited time. But the deputation oould ; -bo assured that-.the-teaching would be made much more-definite, specific, and ! ; : real than hitherto. He. did not consider 1 i. that he was qualified. to discuss text ' : books with the deputation, but the mat- - ter was. being considered now by the j Ohief School Medical Officer (Dr. Wilk- ' inson), .and ho, had no donbt that the > - medical staff would'be able ito see that . the.-, instruction .given to tho children - j-.-'Yfas-truly 'scientific.;. Naturally, there I ' ■ would not be a hint of politics or prohi- ! ; bition in this teaching. That he would : have 'to be very emphatic about. But : ■ he thought that all parents could agree, : i knowing as they -did the dangers and ; the' evils ,!of strong drink, that it was proper : that their children should bo . I warned;'against those evils. 1 On behalf of the deputation, Mr. Gray 1 ; thanked tho' Minister for his very kind I reception of the deputation, and for his ' ■ olear and definite reply. He mentioned 1 that similar deputations had in the past 1 ; had other replies, not so definite. i