TRAINING THE YOUNG

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 72, 18 December 1920, Page 14

TRAINING THE YOUNG

NECESSITY OP DISCIPLINE. ■ The present problems confronting educationists were referred to by Professor Mnrphy at Banks College prize-giving On the question of school discipline he said:— • "I wish to associate myself most emphatically with the remarks made' by Mr.. J. P. Firth,* principal of TC&llington College at the annual breakup, as to tha disciplinary side of education. It seems to me that the influence and views of educated and educational doctrinaires tending as they do in the direction of a slackening of order and discipline, while they contain elements of truth and value, are'a serious danger in tho present' relaxed state of the world. Education w tartly mental* storage, partlv training of will and charnoter, and as far as this can lie securcd by the automatic interest of the child, or the discipline of class opinion/ and that is what I understand bv democracy in education, it should be ec-curod by that means. At presont, while such an .ideal may apply, in certain isolated studies of special interest, it oannot servo as a motive to displac* tho traditional school discipline without most serious social dangers. All men cannot be leaders, some must lead and some follow, and the training m subordination, in self-reverence, self-knowledge and self-control, cannot, it seems to me. bo acquired apart from incorporation, m somo larger whole with a dination of parts to a dominant will.