VOICE Off THE WORLD

Evening Post, Volume CXIV, Issue 92, 15 October 1932, Page 23

VOICE Off THE WORLD

"Games and out-of-school activities"

formed the subject of The Purpose a discussion ;it the of Games, annual congress of the International Federation of Associations of Secondary Teachers. Mr. 11. Ramsbotham, Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Education", said the proper purpose of games in the schools was to produce healthy, n't, and active boys and girls, full of the joy _of effort for its own sake; and to cultivate in them the qualities of the good citizen. The finest games for schools were those which- required not only high skill, ' but which called for individual effort as an element in the" combination and team work of the side as a whole, and-which also'contained the possibility of the player getting hurt. Parents might think that' a brutal, doctrine to come from an educationist, but Rugby football was not a gentle game and all who played "it would agree that it was the" finest school game in existence, because- it called for high individual skill and effort, courage, fair play, and combination. Let them beware of the cant of games. They knew that it was team work that was the merit of games, but they also knew that, although the poor performer might often get much enjoyment from playing, it was the star performer who got most .of the fun.

How many of them would, in their heart of hearts, prefer tu. make . a "duck" for the ■winning side to scoring a century for the losers? Team games strengthened the quality of unselfishness', but the effect on character which was caused by individual excellence at •games might lead to the foolish cult of athletic hero-worship. It -was a. task for the educator in England to-day to popularise the . doctrine that the cricketer at the top of the batting average was really not so important: a man as the Prime Minister. It was not the business of the schools to act as hothouses for forcing up international champions. Our future athletic champions would spring naturally from good work done in the schools, and they might or might not have the time and opportunity to become international champions. It did not much matter. Let them hope that at least they would not become whole time amateur lawn tennis players. "Wo need a new type of institution— . distinct from hospital Health provision — namely, a Hostels. health hostel. Examples flow from any physician's experience,'' said Lord Dawson, in his presidential address at the B.M.A. centenary celebrations. "Overweight —tho man of forty getting a fat body and a fat head, who avows himself a small eater yet is clogged with his own metabolic products; the uaau becoming set about the neck and waist, who turns his body slowly rather than his head and eyes quickly, or who is bluish and breathless, losing his rib movements and wants to 'stay put. 3 Then, again, the patient in the early diabetic stage, where not only himself but his wife needs instruction in food calories and cooking, and it may be in the administration of insulin. All such and many more need for a space a designed environment; they require education, but under the conditions of their working life. Such institutions must have a kitchen under a trained dietitian and a physieo-therapeutic department; skilled"coiitrol,'but iio cults or fads. .It would prevent disease iix untold measure, and would be self-sup-porting and even • profitable. The cost to the-Juili.vidual might, where necessary, be defrayed out of that comprehensive Isieknes's' insurance scheme which wo wait long and wearily for the vision and constructive ability of the insurance companies to provide." "1 would like to .invoke the cnterprls- ... ' .'.''; ing spirit of our fore Spirit of, Our. fathers, and I would like Forefathers.;.to say that at no period ■'■' ..'■•.of the world's history have rewards been greater than they are to-day," wrifes Sir Edwin Stockton .'iv the "Merchant Adventurer." "To be sure the unexplored territories of the world arc virtually eliminated, but this by no means reduces opportunity, for the world is developing at a. great rate; Better transport opens an ever-growing field to.trade and industry. There is another charge laid at the door of opportunity to-day, and that is that great amalgamations and combines, groat world ramifications of business interests under unified control, offer small opportunity for the personal outlay of -individualism. This charge will not bear scrutiny, for behind every enterprise, no matter how impersonal it may appear on tho surface, lies a directing mind, a Leverhulme, a Ford, or a Marconi. It may be true that so far as the .world is concerned, those who hold in l.licir luuids the fortunes of these great schemes mar not achieve such personal distinction.'as the forcer of the North-

| West Passage, or. those who extend the territory of tho British Empire; their service to ; humanity, their influence upon our daily life and well being, is not one whit tho less. Wo need constantly to remind ourselves that the future prosperity of our Empire depends on our maintaining a virile spirit of enterprise. It is the only policy which will insure success." Professor \V. G. S. Adams, Professor of Political Institutions Group in the University of OxMovement, ford, addressing the national summer school for tho training of wireless group lenders at jSTe\y College, Oxford, said it was ' a mistake .to suppose that .English political thought and practice were on the down grade. Just the opposite was true. There are movements in Britain to-day," he said, "which show that both are as vital as over. In the past the influences of English political institutions have been enormous, and those influences arc still at work in the world. Modern countries are still intensely interested in what is happening in England." One remarkable development of the twentieth century was tho growth of the group movement. Organised groups of all kinds were springing up all over the (country in towns and in villages.

These groups were voluntary and in origin not connected with...the State. "The success of a democracy," said Professor Adams, "depends on all the groups within it. A world democracy similarly has to depend on. the power of the. groups within." illustrating his meaning, Professor Adams said there w-evo in Britain already in effect five main circles all comprising a number of groups. The smallest circle might be called local life iv the community. Next came the local government circle, third the national, as seen in Parliament at Westminster. Outside thai there was tho circle of the British Empire; and, finally/ the international circle. The secret of our problem today," he stated, "is to understand the relations of theae five groups to each other and to harmonise the inter-action of each. Small groups within these circles, whatever their .purpose, arc doing an important educational work, because they are training people to solve these greater problems." "From music wo do not expect an imitation of the sounds of The Artist's Nature. AVhcn listening Assumption, to music, we do not ask ouiselves-. 'What does it represent?' We-allow rhythm and harmony, to appeal', direct to our emotions and aesthetic sensibility. We enjoy music as-an -.abstract art, because our ears have been trained to it," writes Mr. P. G. Konody in "To-day and Tomorrow." "And we shall be able to derive the same degree and quality of enjoyment from modern pictorial and plastic art, when our eyes have undergone the same kind of training, and when the abstract aesthetic qualities of a work of fine art are not lost sight Of in the\search for literal meaning and for the degree of resemblance to the facts of Nature.. It has always been the artist's function to teach the public how to see. In tho past he has taught us to see new aspects of Nature which so far had escaped the common eye. He is now teaching us to see his mental conceptions and the modifications these conceptions impose upon the visible world. It is a revolutionary change; but its effect upon the rising generation is that they already accept as normal what the older generation still considers eccentric, nonsensical, or even mad." "Sir Arthur Walter estimates that at the close of last cenThe Industrial fury. out of the Sponge. £200,000,000 invested annually in Home industries, only £18,000,000 was found through tho. money market, the rest bejng found out of industrial profits or provided out of savings of tliose connected with (lie business, ■mainly as! ordinary shares, and owned by iiives-' tors who shared the trading risks, knew the business, and reinvested their savings in it," writes Sir Eric Geddes in the "Daily Telegraph." "In recent years, however, the position has been completely reversed, and £.170,000,000 out of £200,000,000 has been drawu annually from the money market. This moans a considerable increase in the provision of. preference and debenture capital, which takes little risk; but tho prior claims of this capital constitute a dead weight on the industry concerned, in. times of trade depression. As a result,' the investor has turned from industrial investment to fixed interest-bearing securities, and the industrial sponge is squeezed dry. The State lias become n sleeping partner in industry, taking little or no risk, but with ;i club in its hand extracting all it tan squeeze from industry, callous of thc:futurc.''.': :: " -•.