SCHOOL BANKS.

Evening Star, Issue 4165, 3 July 1876, Page 4

SCHOOL BANKS.

We take the following paragraph ! from the '■•* Wellington Argus', as evidence of the growing interest-in the sohool bank movement. We can but endorse the sentiments of the writer in ~ hoping, that the matter will form part l;:e£th« new Education Bill:—• ;

'' '"' Whether in the Education Bill to be brought before Parliament during the j ■resent session, any recommendation is -to ! temade to the various Board.-, andiComautfcees throughout the .country to initiate the "braining of the future men and women iefeo practical habits of proyidence, through i&ft ageaoy of the savings bank in the jßejbooL is a qtiery which has occurred to us, '»»t so much from the fact that we kave, on more than one occasion, spoken favorably of the present agitation on this subject, as from convincing proof that it ia popular amongst those who, of all others, are likely to be the most closely concerned in it; Of course, we allude to the school teachers. We have now before us letters from many of them, expressive of their greatest interest in the branch of education, and one—Mr Lyon Weir, of Marlborough—most anxiously inquires where he can procure a supply of the |)amphlefc on the, Ghent schools, offering to.pay;for them out of his pwn pocket. \Ve~m;iyrhere say that no doubt Mr W.- Dalrymple, of Port Chalmers, secretary to the committee of the movement, would supply these, and without any payment, we believe. The matter, if mto are rigutly informed, has been long eriough before the Government to have enabled them to introduce it into their

bill. Failing this, we shall certainly urge ; that, in committee, a clause be inserted to that effect. We believe that the. Government are not averse to the proposal of establishing school banks—in fact, we know that the department has the matter now in hand, but we also know that the loading spirits in certain school committees have expressed their determination to oppose and Srevent, if possible, the teachers under their ominion having anything to do with the scheme.; In'such case 3 the interposition of Gtoyernnwnt authority would become a necessity. At the present moment, wh n we can hardly take up a newspaper, either English -or Colonial, without reading deplorable lamentations on the increasing tendency to drunkenness, and hear restrictive and other remedies, proposed and descanted on day after day, nere is practical action —something to be done, by every man and woman for herself and himself ; and, as example is to precept, so is practice to perpetual theorizing. The one remedy for drunkenness, as we have reiterated times without number* is to strengthen and elevate the moral character, and, in thi3 proposed training of the child, he is being braced to withstand, not only the ' temptation to indulge in drii k, but all other temptations, by the cultivation of those habits whi«h make the exercise of restraint and self-control the easygoing path Of efery-dayliie.