EDUCATION OF THE CHILD

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 154, 17 July 1937, Page 3

EDUCATION OF THE CHILD

The Place of Physica! Traming MASS DRILL CONDEMNED •'I do not want to see anywhero in the Empire the spectacle of 10,000 children doing the same thing at the word of command. That might be very impressive in a Faseist or Communist country. We do not want mass pbysical education in ignorance; we want pbysical education of the mass by the development of the individual." This statement was made by Dr. Cyril Norwood, president of St. John's College. Oxford, and a delegate to the New Education Fellowship Gonference^ in an address at Christchurch. After referring to tho days of Greek physical and mental culture, Dr. Norwood claimed that at least one-third of general education should be devoted to the education of the body, and in his scheme he reduced academic education to one-third of the time. The other section he would devoto to the training of the hands, ears, and eyes. "This is a, plea," he said, "for thoroughness and for giving j)hysical education the place it demands." The disappearance of the Greek physical culture Dr. Norwood attributed in large measure to the advent of Christianity, which, he said, had taught that the flesh was only evil. "I do not think that that contention exists in the Gospel," he added, "but it smothered previous conceptions and villified the body." Erorn that time dated the distinct separation of the body, the mind, and the 6piritt the body being given the position of by far the least importance. That contempt of the body had been potent in the shaping of the present system of education. Tyranny of Cames. No organised games wero known in the schools of England until the middle of the nineteenth • century, but there followed rapid development until 'what ( was called the tyranny of games

reached its heiglit near the end of' the century. -A great deal of nonsense had been talked about the effect of those games on charaeter, but the mass was still uot eatered for. "But if thiugs have now improved in our public schools," Dr. Norwood continued, "I am not so happy about the state of the general public. We have passed into a period of glorification of sport, assisted by the newspapers, and we live in an atmosphere of test matches. It is very one-sided. We look at the fine new records, and then we look at the mass of -the population* and we think that things are not quite right." lleturning to the Greeks for the fundamentals in education Dr. Norwood gave the place of greatest importance in education to the body, the basis of all efficiency in Jife. The body held in place in education by its own right, he said, and it justly claimed as much atteution as any other section of education. Of second importance was the education of the hands, ears, and eyes, and academic training, which had occupied most of the time of children, he placed third. Careful Examlnation, Dr. Norwood wants to Bee in. every scbool a doctor, who is interested in physical education, and a competent physical cducator. Each child should be carefully cxaminod and dcfects noted. At presen t children of all types vvere given the same exercises by army instruetors, something which was absurd and unscientific. t A gatliering of children simdlarly assorted mentally would not be given the sanie examination in any other subject. ' Under his scheme boys and girls, would go to the instructor in ^groups of CO or 70 and would be again divided according to their physical qualities. The education would be daily, for.morq eood resulted from a short period of training daily than from an equal. aggregate of time twice weekly. The scheme as outlined, Dr. Nor-: wood confessed, could not be put .into immediate operation. It called for much research, and that duty be placed at tho door of the medical profession as being one of the most importan.t forms of preventive medicine, There is no desire to abolish organised games, for Dr. Norwood b'elieves that a virile nation cannot be produced without the existence of an element of danger. The main disadvantage he sees in the Swedish system is the remoteness of the possibility. of physical injury. "In Europe, Germa ny and Italy are training the children early for serviee to the State," Dr. Norwood concluded. "We must think of tho dangpr to civilisation from an outbreak of those ignorant passes. Education can save democracy, and otily education, aftd in that education must be given its fair

place physical training of the individual for the physical welfare of the nation." We must show the world that we can - produce better results than those in countries which have compulsory niass physical training and tyranny." |