EDUCATION.

Hokitika Guardian, 24 March 1921, Page 1

EDUCATION.

ADDRESS BY PROFESSOR SHELLEY.

The importance of education and the Hbst methods iof imparting it, were the subjects of an adress by Professor J. Shelley at Hanmer Springs on Saturday. He said he considered the country the ideal place for education.

“There is an immeasurably greater capital than the capital of material finance,’’ declared Professor Shelley. ‘‘lt is the capital of human beings. If to-morrow the price of wool went up to ten times what it is now, it might result in the lowering of the essential capital of the country, which is determined by the state of human beings who inhabit it.”

The danger of too great self-satisfac-tion was pointed out by the professor j who commented that it was particularly • dangerous on the part of educationists. In saying this he was rude on purpose, because certain New Zealand newspapers had been rude to him—without purpose. Remarks of his concerning education had been criticised on the assumption that he was referring to New Zealand education, whereas he had been particular to jTreface his remarks upon education generally with the statement that he knew nothing concerning New Zealand education, and what lie said referred entirely to tendencies in England. Perhaps the reason they took it for granted that he was speaking about New Zealand education was because the cap fitted so well. His remarks had been fully agreed to by educationists who troubled to think seriously about tho matter. We could never afford to be self-satisfied in respect of education, 'fhere was no doubt that'the initial organisation of the educational system of New Zealand was of a high order, but however perfect an organisation was at its inception it must necessarily be affected by the development of new* conditions and ideals in the country. An outstanding feature of the world at the present time was the lack of social discipline. This was a highly important consideration for anyone seriously interested in the evolution of the educational system in the Dominion. Tt, was often asserted that the old methods of schooling were the methods to produce discipline. The results of those old methods were apparent in the present lack of social discipline. The old system bad been in fore,, in English countries for about- two generations. and to-day we were reaping the crop—disorder throughout the world. The. educational syste;n of the past could not be justified by the results it had produced. Then' seemed to him to be a danger, basing bis judgment on what lie bad already observed in New Zealand education, of our education developing along town instead of country lines. English education was based on the towns, but the town was not the ideal place for the training of the young child. English education during the nineteenth century was industrialised, and the primary schools were built largely upon the factory system, despite the fact that the industrial atmosphere was tile wrong one for the growing child. Repression was not discipline. Lt was the surest way to bring about in-di-cipline, just as repression of a movement on the part of a section of the people fostered indiscipline. Discipline meant the willing subordination of ofiesolf to ends which one recognised as great. The host place to educate the child was in the country, for in the town the child was surrounded by superficial activities and interests. Jf a town-trained child bad subsequently to go to the country to earn a living, be as likely as not bought a motor-ear or motor-cycle as soon as possible, and rushed into town at every opportunity. When be bad drained the land of its resources sufficiently to give him a fortune lie went back- to live in town, having failed to develop lib rural community, and becoming a nuisance to himself and to everybody else. If social life and education were developed almost exclusively in the towns, then all the bright spirits of the country would find their way to the towns, leaving on the land the class least able to properly develop it. In England the country people were popularly referred to as "clodhoppers.” They could not allow that sort of tiling in New Zealand. There seemed to be growing up among country people a habit ol sending their children to the towns for education. Thus the children got the superficial attitude of the towns, and were in alter life unconsciously biased toward town development in regarding the future of l!ii' Dominion.

The small country schools, too scattered to form centres in themselves, should be consolidated into small counti v centres of culture. In England ail effort was being made to form a suitable system of rural education, despite tbe fact that there was far less rural life in England than in New Zealand, it was of no use to tell town people to go "back to the country.” They might be quite willing to stay there for a month or so, but they would get back to the town again, because they bad liven educated in a town environment. If they wanted a sound, healthy class of people on the bind they must educate them in their school days to live an intelligent life on the land. Not „nlv the children, but the teachers also, would benefit by tbe establishment of these country centres, tor in them they would find a suitable companionship from which at tbe present time many country teachers were most cruelly isolated. ' Country teachers often became deadened by lonely life in country settlements, so that they came to icgard life merely as a matter of routine, with tbe inevitable bad effect upon the children.

"Whatever values we may be able to assess ourselves at in terms of bales of wool, carcases of mutton, or other products,” said Professor Shelley in conclusion, “whatever are our imports

and exports, the only real indication of the value of the nation is the standard of the human beings who compose it. ’