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Hokitika Guardian, 14 June 1932, Page 4

Tub opinion that modern requirements should bo liH'lctl in education, while the fundamental principles of the old traditions sir old he appreciated, was expressed by the •Governor-Oe"er"l, Lord Bledi.loe, at Auckland on Wednesday evening. He i,suggested it was necessary to form a new conception of what was meant by culture. He

■said he regarded the English tradition in education ‘ate the finest in the world. Whether , th e education system in a' new country such as New Zealand should have the English .principles firmly as a basic he would, however, hesitate to say with perfect confidence. There were new elements to be considered, and a question of importance was environment. It wars only fair to remember that the socalled culture of the old English schools was developed largely from the environment from which the students camie, and also there wars regard to that environment in which, they were destined to carry on. In liis opinion the ciroumsitanccis in New Zealdand were different, and they required to lie considered in the system of. education. Ho long ago gained the idea that culture can be no fully developed in a boy studying efficiently and thoroughly one of the many sciences underlying manual or vocational work as in one studying classic®, for irjstanoe. It depends upon environment, and that environment is not necessarily luxurious. And then there are the ideals toward which a student is directing •himself. Pride could justly be fettt for the old English traditions in school life. They had -served a great purpose, and their influence had continued. At the same time there was obviously a trend jin the direction of knowledge in modern and no less useful subjects. The tradition,? were becoming modified in accordance w ' -n-ewar circumstances. Oundlle had been raised from the level of a small country grammar school to a prominent place among English public schooliu by the recognition of this principle, There was always the need to move with the times, and to adopt education while maintaining fundamentals, religion above all. It was necessary to have vision in these matters. There is no public school in England for which there is greater demand for admission than Ouhdle.' Why? Because something in the nature of vocational training, useful in earning a living, has been built 'upon the old foundations. The workshops there are an integral part of the college, and even there taking classics and higher mathematics have to go through the training.