PRACTICAL EDUCATION.

Marlborough Daily Times, Volume II, Issue 141, 27 July 1880, Page 3

PRACTICAL EDUCATION.

[ From Hansard.] Mr De Lautour, in moving the motion standing in his name, would admit at once that it was a rough way of approaching the subject which he wished to press upon the Minister of Education. It would, however, involve an expenditure at a future date which the House M’as not now justified in advocating. It M’as a matter for some alarm to think liOM r little was being dono in the colony in the direction of at all parcitcalizing our education. The colony had, with much courage, set itself the task of educating all the children in the land in the elements of primary education, and in that way had laid the foundation ; but, having laid the foundation, it u’ould never do to stop there. It would never do, having, at great cost and great sacrifice, equipped a machinery capable of educating the intellectual qualitiesofonryonnglads, to stop, and give no material upon M’hich that machinery could M’ork. He had looked with considerable interest into the report of the Commissioners appointed (o investigate the secondary education at present in existence, and u’ho also dealt M’itli the University ; and he M’as very much disappointed to see how very little we, as a people, had recognised our duty—not so much as a State, but as a people—to give shape and direction to the instinctive desire for large and beneficial education which must he felt in the minds of all people and all classes. He found that in Dunedin alone had there been any real approach to dealing with the question which had more than anything else been pressing upon the minds of doctrinaires in educational matters at Home in regard to practical education. Of Wellington, with all the splendid advantages which its people had at their very doors, all that the Commission had to tell M'as tliat the Education Board had seen their way to grant a salary of LIOO a year to a young lady to teach drawing to any teachers M’ho chose to avail themselves of the advantage. Dunedin had done much more, being aided greatly iu its efforts by the exertions of the Caledonian Society. Auckland M'as also a blank ; and Christchurch M’as not much better, except that it had a School of Agriculture. He ought also to except the School of Alines which had been set on foot in Otago, and that which had been endeavoured to he set on foot in Canterbury. Throughout that report there appeared to run this vice : that the Commissioners appeared to think that practical education consisted merely in polishing classes for piofessional pursuits. Victoria had with ourselves, been a laggard in practical education ; but during the last six years, through the exertions of a few individuals—notably Judge Bindon and a feu' others—a great impetus had been given, at a very small sacrifice to the State. He believed a sum of L2OO M'as, in 1574, munificently voted by the Legislature for this purpose. With that a beginning was made ; and shortly afterwards, with very little more help from the Legislature—he thought it never exceeded, iu the earlier days, LoOO—a technological museum M’as founded, professors were appointed, lectures given, and nineteen different schools of

design sprang up throughout the colony, almost created by this radiating centre of influence. From such a small beginning as that there sprang up nineteen institutions practically affiliated to the central body, each sending up pupils to it, and shoving a record of 1,400 pupils taking advantage of the education given by means of so small a sacrifice on the part of the State. Honorable members were aware of the statistics he might quote respecting small States like Zurich, Baden, and others, and even latterly England ; but the great difficulty of England had been this : that they had no layer of primary education upon which to build, and that, in Great Britain, had been the cause of the first appearance of failure in the matter of technical education. But that now, happily, was passing away for ever. The disgrace under which England had suffered of being, in regard to its masses, one of the worst educated countries, had now passed away, and that difficulty was removed. As he said at the outset, we in thiscolony had that base; we had established primary education ; we were equipping our boys with facilities with which to work ; and in this young country, where opportunities for apprenticeship were so rare—where it was so difficult for parents to know what to do with their boys, uulese they had influence with some person who might have an industry in which they could be employed—it xvas the duty of the Legislature and its interest to strain point to use the appliances they had at ‘ their command ; and the Government workshops, whatever might be their defects certainly were a great educational medium,

and so were such institutions as our museums. As lie had said already lie Mould not press this further, recognising that it was a private day, and that there •were many motions on the Order Paper. Mr 'Rollestou would like to say a few words in reference to what had fallen from the honorable member who had introduced this motion. He gathered from D-e honorable gentleman’s speech that he did not think that at the present time the position of the Government M'orkshops was such that practical effect to any great extent could be given to the proposal embodied in his resolution ; but he had taken this opportunity of indicating one way in which the Government might turn their attention in respect to giving practical direction to the primary education which had been so largely instituted throughout the country. He was very much pleased to hear what fell from the honorable gentleman, as lie was sure the House was generally. He thought the lion, gentleman embodied, in the few observations lie had made, what really was the spirit of education in all popularly-go-verned countries where a system of liberal education was attempt! d. .He was pleased to hear what the lion, gentleman said, because it entirely coincided with his (Mr R’s) own view, and with the condemnation which he believed the country would give the theory that the Government w-as only competent and ought only to provide the three Its in the education which it gave to the people. He had always looked upon that theory as a most miserable one; and, at the present time when the Government had dried up all private enterprise in respect to education it was absolutely impossible that it could stop short at any point or refuse any education which the people might claim. It M - as impossible for the Government, in this matter of education to say, “Thus far shalt thou go but no farther,” to the people. The people had got the education in their hands and they intended he hoped to maintain a system which should lead from the smallest beginnings to the greatest ends. The honorable gentleman alluded to what had been the case in the countries of Europe, and lie (Mr Rollestou) felt as ho spoke what he saw the honorable gentleman felt himself, that he had not the time or the opportunity on a private members day to go at the length which lie othewise might into might into what had been done in Switzerlaiul in Germany and in other States of Europe. There was no doubt that the whole system of education in those countries tended to a practical result the primary schools led up to the “real schools,” and the “real schools” led up to higher branches of technical training in the Universities, which turned out some of the most scientific men in the world. There was no doubt that this country must bear that system in mind, and act upon the model which had been laid down for it at Home, if it were to attain, in its national system of education the results that ought to be achieved. Education was not merely providing the bare implements of a man’s trade. It was the cultivation of his faculties; and, further than that—though this M-as not by any means the greatest result that was to be attained—it was a necessity, if we were to maintain our position among the nations of the world, that our me elianies, our artisans, and manufacturers should be able to compare with those of other countries. With regard to this particular question, lie did not think so far as could gather at present, that the Government workshops u-ere in a condition to be largely utilized. The honorable member for Christchurch City (Mr Richardson), when in charge of the Public Works Depart meat established a system of cadetships in the workshops, and, as far as lie knew, it had worked well. How such a system might M-ork in connection wit the primary schools lie was not prepared to say, but lie thought M-liat the honorable member for Mount Ida had brought forward was worthy of consideration. He was inclined to think that a system of cadetship in the workshops as prizes would be more likely to M-ork healthily and be a greater incentive to practical education than a crowding of the workshops However as lie understood it the House was not asked to express a very definite opinion upon this particular point; but he was glad that the subject had been raised, and thought the House liad shown that it appreciated the line of argument which had been adopted by the honorable member for Mount Ida in the few observations lie had made.