TRAINING OF CHILDREN.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 1716, 24 May 1917, Page 2

TRAINING OF CHILDREN.

IN the amendments recently made in the syllabus of instruction in public schools by the Hon. -I. A. Ha turn, Minister for Education, the attention of teachers and inspectors has been drawn to the importance of arranging for visits of pupils to such places of factories of various kinds, public institutions, wharves, museums, gardens, seaside, bush, etc., and for entries of such visits to be made in the school-work book. The Minister is strongly of opinion that, visists of this kind should be made wherever possible in order to cultivate in the children an intelligent interest in many of the activities and institutions which are closely related to everyday life. The children would thereby have their powers of observation developed and their knowledge increased. The young mind is so impressionable, said Mr Hanan to a reporter, that he believed too much importance could not be placed on the value of this phase of education. The Minister instanced his own experience, and mentioned that with some other high school boys he once paid a visit to a sitting of the Supreme Court. On that occasion the defending counsel was the present Air Justice Chapman." Mr Hanan said he there obtained his first lesson in the art of crossexamining witnesses, and the impression gained influenced him to choose the legal profession. Air Hanan said that many of those who were successful in their professions 1 and trades at the present time could no doubt trace their attach- ’ ment there to similar experiences in youth. He believed that in the same way pupils would take a greater interest in civic matters by attending council and other public meetings, and gaining an insight as to how the business is conducted

thereat. By visiting factories, children would probably have an appreciation of locally-manufac-tured articles.