THE BISHOP OF MANCHESTER ON ATHLETICS.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 316, 2 March 1878, Page 20

THE BISHOP OF MANCHESTER ON ATHLETICS.

"The active Bishop of Manchester, in opening the late session of winter lectures at the Manchester Mechanics' Institution (says an exchange), expressed the opinion that as part of our educational system, are " overdone "in the present day. The AtheniarHr of old, he said, included three things in their education letters, music, gymnastics —to which drawing was subsequently added as a fourth. Bishop Eraser, in pointing out these facts, expressed his astonishment that we should still be floundering about in the matter of education when some of the keenest intellects of the world had directed their attention to it for 2000 years. The great difficutly which always presents itself, and which probably always must arise, is as to the proportion of attention to be devoted to each division of the subjects. At one time—not very many years ago there was an outcry that the grand old maxim of mens soma in corpora sano was being lost sight of, and that the culture of the mind was forced under circumstances which were prejudicial to the health of the students. Then there came a rush to athletics, and as thi3 study was one which at once commended itself to the students, it followed almost as a matter of course that the result should rapidly be attained which the Bishop now deprecates. The thing has been " overdone." The cricket field, the football ground, and the river are all useful adjuncts to a thorough system of education, if duly subordinatad to the main business of school. They afford something more than mere physical training. In cricket and football a youth learns habits of self-reliance, forbearance, judgment, and manliness ; and, in fact, becomes a unit in a small world in which skill and perseverance and pluck will meet with a due reward of success, and where laziness and indifference will lead to disappointment as sureiy as in that bigger world in which the lad will be called upon to do battle after he leaves school. The danger, however, is that a part of education so alluring to the athletic youth is aj»t to engross too much attention, and come to be regarded as the be all and end all of school life ; —that his thoughts will wander from Xenophon to the coming match with the " Wasps";—that mixed up with the adventures of the "pious will be reminiscences of that encounter with the first eleven of the Wanderers in which the home team was so gloriously successful ; and that the outriggers will become associated with the pons asinorum in a manner never contemplated by Euclid. We admit at once that these athletic exercises have very important influence noon the healthy tone of a school in many ways ; but it behoves the managers of public schools—which really lead the way in all such matters—to beware lest athletics should be " overdone."