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New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5411, 31 July 1878, Page 2

The speeches of Mr. Woodward and of tho Hon. Mr. Gisborne, delivered on the occasion of the presentation of school prizes at the Imperial Opera House on Tuesday in last week, served as a suitable setting to the address of his Excellency the Governor. It is to this latter that wo now propose to direct public attention. And we do this because it appears to us that Lord Normanby succeeded in enunciating in a clear and succinct form some of tho truths most important to the colony as a whole, and most essential to the prosperity of our community in particular. As was said at the time, the very gathering together of tho children of tho Board schools in one place/ and the consequeiit oooular demonstration to the people of Wellington of tho progress made by the State in education during the last three or four years, may, if regarded in a proper light, be not a little beneficial in its results. Speaking generally, we fear that it has been too much the habit hitherto for people to take a very partial and selfish view of education, and to regard with interest only that school to which their children might happen to belong. It is, indeed, with many persons not a little difficult to divest themselves altogether of V ideas of personal and family interests, and to regard such a question as the one under consideration from tho point of view of the greatest public good. We believe that wo shall be fully borne out by the facts of the case when we say that after making careful enquiry into the condition of public, education throughout this colony, and more especially so in the instance of the Wellington educational district, there will be found good reason for assuming the very reverse of a self-gratulatory conviction. And therefore we are of opinion that his Excellency, when he referred to the large number of children that were present on Tuesday afternoon in, the Opera House as showing “ a progress in education that must be- satisfactory to all,” was in error, inasmuch as he appeared to regard the members present as a sufficient, criterion of the progress of this city in education, and seemed to overlook tho character of the 'work performed. There was, indeed, one point in the training of the pupils present which was well displayed by their behavior during the presentation, and which reflects great credit on the teachers by whose influence it was produced. We allude to the discipline, whichwasexoellent. Theohildren, whose numbers, ns we have before mentioned, amounted to over two thousand, rose and regained their seats, cheered and were again immediately silent on one signal from tho master in charge. With the success of the training received in this particular we confess we wore pleased, but at the same time wo are forced to regret that iq other points it is impossible to find room for much congratulation. Wo will ask our readers to refer tyith us for a moment to the last report of the Inspector of Schools to the Education Board. As it does not in any way appear to bo to Mr. Loo's interest to deny tho efficiency of tho teaching staff employed in this district, we may fairly assume that what ho says in his report is not in any way overstated. Under tho heading, then, of “ Trained teachers required,” he tells us that “in comparatively few schools is tho work that of a teacher trained for his profession. The contrast between a school working- with good method and a school under an untrained or an unprpgrassiva teacher is vhry great. It surely must be an established truth in educational as in qther matters, that if , the work is to bo done it should bo well done, and to attempt to work without skilled labor simply means that it will be imperfectly done.” This statement cannot be looked upon ns excessively satisfactory. And wo do not hesitate to say that in our opinion it is needless to expect any appreciable advance in our system of education until tho plan which we have on more than one occasion advocated to the best of our ability is carried out with energy. The whole matter lies in a nutshell, and Mr, ly ce i to use a common phrase, hit tho right mark when he said that without skilled labor the work of public education could not: be carried,, on perfectly.' Bu|: hero Ijo appears to have stopped, as far at least os practical action in tho matter is concerned. It will i U) doubt ho allowed that the only way to overcome the difficulty that presents itself, and to effect the greatest goed for the children under our charge, is to adopt the method employed at Homo and in several other countries, apd to c»tabl|ii(j one, complete trainipg eetab-

lishment for the whole body of teachers iu both islands. The locality of such an establishment is a matter of con parative triviality, and no reasonable person would object to seeing it permanently set on foot in Christchurch, where already so favorable a beginning has been made. But still there are many reasons for locating the proposed institution in this city, and these readily present themselves to the mind. A careful calculation of the cost of one large and complete normal school should be made, and when, this was done, and the merits of, the proposition had been discussed before the representatives of the people, it might b© found that the necessary provision would be made upon the Estimates for the ensuing year. It is no part of our duty to enter into details with regard to the regulation and management of such an institution. We are content with having pointed out the principal and most important defect in our present system of education, and with, having directed attention to the one remedy for such defects in the future.