TEMPERANCE TEACHING

New Zealand Times, Volume XLVI, Issue 10613, 11 June 1920, Page 3

TEMPERANCE TEACHING

IN STATE SCHOOLS DEPUTATION URGES MORE DEFINITE INSTRUCTION. HON. C. J. PARR’S SYMPATHETIC REPLY. A deputation waited upon the Minister for Education (the Hon. C. J. Parr) yesterday afternoon to urge the necessity for more definite, scientific temperance teaching in the public schools throughout the Dominion. The Rev. R. S. Gray (president of the N.Z. Alliance), Mrs A. R. Atkinson (president of the W.0.T.U.). and the Rev. John Dawson (secretary to the Alliance) were the spokesmen for the deputation, which also comprised Mesdamos Jamieson /Auckland), J. L. Wright, and Webb, the Rev. S. W. Rawlings, and Messrs H. E. Pacey, W. J. Hclyer, T. Fathers, and R. G. Denton.

The Rev. R. S. Gray said that as representing the temperance bodies of New Zealand, the deputation wished to 'congratulate the Minister upon his appointment, and to congratulate also the Cabinet and the Dominion upon it, because they thought that he had already shown chat he was going <toi attack tho problems of education as they ought to be attacked. (Hear, hear.) They had come to him that afternoon, because they believed that the education provided bv tho State could not bo complete unless some very much more definite attempt was madet to inculoate tho scientific principles that lay at the back of the health and wellbeing of the nation so far as alcohol was concerned. Since the State had taken over tho whole obligation in regard to primary education, they held that the duty resting upon the State as to this matter was a very important one indeed—a very serious ono. “SHOULD BE COMPULSORY.” They believed that temperance lessons should be made compulsory, should bo included in the school curriculum, and should be made the subject of class teste just the same as other subjects wore; because they held that such training was in the highest interests of the national well-being. , With tho af-ter-effects of. alcohol they were trying to deal legislatively and by referendum; but in view of the fact that alcohol had'such an important effect on the national health and well-being, they asked the Minister to see that definite instruction was given as to -the basic facts of (the matter. Tho Education Department had taken up ana taught tho subject of. physical hygiene, and was undertaking the duty of medically examining and treating the children, thus recognising its duty to-turn out physically fit children ; and he urged that the department was not doing its dully unless it was also giving out teaching, prepared by men ol authority and standing, on "this subject. A new book, “Alcohol and the Human Organism,” had been issued by the British Government for this purpose, and they urged that some such text-book should bo adopted here. They were not pressing it as partisans, but they suggested that it would bo open to the Minister, as an educational expert of some standing,- to’-find out what text-books wore available and make a choice. It was now optional for teachers to give temperance teaching; but they asked him to be good enough to have tho subject placed on the school curriculum and made one of the ordinary school subjects. “PRETTY HEAVY SYLLABUS.”

Mr Parr: We have a pretty heavy syllabus already,Mr Gray said that they had not wished to discuss that point; but he held that tho subject -• they _ were speaking about was of equal importance to. and perhaps of more importance than, some of the subjects included in the curriculum. If tho Minister held that the object of his department was to produce good citizens, then he must, he contended, agree with them that they could not produce good citizens without in* forming them as to this very important subject. Mr Parr: Do you ask me to wipe out anv other subject? Mr Gray: No; only to make room for this subject. We feel that many who oppose 'us legislatively on this nuostion would agree' with us on this. Tho business men who met with us recently on this question agreed with ns —many of the leading business men in tho Dominion; and they ask you to take such action as will allow this subject to be placed on tho curriculum. . Mrs Atkinson, in congratulating the Minister, emphasised the congratulations to the country also on his appointment. From what she had seen of his speeches, she said, she felt that ho agreed with her views on education more than any Minister had vet done: and she did not think that the country had ever had so progressive a man as Education Minister before. NO PARTY OR POLITICS.

The deputation, sho added, wanted It to be perfectly plain that they did not ask for any. party or political instruction to bo given in regard to tho temperance question; hut only for definite scientific temperance instruction. They wanted the temperance section now allowed In hygiene to he very much more fully and- efficiently worked than at present. Referring to the temperance wall-sheets, Bho. stated that the Hon. J; A. Hanan used fo take n, very great,interest in them, ff ho did not see them displayed on the wall he used to ask where they were, and ask that they should he exhibited. He sometimes found them put away in tho boot-ouphoards and other hiding-places. (Laughter.) Expert teachers, however, said that the wall-sheets were not very good for the purpose as there was too much on them, and very few children would take the trouble to decipher them. But a groat deal of good had been done in sonic oases by headmasters allowing essays to be written on tho Bubieot, and tho children had then Btndicd the wall-sheets. That, however, had been optional. Temperance instruction could be given at present under the heading of hygiene; hut it was, she maintained, of too perfunctory a character. They asked that tho book. “Alcohol and tho Human Bodv.” by Messrs Horsley and Sturges, with a very admirable chapter on race poisons. absolutely np-to-d.ito and containing all the 'results of wnr—tho experience on the subject—should he made the text-hook pn temperance in the training colleges : also that teachers should be rcmpnlsorilv trained in the subject, and compulsorily inspected and marked on It. IN OTHER rnUNTBIFS.

The Rev. J. Dawson said that in tho schools iu America and Canada , the

science of alcohol had been taught for many years pact; a beginning in such work had been made in America as far back as 1883. As early as 1904, also, a committee of doctors had waited on the British Government and had presented a memorandum signed by nearly 15,000 doctors, urging the importance of scientific temperance teaching. The doctors urged that such teaching nhould be given at an early age on the nature and effects of alcohol; that hygiene and temperance should rank next in importance to reading, writing, and arithmetic; and that a knowledge of the laws of health was of more importance than a knowledge of the Jaws of grammar. MINISTER’S REPbY THE PARENTS’ VIEWPOINT. The Hon. C. J. Parr, in reply, thanked the speakers for their congratulation) and good wishes on his taking up two important, and,' ho feared, rather troublesome portfolios. (Hear, hear, and laughter.) He would be glad to have the support and sympathy of everyone. He was glad to hear that in making his choice of a Minister for Education Mr Massey had not make a mistake; and ho hoped that he would not suffer by comparison tvith what ho felt were the toohigh expectations formed. With - regard to the subject matter of the deputation, he realised that they ‘did not como there as a prohibition party. He chose to view the subject from the point of view of a parent; and he took it they would -all be content to view it from that standpoint. (Hoar, hear.) He had a great deal of sympathy with the views of the deputation; and he did not think that any reasonable-minded parent, bo # he a prohibitionist, a moderate, or even an immoderate drinker, if there were any such in this country—on that- he ventured no opinion—(laughter)— could object to sound instruction being given to his little hoy or girl on the subject of temperance and the dangers of alcohol to the human organism. He thought they might start with that—that there was no reasonable person but would approve of sound physiological instruction on the matter being given to the children in the schools. THE PRACTICAL QUESTION. If that was admitted, the practical question was how best to fit it in with a syllabus that was already wellladen. He would not stress the point; ho would leave it at that. Obviously, to his mind, the proper place for instruction of that kind was under the beading of health and hygiene. 'Already provision, as ha-d been stated, was made for temperance tea oiling in the schools. He feared, however, that the teaching had been of rathei- a casual and indefinite character. They bad suggested to him that it should bo more definite and specific—that it should reach the goal and the pbint in the children's minds. (Hear, hear. 1 Well, he was fully disposed to agree that the time had arrived when the teaching of temperance—sound instruction on alcohol in its relation to the human body-—should bo given mope in detail and more specifically to the children in the schools.

PLAN' OP ACTION RESOLVED ON. Up had already, in fact, been encased in considering the best manner of teaching the subject. ('Hear, hear.) And he had already resolved on a. plan of action. (Hear, be&r.) Brieflv, ho proposed to see that in the time devoted to health and hygiene, each teacher in the scheme of work which every teacher prepared now—there was not a hard-and-fast syllabus—should Include such teaching. He thought it only a reasonable request that in each scheme of work some portion of the time devoted to health and hygiene should he given to the subject of temperance. The inspectors would he instructed to sea that in every scheme of work, which they examined every year in ‘ tho schools, the teacher had given definite instruction in the way of scientific matter in regard to tho subject of alcohol. The inspector would examine the school diary, as he always did, and it chronicled the school’s work, and he would be instructed to ascertain what amount of teaching had been given. The inspector, also, in his oral examination, would he expected to put questions to the children which would indicate the nature and extent of the teaching tho children had received. (Hear, hear.) Mrs Atkinson: Would he give then marks ?

The Minister: No marks are given now.

Mrs Atkinson said that she did not know tbe right term.

Mr Parr: Naturally the inspector when ho conics to sum up the school’s work for the year must know what had been done, and if it was weak in any subject, they might rely upon it that the inspector would noto that weakness and see that it should bo pulled up. Mr Gray expressed the hope that i f would not bo treated as a subject of little importance. The Minister said that it would lo treated very much in the same way as the subject of geography at, the present day, or any of the other subjects. (Hear, hear.) Of course, they could not givo a great deal of time to it, but they could take it that the department would see to it that the teaching was made much more definite, smeeifie, and real than at the present time. (Hear, hear.) Ho _ might say, with regard to the question of teaching, the chief school medical officer (Dr Wilkins’) was now engaged in the work of recasting the teaching of hygiene for school children. including definite instruction on the effect of' alcohol on the human body, and he had no doubt that the members of the medical staff would be able to seo to it that effective teaching was given. Naturally. there .would ho no hint of the political side of the miestlon. That thev must be t : c about. But. ns -parents, he thought that thev eould all come together and say that, from the physiological point of view-— knowing as thev d-’d the dangers and evils of strong drink if their own children were pot warned of these evils from a health point O p vie-' (Annlanse,') Mr Gray thanked the Minister very w---nlv for h-wncr received the ,1-w. tation «o kindV. and for haring given ’the-' «o definite and opecifio an answer. They had. he said. hnd.a. lot of experience of waiting on Ministers, and wore glad that. the matter had net to he referred to Gnbiimt. lint the "t-'nißter bpd already taken it in hand. (Hear, hear.') '