THE HON. H. FAWCETT ON EDUCATION.

Oamaru Mail, Volume IV, Issue 1319, 22 December 1880, Page 2

THE HON. H. FAWCETT ON EDUCATION.

Mrs. Henry Fawcett, wife of the English Postmaster-General, recently distributed the prizes gained in the Oxford and Cambridge local examinations in Salisbury. Mr. Fawcett, in addressing the large audience, .said that, in his opinion, it was of no xise to force more knowledge upon a pupil than could bo properly assimilated. If they attempted to cram too much into the minds of students in too short a time, the result was just as disastrous to the mind as it was to cram too much food into the body. Aa far as his own experience as an examiner and teacher had gone, nothing had struck him more than that almost every set of papers he looked over or every essay he had had to read led him to make the remark, "Too much reading; not enough thought." He thought it would be unfair to throw the entire responsibility of this on teachers, whose better judgment was often controlled by parents, who wished their children to be taught an unlimited number of things in a limited period. If parents would let their children remain longer at school, and bo taught a few subjects more thoroughly, the result would be generally very much more satisfactoryThere was one idea which, to his mind* could not be too constantly guarded against, viz., that parents and their children were not unfrequently too apt to value knowledge by the practical use to which it could be turned in after life. He would be the last one to underrate the importance of the practical side of education. No one could tell how much, a person who intended to engage in commercial pursuits might have his progress promoted by a knowledge of modem languages. It was often brought home to him how much the career of a clerk might be advanced if he could write shorthand with facility. But being thus fully prepared to recognise the importance of keeping the practioal aspects of education steadily in view, it oould not be too constantly borne in mind that this was only one side, one part of the advantages of education. Perhaps, after all, the ohief object was to train the mind. From hia own experience he could only say that he. himself, both at school and college, had spent a great deal of time in the study of mathematics, but ho must confess that no one had used mathematics less than ho had sjnoe he. left college ; yet, if he could begin life again, he would not read mathematics one hour less than he did. It must not be supposed that he was advocating that everyone should study mathematics. He should no more think of doing so than he should of advocating that everyone should bo taught musio or drawing. As to <jWks, he noticed that, it, not unfrequoßtly happened that a youth, because he had received rather more schooling than his father, thought he would better his condition by leaving thq : trade, business, or handicraft to which his father had been accustomed in ordeP to seek employmet as a clerk. Considering the over-crowded state of the clerk: market at the present time,, he thought it* was impossible to take a more unfortunate step. Sometimes he was afraid that a young person wtvs prompted to adopt tho course by a very silly feeliug that he occupy a better social position if he was* employed as a clerk than he would if hei earned his living by trade. I? society could fairly be held responsible for suoh folly, he was afraid he, would have to, answer for thousands being encouraged to, seek employment where that employment was most difficult to be obtained.