RURAL EDUCATION.

Otago Witness, Issue 2892, 11 August 1909, Page 23

RURAL EDUCATION.

DISCTSSIOX BY THE AGRiCUDTURAL CONFERENCE. WELLINGTON. August 5. At the Aftri< ultural Conference to-day-Mr Pembeiton (Canterbury) read a paper 1 on rural ecluralion, prepared by Mr M. Murnhy. of Christchuich. The Minuter of Education (the Hon. Ceo. l'owlris) v,a 3 pre-pi't, nnd littened AMth interest to Ui? leading of the paper. Mi Muiphy's \iews were really an appeal that' rudimcntally ayuculture should be a compulsory bubji-ct in the State school?. Ho quoted fiom the report 01 the English Poor Law Commission, v.huh found that "the present education system was literary and diffuse in character and should be more practical. It was not in the interests of the country to produce by a system of education a dislike for manual work and a taste for clerical and for intermittent work when such a vast majority of those so educated must maintain themselves by manual labour."

If that indictment t# the educational system was true for Great Britain, how. much' greater folly was it for an agricultural and pastoraL community like ours to give all children an education which would tend to fit them for clerical work and wean them from country life'/. The concluding portion of the paper contained the following motion — '"That! it be a recommendation to the Education; Department that rudimentary agriculture/ be a compulsory subject in the curriculum of primary schools." Mr J. G. Wilson strongly supported the necessity for doing something practical in the direction indicated in the_ paper. He showed what the Manawatu A. and P. Association was doing to fostec an interest in agriculture. Mr" Baylis, supervisor of experiments in the North Island, suggested that the school children might be taught seed selection as a beginning. Mr Alexander, principal of Lincoln College, said that education nowadays, to be of any use, had to be made attractive. It was quite impossible to teach horticulture or agriculture in. a schoolroom. He gave particulars of what had been ' done in England and Ireland for the advancement of agricultural education. The aim and Object was to stimulate a desire in the child for further knowledge. A person's- education was not completed! when he -left college — he had to fit him-self-'for his surroundings^ and circumstances in after life. ' "The Minister of Education ' said hir looked upon the whole- of the A. and Fsocieties as co-workers with him in th» advancement of education. He was 1 surprised that so much store was placed on compulsion. His reading of history diet not lead him to believe that compulsion, was the best method to apply. In most of the primary schools something was being don© for rural education. The syllabus was so designed"that the teacher, •would have some say in the framing o£ the classes.' He maintained that in carrying out experiments and estimating quantities arithmetic could be taught just as well as . by the old book method. The main thing that the teacher could do, so; far as the primary schools were concerned 1 , was to interest the child in plant life and to get the powers of observation developed. The attendance at the agrii cultural classes under the education boards was not at all satisfactory on the part of those who 'might be expected to benefit. In his opinion the advance made in rural education in New Zealand in tha last five years was marvellous. The motion was passed.