CURRENT TOPICS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 126, 6 September 1910, Page 4

CURRENT TOPICS.

NEW ZEALANDERS IN EXILE. The fact that Col. R. H. Davies has been promoted and 'has been given command of a brigade of infantry in England has set up a little discussion on an old subject. New Zealanders frequently achieve distinction, and generally ibeoause of their thoroughness. New Zealanders of outstanding ability who necessarily hare to leave this country in order to enhance their knowledge of specialties almost invariably remain otrbside this country. The specialist who cannot find scope for ihis talents in liis own country quite naturally sells his talents in the dearest market, and so, although New Zealand wants all the ibrains it can get, it loses a large proportion of them. New Zoalanders of mark are scattered to the four cohners of the earth, and it is a notablo fact that although they are proud of their Ibirth Land, sooner or later in their exile they become just <r Englisli." But this kind of abandonment is not common to New Zealanders alone. New Zealand Rhodes scholars, seeing a 'broader world,

do not return to the narrower environments (and smaller pay) of their own country. One of the Rhodes men has just taken up a professorship in Rangoon, and we believe we are right in saying that not one of the men sent ] from here has come back again to settle.. But an American Rhodes scholar of the same year went to an appointment at! Beirut, a German took a place in America, an American went to a berth in England. Many of the men went to India, and a large number took up permanent work in England. It is rather a remarkable thing that eminent men of any country hardly ever remain in their own town. There is no doubt that the qualities of a man are rarely recognised at home. That was why in the past no New Zealander had a chance of obtaining a big position in this Dominion. The whole earth bids for the eminent man, no matter where he comes from. Some day, when New Zealand can bid high enough, maybe .her wandering sons will return to the land of their birth.

TEACHING THE TEACHER. Sir Robert Stout is always interesting, and his ideals in regard to national life are very high. In Auckland lately he spoke on education, and showed that the success of this country in the future would largely depend on the healthy minds and healthy bodies of its people. One new point lie made is worth rubbing in. He mentioned that too frequently the teachers of country schools were less qualified than those of city schools, saying that the reverse should be the case. The point of Sir Robert Stout's contention is that country school teachers should be specialists. Under the present system it is hardly likely that highly-trained folk with a genius for the very special instruction necessary in country schools will fall over each other in a desire to take office in a way-iback school. The teachers who are drafted into the country are not necessarily in touch with the special subjects that should be taught, and there is no known method of providing a succession of teachers, each of whom would have the requisite knowledge. At the present time, the smallness of rural populations, the expenses of remote and semi-remote schools makes it impossible that teachers can he good exponents of the ordinary primary subjects as well as of the much more important specialties. The curriculum is too wide, and the duties of teachers so many and varied that it is impossible for "them to be specialists. If the country children of New Zealand are to be taught in the best possible way in those subjects which will be of practical use in everyday country life, specialists must be provided. It is absurd to 'believe that any system of cramming in teachers' preparatory schools can be of benefit either to teachers or taught. Children of remote schools are unable to attend the only places where special subjects are taught —the technical schools —and it is, of' course, exactly this class of child who 'should have the greatest advantages. New Zealand will 110$, depend on the child in city schools and who stays in the city after having memorised the usual number of facts. The New Zealand country teacher achieves excellent results, considering the fact that he (or she) is not specially trained, is not well paid, frequently has to live in extreme discomfort and has no chance of coming out of exile unless he (or .she) can get the ear of influential persons. They will do not better in the matter of educating m special subjects, if every young man or woman who goes in for the profession is _ expected to know a little of everything and very little of any one subject. There is neither a system of discovering the special talent of the teacher, nor is there any time for him to use it, even if it is found. When the silly idea that a child is 'being well educated if it achieves a "general average" of parrot learning dies out, the system that makes it necessary for a teacher to be an imitation Admirable I Crichton will die too.

THE BEGINNING OF A NAVY. A Roman boat was discovered last month, on the banks of the Thames while i j excavations were (being made for the i new hall of the London County Council. ] [ The craft is the only Roman 'boat found j in Great Britain during the last thousand years, and it represents a very im-! portant addition to the collection of London's antiquities . It is of greater interest even than the clinker-built boat of King Alfred's time discovered at Walthamstow a few years ago, and the Viking boats found in various parts of the kingdom. "A considerable portion' of the boat, which is of oak, is still cov- 1 ered," wrote the London correspondent! of the Lyttelton Times last month, "and! until the earth is removed it will not' |be possible to ascertain its exact size, | t font so far as can be judged; the vessel is' ' about fifty feet long and 10ft beam. Several articles were found in the boat, comprising some scraps of Roman pot-> tery, bones, iron nails, glass gaming but- j tons, iron-studded soles of footwear, al coin of Tetricus in Gaul (A.D. 268-273), a coin of Carausius in Britain (A.D. 286293), which is stated toy the keeper of coins at the British Museum to be of date A.D. 290 or 2!)]', and a coin of Allectus in Britain (A.D. 293-206). These objects are held by the authorities of the Geological Museum to (be the safest evi-. dcnce as to the age of the 'boat, and may,' therefore, be assigned to the end of the, i third or beginning of the fourth century.' I ® r " Reid, keeper of the department : of British and mediaeval antiquities at the British Museum, who has examined I tlie boat, points out that the discovery is of special interest and value, as having been made on what must have been the bank of the river in Roman times.". Carausius was a clever sailor-command-er, who built a fleet for the Roman Empire to use against the Baltic tribes.' Sailing with that fleet from Boulogne to' Britain, he set himself up as an independent Emperor in Britain, and reigned for several years. His reign was peace-; ful and successful, but he was murdered in London by Allectus, v»'ho reigned three years and then was himself killed in battle against an army sent from Rome to crush him. It is possible that the boat found by the London County Coun-' cil's officers was one of the vessels built 1 by Carausius to form the first British; fleet that ever floated.