The Daily News. TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 14. CHILDREN AND FRESH AIR.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 239, 14 February 1911, Page 4

The Daily News. TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 14. CHILDREN AND FRESH AIR.

A lady educationist whose interest in children is as great as her interest in educational methods, has been giving her views to an English provincial paper on 1 playgrounds and their effect on the child. She had noticed, she said, that the English school child was much easier to control than the New Zealand or Australian child, but wisely enough decided that "the brighter physical spark" of the colonial child gave him an exuberance that had to find an outlet somehow. This lady noticed that a large proportion of London children whom phe found were "the best behaved children she had come across, lacked the naughtiness of New Zealand children, mainly, she supposed, because they lacked the necessary energy to display it." The London child, eVen in the public parks, did not show a proper inclination to frolic. He could be easily "kept off the grass"; he was not vocal with the vigor that might be expected from him, and he spent the larger part of his time either in a stuffy schoolroom or a stufflor home. The lady further added that fresh air, sunshine and exercise were not yet regarded as of greater consequence than the "three R's" in Britain, and she was unstinted in her praise, not so much of the New Zealand educational methods as of our general recognition of the necessities of good physical upbringing. She had been glad to eee whole classes of New Zealand children "almost bursting out of their skins" with vitality. The importance of playgrounds both for children and adults cannot be over estimated. On Thursday last the Minister of Education opened a new school in Auckland, and a chance remark by the chairman of the Board, requesting that some buildings in the schoolground might be removed in order to give the children a bigger playing ground, gave Mr. Fowlds a chance of speaking some wise words on the subject:

' Teachers should cultivate in children it love of Nature and of country life, and he hoped that at the new Grey Lynn school something practical would be done with the grounds in the direction of growing flower's and vegetables, with the idea of inculcating in the minds of the scholars that love of Nature and the country he had spoken of. In such a way tliey might he led to take up a country life when they grew up. We were fortunate in New Zealand, as compared with many other countries, in not having a large proportion of the population massed together in any large city, and we ought to do what we could not only to prevent the drift from the country to the towns, but to ensure it going from the towns to the country. The ideal life for a man to live was the country life, and if we could encourage the children to go out from the cities, it would not be for their good, but for good of the Dominion, it was nothing short of a calamity that those who had had to do with the schools in the early days had not made better provision for playgrounds. It was difficult now, with the enormously increased land values, to make adequate provision even for outside schools, and there was still more difficulty in the case of city schools. However, the question would have to be faced, and the Department must see what could be done.

The evil monster of "land values" may thearefore be considered the enemy of children, but handicapped as the authorities are by private greed, it is their duty, even if they have to "grease the fat hog," to see that the vitality of children be kept up by adequate flaying grounds. We do not want children so well behaved that they will "keep off the grass" without being told, or to be so correctly mannered s to be unable to shriek in childish glee. Very fortunately all the large centres of New Zealand have splendid playing grounds, and it seems to be the settled policy of municipalities generally to create and maintain "lungs." The most curious thing about the many magnificent public parks in New Zealand is that they are not used to any appreciable extent. Our own Pukekura Park is one of the best examples of this extraordinary condition. But the mere existence of big open spaces in centres that are congested, or which may in the future become centres of population, is of infinite use to the people. There is no child in Xew Zealand who eannot get as much fresh air as he can consume if he is allowed to consume it. and if educational and municipal authorities stick closely to the idea that open spaces arc as important as good food and pure water, there is no chance of New Zealanders becoming devitalised. It is interesting to recall the fact that German educational authorities have long fought the stuffiness that still exists so largely in Britain, and that wherever there is a chance children are taught out of doors. The idea that wind is poison has died out in Germany, and in England some day folk may learn that an open window does not spell death. A recent German writer stated that in an early morning London stroll in which he covered eight miles of residential streets, lie did not see one open window. No wonder the children "keep off the grass." A medical man, now resident in New Zealand, but who formerly worked in the East End of London, once told a story of an epidemic which attacked a certain "court." Only in one of the rooms was there direct admission of fresh air. and this was because there was a hole in the wall the tenants had found it impossible lo block. There was no disease in that room—at least, the physician said so. Tn the making of a nation (lie playground is more Important lliau the schoolroom, for wiliioi;! playground ilin work of the schoolroom is inefi'cclive. It iv limied. particularly in cities, th;:t the educational authorities will, despite "land values," make every effort to ensure larger playing grounds for children. Dur-

ing the past few months every Minister of the Crown, probably reminded of the needs of the case by the newspapers and the Scottish Agricultural Commission, has said that the one great need pf New Zealand is population. We hope they will keep on insisting. If the population increases, the needs for playgrounds will increase, and even if the authorities have to demolish slums to make playgrounds for the children tile results will justify the measure.