CORRESPONDENCE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 229, 6 March 1915, Page 3

CORRESPONDENCE.

THE IUIAD TO \i;N To the Sir,- 1 reail willi aunuail interest your Vader in WVilm-siln.v'w flail) 1 NVws mi iir trend (if tll< i!ern <•!lueaS i<ill, anil cou'd ml. help I'eeliii;: thankful that 1 live in ;mil old Toraraki instead of in some of hose namby-pamby places vliiw they air always out for somelhin;.;' lirw. 1 'lo not know what lite .Montessori system is and tliank-; to nirr ltooil old-fashiou'd inspect urs there is very little (hi iip.er < f

molly-eoddlinj:. i 1 v.-I':ni•;li■; 1 system-. 1,.-!II!{ able 1.0 break into our Taranaki fastnesses, but 1 presume that some c.f i!s pla.nks are that corporal punishnioul is de;.;radin;,', homework injurious lo 1,1-hUIi ai d innewcsary, that the child ..IkhiM lie kept fresh and alert by frr-.|ii.-nt ••lmiiffc'anil variety of occupation. I'ure piirie! You f.ay thai "The eleef | iiim •»* education is to <ict fjood citizens." XollsniSe! That is the policeman s work. The chief aim of education is to ;;vt "IV-iiKs"-- with a cii]iltal R. llow are teachers to "ct ''KesultV at the annual examination on such methods? "Von can't fi:-t 'Resii'ts' with Tniinin'.!' tolled methods," said one of our lieii'l masters recently to iv girl fresh from one of our Training (Miches. II" was unite rijrht. Xo. Nil'. Solomon warns us against spar'.n;: the rod,and that is old cnomcli a,ml .vood for us. Horn" work, forsooth! Wh v Sir. if the children had no lnune work, look at the time it would jrive thern for mischief, and se > what an amount; of loving help the parents ran <rive, enablini: the school to he run with lighter stall's (a distinct savin.: to the rajepayeri. Chance and variety ■ i-hoi'l lively lessons. They make nie tired chopping and chantrine'. How can a child regain anything on such a jumbb-il up method as that. Xo, Sir, in the words ef the poor, "Hani it in, era in it in" it you want ''iiesults." (live tlyni a trood solid week near the end of tinyear of Latin roots all day anil plenty of home work, and tliev -\vijl lie alile to repicinher some for the inspector. And if they foru'ot them direclly after, wi il, they arc not much use to one, anyhow. ( ram it in. fun) if they can't rememl)■•)', well, more home work and plenty of old Solomon. Tlu'.t';: the ci'sfcm! Of coutse, all "'oral syMem*. will have their peaei'is -you admit that even the Moni.issi.ri system has —and ours is no exCoition, Tint if the parents in a district rise in a hotly and (lepiitniu;nir.f> th;Uoard. well, it is easy to find that there is no evidence of "'undue harshness." If the parents are not satisfied with that ami attempt a boycott, there the jfo-nl '.•■ld "law" steps in and compels them to . (iid their children to school, so the system is safe. Now, Sir, I do not, wish (o trespass too far on your valuable space., but would like to express jn'atefnlness that such busy bodies as Monfessori and Co. have no chance i n Tnrannki, and 1:o say that if some parents wonder sometimes whether their children are attenda public school or have been "committed" by a magistrate to an industrial institution, well, there always will he gruinblers.- T am. etc.. AX ADMIRER OF THE SYSTEM.

A SCTR.YTfFIC BEYF/RAfiE. To the Editor, ■Sir, —When they hear children singhifj the old Blind of Hope soil", "("live mo a draught from the Crystal Spring." or see the Good Templar motto, "Water is Host,," some people think that it is mere childish or teetotal sentiment: but it is far. more than that. Tt is in reality hist tlie latest word of science, to say that water is the Weal drink for young and old: and it is a proof, if needed, of tin- old saying, "there is nothing new under the sun" when we I'm I that. after the centuries men have b-tm Kecking for some fascinating drink, the latest verdict of modern science is just what the (ireek proverb declared that "Water is the best." The father may fancy that he needs some move exciting drink that, water; and the mother says she needs her tea to steady her nerves ami revivo her spirits; hut the children, as taught by nature, know that water is the best drink. It is encouraging, too, for t-IIOPO of us who have known all of tins for a Ion:; time to find that now we have the support of so reliable and roniilar a napcr as The Age (Melbourne). The issue of that paper for February, 11)15, has for its leading article a long discussion of the question what to drink; and T could wish that it were reprinted in full in your columns. The writer giu-s some account of the nart that water occupies in the physical make up of the man, and that it was originally man's only drink! ITow we came to find out what alcohol, as 'produced in fermented liquors, does for man is not shown; but it is pointed out that when the history of the drug is written "alcohol may be placed alongside the mutilations, cicatrisations and ritual of sorcery of the savage." Thereis no strong plea, for the use of tea, in fact, it is disapproved of, but ''the gain was immense" when it" began to take the place of alcoholic drinks in the social fircle. The article reviews various other soft drinks but corner back after all to this "Water is best.'' The closing paragraph is worth minting: ■'Quite a. vogue of water-drinking sceais to be arising in America, and medical science, far from condemning, lias, like Balaam. comes to bless. !A series of investigations bv the eminent yibvsiologist, T)r. Hawk, of Philadelphia, 'whose text books are widely used in medical circles, lias failed to ali'ord evidence tint wnior-drinking at meals is injurious, and has proved, on the contrary, that it may he beneficial. In his own words, 'Our experiments indicate that the drinking of water with meals exerts a desirable influence upon a number of the most important activities and functions of the gastric-intestinal tract! Whilst no dietetic, rule can be laid down for

•■■ ■i■ v\ r e] I ;the oiitteiane of l)r TYawk's work seems to bo that water, not too hard in quality, can he drunk in considerable quantities by most people, and with advantage. Those who have had evneyieisce of the liberal supply of euld water in American houses, hotels and trains, and all places where hmnanitv eoivirc'rates, are convinced that another L".'eat t einneranee weapon b; here to baud if only we chose to take it uV In sh'irt. the advice id* The A.a'e js: Cot on the water-waggon.—! am, etc.. (iko. jr. :ma!':nj;kk.