THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. MONDAY, APRIL 21, 1913. EDUCATION AND MOVING PICTURES.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXV, Issue 10713, 21 April 1913, Page 4

THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. MONDAY, APRIL 21, 1913. EDUCATION AND MOVING PICTURES.

A London correspondent states that the night schools in the great metropolis, most of which are carried on by the municipality itself, are in. a bad way for want of pupils, and the astounding slump in evening instruction that lias come to pass, all in the last three years, is chiefly due to the counter-attractions of the halls of cinema which have sprung up as quickly in London as they have in most o.ther cities, big and little, the world over. Anynow, deservedly or not, the London picture palaces get the principal -blame for the falling off in attendance at night schools in a lengthy and highly significant report on the subject which the Education Committee of the London County Council iha« just issued. "These picture palaces," writes one of the principal contributors to this report, "have, for at least a time, taken hold of the imagination of the people, and both young and old apparently cannot resist the charm of the living carv vas." This is a mightily serious matter, for England is falling behind in the race with the United States and Germany for trade supremacy, and will be nowhere if technical education is neglected by the rising gen>eration. "No one, however," writes another commentator on the present situation with regard to evening instruction "can read the Education Committee's report without being struck with the thought that the present generation is not making the sacrifice that is necessary if the industrial competition of the world is to be successfully met." Whatever the cause may be, the practical failure of the night schools is a grim reality. There are now ninety-three fewer of them than there were in 1905, and during the last session, out of 13,500 classes opened, 2000 had to be closed because the average attendance for three weeks had fallen below the closing mimiber, which gained from twelve to -six according to the subject. Five hundred authorised classes were, closed before the session was one and "between September, 1911, and Easter, 1912, no fewer than 160 classes in bookkeeping and 180 classes in shorthand had to be closed owing to low attendances." However, if the cinema is mostly to blame for this sad state of things, it is not all to blame, the eduoation authorities pointing out that a considerable number of stu-

dents start missing their classes on account of their late business hours. The British employer is blameable, too, it seems, for according to the L.CC.'s report, "it is unfortunately quito exceptional for the master to take an active interest in the evening education of his employees." In Now Zealand we have a limited number of night schools, chiefly imparting technical education. The oft'oc' of the picture show's upon these classes has not yet been remarked upon. Should it transpire, however, that the rising generation prefer amusement to preparing themselves for the more serious avocations of Life, it wiill be quite possible to overcome the difficulty by enforcing the -compulsory clauses of the Education Act. Already compulsory'night classes, are being held in AVangturui, hut other towns and cities in the Dominion have not thought fit to take advantage of the provisions of a recent amendment in the Education Act.