Unplanned Careers.

Waikato Times, Volume 119, Issue 19893, 23 May 1936, Page 17 (Supplement)

Unplanned Careers.

Strong Natural Bents : Latent Aptitudes. (Sir Samuel Tallents in English paper.)

SCHOOLMAS’I‘ER FRIEND of mine asked me the other day, as one who 'had suffered many changes of occupation, how he was to defend himself against. the army of parents who came to him expecting to have their boys‘ careers laid out for life in Bradshaw fashion. .\ow there is much to be said for wise forethought in parents. But there is also a case to he made out, for the improvident parent; and that case, challenged by my friend's disquiet. I set myself to make. The world, I suggested to him. was eleven by a number of curious divisions. There were, for example, those who naturally got up early and those who sat up late. There were those who were susceptible to insectl‘iites, and those who were not; and I added. as u morsct ot‘ questionably scientillc hearsay, that. the sufferers from insect—bites were generally good sailors, -\\*hile the immune were a prey to sea—sickness. One of these major divisions, I went on to say. was between those who planned their careers and tlmse who did not: and I was able to speak as one who belonged to the latter class. As a young man I had maintained that I could not. make a satisfactory choice between different cuttings, because I did not know what those who were called to them had to do 1 knew little enough of my father‘s profession. His friends maintained the customary embargo on the talking of shop about their work as distinct from their recreations. The only careers which i had observed at first hand were those of schoolmaster and den, and for these i was clearly untitled. \\‘hcn. therefore, my time at the University neared its close, I accepted. with a doeility which i still think to have been logical and i had had no cause to regret, my father's pro—- ! posatl that I should sit for the (livil Service l'2.\:tminution. l appeared at that moment to ill.‘ . Surrendertng My Liberty | ’ tn pltm my “to as completely as a Cruising tourist resigns the ordering 01' his \\'il)s to u strzunship rmupany. Looking: buck, I can s(‘(' that no parent. schooihmster. tutor. or (livil semit-u Ilommissiuucr could lime told me at that slam: What was going to happen to Im‘ in “It' ncxl quurtvr ot‘ a century. They would not tmu- tmd a hopc in competition with u tin-1y i'urtum-totli-r \\’lm assured my ii.titl't'l‘ rnrty i'i lilti that i should shortly rtmnxv my prul‘vssion and go owrsrus. Shiitt' Inns haw strum: nuturtd hrnts, ‘ \\illl‘tl lmut tlu-m |li|l'|'t'iil.‘~'l." to it purtirulur l rulliuu. Itlliwrs haw llumty liusim-ssrs, I \\ili-‘lt it i.‘ right and sensible l‘ur tin-m to I‘itlt’t'. titlt the rr.~l‘.’ “mil in) ”\\u grurt'u- ' tion hm I'vltw-t that. it they hud all had I “W?" "~H"*""~ i:""'\""“»'|.\ .\lilit‘tl I'ur tin-in i \\lit'li the) \\l'i‘l' .tt school. ”Htt'u \\nuld 1w 1 IN" ”Hm“ """I '" 'l-t.‘ in ”It‘ ltllliltl'-t'iti'. : I"["1““""' "l'flh‘i' ”Milt”: -|iixi lilin indus- } 91"“. unit [ln unv- .ti .lil «-II:.I:I-It in tiw HUN”3 l“"“’“‘ “133"“ ‘pl'mu from thr .m-ts and : “'l"“‘-"‘> "l it"“till Illuiit itittl \\it‘t‘lt‘y‘ itt'Htul- ‘ l‘.t~!.li"« 'i'i=r v' 1‘ lti'il' strum: \it]*i"r"t “.1. : Hiv- him-. 1 lilil it Inu‘ |li'ni|u|t'}:tl|] iii 43...]. _.,,u_ f :‘tt‘ilwu: dithl‘ til liw Idiotic nth-rust .lli-i Imp”. i “Nth; vliut slut viii-v tw- \\lil';.] “1m “ml,” 1‘ -lr-..--1:I‘::--llt IL“: I.“ w" W”'“ “Mn-‘l' il-il'l'ilts l istfluml-t: ‘:;[..'l‘?,‘,ti,li.m“ i r-l \\tl' to know \\.t.lt ' \tui i" ‘\\|' I't'li‘l'll :I't"t' '1‘”! I‘ I“. mrmn:. A u. ... ' ttt' lull \\‘i.it 1., the 4lumuiHui ”Hill. twin; to haw our chihirrq .tugi an} Hue: .tt all?" " -. . t .. there are at least M H“: an‘m)

Two flood Anuwm on the practical side alone: and a oohoolmaster could no doubt multiply them. The on; which is applicable at any age up to seventy is that, it you drive even a small peg 0! knowledge into even a wooden head. it will serve to gather further knowledge or that subject for the rest of your days—much al a nail in a fence gathers tags of sheeps‘ wool. The earlier. within reason, you drive the peg, the hotter its Chances of gathering. All sorts of fresh bits or knowledge will attach themselves to your peg, without your going in search or them. Such knowledge is good. and some at it is pretty sure to prove usein]. The second argument runs something likq this. If you are going into a settled and ordered profession. you will automatically come under the discipline of its precedents and of those who have spent their lives in its practice. But it’ you chance upon some new calling, where there are no precedents and none with previous experience to guide you. you \\‘ill need an internal Discipline of Your Own Omtlng. Such a discipline springs most readily tn those minds which in their education have been exercised and breathed by working to a still standard. under the spur‘ot the keenelt competition that they are capable of sustaining. It follows from this. I suspect. that. given boys or girls of good intelligence, the right course, in the absence of marked spec iai aptitudcs or the need of specialised train; ing for some predetermined career, is to let. them study whatever subjects are attracting; at the moment the best or their contempor-i aries. This unplanned method, too, saves the premature labelling of a boy or girl. Even special aptitudes are often latent in school days. it boys or girls had to be assessed simply by their apparent tltness for particular railings, the order of true inerit would often be sadly dislocated. Let .\lr Clive Bell‘s cautionary tale be borne in mind—“ The judge at Epsom is not pcrmitted to disqualify the winner of thc Ucrliy in favour of the horse that iinishcd inst—lJui-une on the ground that the latter is Just the one for the Archbishop of Ctttltei‘iitil‘)'s throughatn." THUSU random thoughts are addressed to the relief at undul;~ anxious parents and unfairly harassed teachers. Tlicy involve no di-prcciittiuu at ”it: \\urk of that excellent now pi'ot‘cssiun of Mir cut-cor» master—Han(tiill‘i‘ railing \\hich \\t-uid iitl\'[‘ bccn vacant. til—tiny i suppose. it' tiltw- \\lm \\t‘l‘c at school t\\>.-nl} )mrs arm hut pr-mletermined their \m-aiiuns, 'i‘hr- \\urit ..i’ warm-rs mast-ers should do iiillt'il t» t'lll‘i't't't Jlist that dell(‘lt‘ilt'y \\'iiil'il i c\p.-m-:im-ti .i~ .t th)——d lack nl‘ ltnmuvtim; .tl' \\'ltl: .ivtlv-i'u-nt jt'|:l> imolvcd, Nil" \\iil i zi-ihxii i"‘\{t'|il~i.|llii_\ lt' dily pul't‘ni. >il4illill ruinplniu to ill\' hrt’mflr‘r iliat a son or datixhti-i' had it"t'll Evil in) illlx .Il’llt‘lt' to lulu- in. thought .nr ill. lllvlii'll\\, and had litli in cunwnltlvncr No Morrow Worth Mentionino. 'i‘u ~il4‘i‘l [l'l'v‘ili~ .liltl ~li‘ll Whirl: 'I i dist'!|.ti"_‘~' ltl_\ iii:u.‘.:.t it} [li'l‘>UHXii|Z i‘il‘lll hm'c ..nii llu\\ \\iiil hm It‘l'hi: \t,‘iil,‘—‘~ in:- tho numiuz‘l Hi' : "it w i\:-\ nud iii-'Jl' nil'spring in llu- do} u: \\: rut ,\i hump ,y-l iiiom dot-lure Cii'ii4lliliiis) \\ii.| ltnnnl-i i"i;~ii.mlt's heroine—- -- rm \\ ll'lli h w «i:~_v:-.u-t-i‘till\v managed. unn- :.i-(ut-wi} kiln“, \\hum I‘. ‘7oHll'liain to." ill pulvlln' ii.t‘}' run tll\\tl.\> rncilc more comlll'N‘lH.‘ ”I" NWI.“ 0f \\’.-ltcr Raleigh—“ Tho ltiKilllll-gttic \\un no prize at the poultry-