TOPICS OF THE DAY.

Waikato Times, Volume 121, Issue 20274, 17 August 1937, Page 6

TOPICS OF THE DAY.

Education or Information? “ The extension of knowledge and science in our day lias been such that there is a very great temptation in our schools merely to impart information. Knowledge, however, is an inferior article as compared in value with the human soul,” says General Smuts, in “Education Adaptations in a Changing Society.” “Education should relv on the development much more of the imagination than of the memory. The new conditions of society call for such a change. The Held of knowledge is widening at such an enormous rate that it is a sin to expect a child to memorise this vast body of facts. He should be taught the use of reference books even to the extent of their use in the examination room. “ If I were a Dictator, I would lay down as a programme of principles for the New Education: The building up of individual personality: the encouragement of imagination, not of memory; the feeding of the young mind with interests, ideals, and the joy of life, avoiding repressions; the cultivating of a love of truth, a broad outlook. and object ivoness; a thorough grounding in fundamentals, leaving details to reference hooks; and the principles of Holism—that in this universe we are all members one of another, and that selfishness is the refusal and denial of life.” Against A Slump. “ it is exceedingly difficult to improvise schemes of useful capital development or to indicate expenditure upon them unless careful preparations have been made beforehand,” runs a letter in the London Times signed by twenty well-known economists. “The type of development required, its geographical position, the machinery for its administration, the responsibility of different, authorities for its iinnnce —the obstacles which such problems present to immediate ; >«* t i«»,i can he reduced and perhaps removed if plans have been carefully considered for some time in advance and if appropriate administrative mac! m ry is already in existence. •• In the present stage of active trade, when expenditure on rearmament is still rising, every type of capital expenditure by public lm'dies that can he postponed without detriment to the social services and to the needs of the specially depressed areas should l>c postJ, , ni our opinion, of the utmost importance that careful prepnrauld he initiated now, in order to ensure that the plans ; nd udminmtrntive machinery nccosary for a large immense in expend - vclopment by public authorities art made ready.”