AUCKLAND DIOCESAN CATHOLIC TEACHERS’ INSTITUTE

New Zealand Tablet, 23 August 1917, Page 5

AUCKLAND DIOCESAN CATHOLIC TEACHERS’ INSTITUTE

(By a Sister of St. Joseph.)

REPORT OF PROCEEDINGS. (Concluded.) CIVICS— ITS PLACE IN THE SCHOOL CURRICULUM.

The subject I am treating deals with the growth and development of cities and the rights, privileges, and duties of citizens as contra-distinguished from the State and nation of which these cities are component parts. In our day we see civic progress trending more and more in the direction of scientific socialism the socialism which would overturn society with the visionary hope of reconstructing it on lines that would make all people equal, but the socialism which aims at the civic authority of Government undertaking those services that are necessary to the well-being of individuals. In ancient times many cities like Athens and Rome were really the State, and waged war against other cities and made conquests of vast territories. During the Middle Ages many famous cities grew rich and powerful by commerce, and their citizens gained for themselves greater privileges and asserted prouder rights than were extended to rural communities. Take, for example, the cities of Europe which banded themselves together as the Hanseatic League, or take London with its trade guilds, its train-bands of apprentices, and its rich city companies.

. As trade developed large manufactories sprang into existence; apprentices to trades became numerous and were formed by their employers into a form of soldiery, so as to act as a local defence, and in time of war the wealth of the citizens and the presence of these trained bands taught monarchs to respect the rights of property and gained for these civic communities many rights and privileges which were added to their charter and jealously guarded. Here in New Zealand our cities maintain fire brigades to efficient!}' cope with outbreaks of fire. They have laid out cemeteries on the far outskirts where the dead are decently interred under conditions that conserve the public health. They also promote the health and recreation of the people by abolishing slums and preventing over-crowding and laying out parks, pleasure, and sports grounds—aptly termed ‘ lungs of the city,”—and also by forming and maintaining swimming baths. Although hospitals and charitable institutions are under a separate form of local government, they are really part and parcel of civics, for the people, through their local governing bodies, are rated to maintain these beneficent institutions in an efficient state. Here, too, the Church is doing a noble and splendid work for the people, and taking on its shoulders large burdens of civic duties. Perhaps the most recent development in the domain of civics is the growth of the Garden City idea. It owes its birth to the progress of municipal town-planning. Some large manufacturing firms in America have laid out model'towns and suburbs for their employees, where all the advantages, amenities, and comforts of a high civilisation are established and made free to the humblest members of the community. Civics, then, may be regarded as the youngest of the sciences fraught with immense benefits. It aims at doing collectively for the people those services indispensable to good and wholesome living, which in the past, have been performed chiefly by individual enterprise and competition for the purposes of gain. It acts on the principle that “man does not live for himself alone” and that “unity is strength.” It strives to realise the “City Beautiful,” and with it achieve the wide diffusion of comfort, the prevention of disease, and the general improvement of the conditions of life among the people. As, from the teacher standpoint, civics has to deal with the social environment of the child, our aim is to give him a due sense of his moral obligations, to promote the establishment of character, to introduce him to a conception of the right relations of the individual to the family, to society, and to the State, as well as to lay the foundations of true patriotism. In the initiatory classes we introduce our subject chiefly ' through the medium of nature, fairy, history, and Scripture ’story. Without the children’s knowledge they have learnt a lesson in history and civics—to be fully dealt with later ona lesson that was learnt at a huge price by statesmen of the 18th century, and which determined to a large extent our present form of colonial government and civic institutions. To further convey instruction and preserve continuity with topics which furnish noble ideals of life,' we link moral training with civic teaching and see that it is embodied in the methods of discipline, in the treatment of the children by the teacher, in the proprieties and manners required from the children, and above all in the example of the teacher. In all this, we religious teachers should be able to achieve results as far surpassing those obtained by mere secular training, as our ideals must, surmount those of the hired servants of the State. Thus, as the child passes through the junior and intermediate stages, the civic training progresses, and much of the work is co-related with oral and written composition. The fire-brigade, work of familiar civil servants as the postman, policeman, health-officer, etc., form useful and interesting topics. These forms of civic enterprise which provide for the water-supply of the people, undertake the lighting of the streets and the people’s homes, establish markets for the sale of fish, look, after drainage, and aim at cultivating the

minds and softening the manners of the .people by establishing free libraries and art galleries, may be simply discussed with pupils at this period of . school life. Again the importance of linking history with civics may be emphasised, and many opportunities present themselves, as when treating the war of AMERICAN INDEPENDENCE. In thus correlating these two subjects our aim is— - 1. To lead the pupil to an understanding of the influences that have determined the present condition of tho people. 2. To place before him high ideals of character. 3. To engender love and admiration for what is noble and good. 4. To strengthen his judgment. 5. To enable him to trace the effect of good and evil actions done in tire past. 6. To promote a true conception of right and wrong. Here, too, the Catholic teacher has the advantage of abundance of matter to present to the children in the history of the development of the true model of all well-organised institutionsour Holy Mother Church and in the life stories of many of her loyal subjects. In this democratic land of ours every citizen participates. to a greater or less extent in the work of governing, therefore it is of the highest importance that our pupils should receive some knowledge of the duties which the State will expect them to perform and some preparation for discharging them intelligently and conscientiously. Accordingly, as wo proceed through the intermediate to the senior classes we treat ot the higher duties of citizens: the administration of justice : public taxes ; making of laws • means of defence against foreign aggression, and the more important institutions of the municipality, province, dominion, empire. The work here may be facilitated by carrying out under the teacher’s direction instructive examples of civic functions and incidents related thereto—such as trial by jury, voting by ballot, deputation to a Minister, juvenile parliament. Here, as occasion so readily lends itself — teacher should endeavor to cultivate the dramatic instinct of her class, and whilst not overloading the lessons with detail should take care to emphasise vital and interesting facts. If acting is substituted for vivid description the inclusion of civics in the school curriculum should do much towards making the pupils take a living delight in all that concerns the well being of citizenship, instead of treating these matters as being outside the realm of youth. Other civic topics, not easily dealt with dramatically, prove a wealth of matter for discussion. Not infre-. quently in our morning conversation lesson we discuss the different phases of the war, the clergy and the ballot (an absorbing question just now), and extol the merits of the Catholic Federation in convening mass meetings to expound Catholic views on education, and create a healthy public opinion as to the justice of these claims. PAPER ON CIVICS. The paper was chiefly valuable for the clear way in which it showed the application of civics to the everyday life of the pupils. The correlation of geography, history, and English illustrated in the scheme was also a strong point. In the discussion which followed, the scheme was warmly praised. Several teachers emphasised the need for Catholic teachers to create and foster a laudable ambition among our children to take their place in public life. The power of a “vote” was dwelt upon, and the need for training our children accordingly in their civic responsibilities. RESOLUTIONS. 1. “That the conference would welcome the formation of a N.Z. Catholic Historical Association.” At a meeting held subsequently, the Rev. Father Gilbert, S.M., M.A., St. Patrick’s College, Wellington, was elected president. The Christchurch representative is Sister Domitelle, M.A., Sisters of the Missions, Barbadoes street. Auckland;- representative : Sister

Mary Benignus, M.A., St. Mary’s Convent, Ponsonby. Dunedin'; representative: ' Mr. J. J. Wilson, Tablet office (author of The Church in New Zealand). vAi ,2..“ That, the teachers of singing be encouraged to teach a plain chant mass; also to keep up the practice of the following hymns : “Hail, Queen of Heaven,” “Faith of Our Fathers,” “To Jesus’ Heart All Burning,” Hail, Holy Joseph, Hail 1” “Hail, Glorious St. Patrick,” “I’ll Sing a Hymn to Mary,” “O Purest of Creatures,” “O Sacred Heart, All Blissful Light of Heaven,” “O Paradise,” s“Heaven is the Prize,” “Mary, Dearest Mother,” God of Mercy and Compassion,” “Jesus, My Lord, My God, My All,” “Hark, Hark, My Soul.’’’ 3. “That a Catholic admission register be kept in every Catholic school, the parish priest keeping a copy ; and in addition to the ordinary entries as to age, address, name of parents, there be kept a record of the religious progress, under the heads of Baptism, First Confession, First Communion, Confirmation, etc. 4. “That the executive call a meeting of the teachers in the city schools to consider the programme for St. Patrick’s Day celebration.” A special resolution of sympathy with the Sisters of St. Joseph, in the illness of Sister Raymond, their Mother Provincial, was proposed by Rev. Father Forde, who dwelt on the wonderful work Sister Raymund had done during her long years of teaching in New Zealand. —Carried. In the closing session these resolutions were proposed and carried, a host of questions were answered, and a vote of thanks to the officers of the executive carried by acclamation. The conference closed with Solemn Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament, in the chapel of the Sisters of Mercy, Ponsonby.