, 1891-10-17
CheistiaasteA, &c. Ceeix.
Saturday, October 18th 1891.

O1 lOuI loCLOTS, IIUm OH 6Ul0 CORRESPONDENCE,
~"Innovator," on the subject Of education.
We have no doubt that those letters attract
ed considerable attention among our read
ers, and as the subject is one which inter-
ests most people and is moreover one on
capable of forming and giving an opinion,
we expected that those letters would be
followed by others either attacking or sup
porting the position taken up by our cor
respondent. In this expectation we have
been disappointed,9a and in the absence of any
expression Of opinions from outside we will
now venture to put forward our own.
The assertions and conclusions contained
in our correspondents letters may be class
ed under two heads, namely they relate
either to education viewed as a means of
preparing children for the business of life
or to education viewed as a means of inn
proving the morals. Both of these aspects
of education are treated by our cOrrespon-
dent partly i'll a broad, general way and
partly with distinct reference to our To-
Cal conditions. In what we shall here have
to say on the subject, we intend, without ex-
Guiding general considerations, to keep
mainly in view the local aspect of the ques-
tiOns raised.
Turning now to the first set of considera-
tons, namely those which refer to educa-
ton as a means of preparing children for
the practical business of life, whether it be
the main business, the daily occupation by
which the daily bread is earned, or whether
it be those secondary occupations which add
to the comfort and happiness of the indivi-
dual and those around him, we may first
remark that considerations of this kind are
attracting much attention in the civilized
world at large.
Inmany places there is an uneasy feeling
that the world is being Over-taught as tar
as head kno Wedge is concerned and under
taught as far as %Quickness and accuracy of
eye and dizziness of hand are concerned.
One of the Outcomes of this is the somewhat
famous Sl0jd System of education which
now to1rishes in Sweden, a system which,
without attempting to train children for par
ticular occupations, aims at developing the
use OF the eye and the hand along with
the use of the brain. Another outcome of
the same uneasy feeling is the frequent adj
vOcacy, and i'll some cases the establishment,
of industrial schools. 1t is only a week OrtwO
ago that we reprinted from the "Demerara
ArgOsy" an interesting article on a move
ment which appears to be on foot there to
introduce agricultural teaching into the
COuHGIy SCuOOIS VI Uu&O COIOuy. 1uuOVdGOI
would like to see something of the same
sort done here in Santa Cruz. The mean
ing is, we take it, that the boys and girls in
the country should be taught agriculture,
the boys in the towns trades, and the girls
in the towns domestic work. To this must
be added that 'InnOvatOr" would like to
see the boys in the country taught to be
handy with. ordinary carpenters tools, and
the girls taught to be helpful about a house.
Against such a scheme, it mayIbe,objected,
that we have no right to assume that the
children OF agricultural labourers must
themselv es be agricultural ~labourers, we
have no right tOregard agricultural labour
as an hereditary or caste occupation. "COn-
slider the liberty of the subject" as our
correspondent says. And we, certainly, are
very willing to consider it, and have no
sympathy with a system which would at
tempt to force people into any particular
line of employment. But at the same time
we do not think that the small amount of
agricultural training which alloy would get
at school could in any way be considered as
uniting him for anything else or as forcing
him to take up agricultural labc0r as the
business of his life.
We are not thereforeinciined to make much
of this elderly argument; but what does
seem to US a fatal objection to the full carry
ing out of any such scheme, is it's cOstliness.
Agricultural schools would require fields, i'm
plements'a and special teachers. Industrial
schools in the towns would require work
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