From a Teacher's Window. 305 



could be realised, and the services of such men employed, the benefit to 

 South Africa would be incalculable. I am not speaking without book, 

 and to my mind it is deplorable and pitiable to see how this golden 

 opportunit}' is being lost. Mere formal training and aptitude, what I 

 may call a glorified black-board system, is not what is wanted out here. 

 A cramped formalism, a dry-as-dust system, which regards the mental 

 qualities of the boy only, and leaves out of account his physical and 

 ethical development, plays a poor part. The houi-s " in school " are 

 of importance, and that importance is not to be minimised, but what 

 of the " out of school " hours ? It is the playground, the outside 

 atmosphere, which makes the boy what he is. It is there that the 

 master should make his influence felt ; but it is there that, with rare 

 exceptions, the system in vogue out here and in favour with the 

 authorities fails so lamentably. There is a T- atmosphere about the 

 educational system out here, which limits its due scope and gives it 

 such a painfully narrow horizon. I speak strongly, but I feel strongly, 

 though I am aware that I am merely a "voice crying in the wilder- 

 ness." I have been led into this excursion into the field of la haute 

 politique, for which 1 must crave indulgence and pardon. 



To take now some of the points of n.y paper in stricter detail. 

 How does the South African boy strike one (1) as regards teaching 

 and his lessons, (2) as regards discipline ? With regard to his work, I 

 heartily indorse the pregnant and powerful phrase which occurred in 

 Mr. Way's paper, already referred to, a phrase which made a great 

 impression on me. He said, "The South African boy has a genius for 

 work." I can fully corroborate this from m}'^ own experience. Every 

 South African bo}^ unlike his English compeer, has something definite 

 to work for. This definiteness in his studies has its advantages, but 

 it also has its serious disadvantages. The " Matric," say, is the key 

 to the professions. A boy wishes to be a lawyer or a doctor or a sur- 

 veyor ; he realises that this or the other profession is a closed door 

 to him unless he matriculates ; hence he has a direct and tangible 

 incentive and stimulus to work ; and he does work ! No hour is too 

 early for him ; no hour, if permitted, too late for him. " He scorns 

 delights and lives laborious days," but he has an object before him. 

 There is a wonderful receptivity about the South African boy ; a 

 dogged and patient plodding ; a pathetic desire to learn, and a warm 

 and touching response to any interest or trouble taken with him ; a 

 diffidence about his own powers, which sometimes proves a snare to 

 him and leads him to depend too much on his teacher and too little on 

 himself ; a perfect passion for " notes." There is something wonder- 

 fully inspiring to a teacher in the fact that his pupil is keen on his 

 work and will respond to all his efforts. But there is, it must be 

 remembered, the other side of the question. There is the narrow, 

 blighting effect produced on true education by the stereotyped 

 "Syllabus"; there is the "Examination Curse"; there is the limited 

 horizon and the gross materialism of the whole thing to damp the 

 teacher's energy and to freeze his aspirations. The inevitable result 

 is "cramming " and a low ideal, to "get on." 



