abstract of proceedings. 113 



14th May, 1917. 

 The Society met at the Ivluseunr at 8 p.m. 



Lecture. 



Mr. L. Rodwav delivered a lecture on "Forestry m 

 Tasmania. 



11th June, 1917. 

 The Society met at the Museum at 8 p.m. 



Education After the War. 



The evening took the form of a symposium on this 

 subject, arranged by Mr. Dechaineux. 



Mr. J. A. Johnson introduced the subject from the 

 primai-v school aspect. He stressetl the necessity oi an 

 education at that stage that would lead to the development 

 of bodily function as the eye and the hand, and of mental 

 function, reliance, judgment, and reasoning. Success in 

 industrial development will depend on the brains of those 

 dire<^ting the work, and the adaptability of the workers. 

 Tlie minds of all must be opea to new ideas, and the new 

 idea« must come from the research departments of the 

 Technical Schools and University. It is the function of 

 the primary school to develop the inaividual powers 

 without consideration of what the boy may be in after 

 life. The human value of the worker must be set hi-st : 

 he is trained to see bettsr, to do betvcr, to judge and 

 reason better. The foundation of such education is rooted 

 in the nature of the cducand himself: the educator, 

 while leaving the personality intact, must inoculate it 

 with thoughts, feelings, and desires it would never other- 

 wise have obtained. This idea, centuries old, is only now 

 being put into practice, for there is often a very wide gap 

 between theory in education and its application in prac- 

 tice. What we want to aim at in industrial life is effi- 

 ciency ; but we seek to make that efficiency personal 

 through the universal functioning of self -activity. JSeif- 

 activitv is the very elemental law of human development, 

 and is therefore at the base of a' I industry. The problem 

 for the primary teacher is Jiow to translate this theory 

 of development into the actual life of the school. The 

 pupil's initiative must be developed jxtri passu with his 

 intelligence, so that he learns not onlv to think but to 

 plan and to purpose. Thus only can be brought about 

 the desired correspondence between school attainment and 

 subsequent skill at work. 



