71 
chief among these is his claim upon the community to be 
trained and fitted for his place in society and an ideal educa- 
tional system would be one which fits the citizen for his position 
and the due discharge of his obligations. 
To what ends, then, should the citizen be trained ? Firstly, 
to maintain himself and to help to maintain those dependant 
on society, viz., the young, the old, and the infirm ; to 
contribute his share to the national wealth (i.e., well-being) 
by engaging in a useful work ; to realise that to live without 
working usefully is the greatest disgrace and that no work 
that is necessary is menial. The obligation upon each to 
contribute his best to the welfare of the state places a corres- 
ponding obligation upon society to provide an opportunity 
for the highest possible development of every child. On 
economic grounds alone this is desirable, for the economic 
value of one great industrial genius is sufficient to cover 
the expense of the education of a whole town. Secondly, 
the citizen should be trained to take an intelligent part in 
the government of his country. In an ideal democracy all 
would be actively interested in public affairs. Thirdly, a 
citizen should be so trained as to be able to use his leisure 
wisely. During the time in which the citizen is not directly 
discharging his debt to society there should be due time 
for recreation, both physical and intellectual and for the care 
of the spiritual side of his nature. Fourthly, there is the 
obligation (which implies, of course, ability) on the citizen 
to defend his country. Until such time as other states 
arrive at approximately the same stage of moral develop- 
ment, the danger of interference from outside is possible ; 
hence some system of national service should be inaug- 
urated. 
Speaking of the steps now available to help our country 
to achieve its best, the lecturer instanced the provision in 
our primary schools of the happiest possible environment 
— so good that even the richest cannot procure better. In 
arranging our curricula the first objects should be sound 
character and healthy bodies, together with the develop- 
ment of the child’s natural aptitude to acquire knowledge. 
Too much mental discipline should not be attempted, for 
that often results in the stifling of personality. All, if pos- 
sible, should go through a full secondary school course, or, 
at least, attend day continuation schools for a few hours 
weekly up to the age of eighteen. The state cannot afford 
either on economic or on moral grounds to waste the found- 
