To the Editor of the "Nontu-Cuixa Dany News"
Sim—One reads in your list of coming events that the Cathedral School (Girls) Sports are to be held on May 18, and from the children. tone hears of the time taken from school work. for sports practice.
one would deny that drill and sports are good for children, girls as well as boys. It is pleasing to watch a good drill display, one likes! to watch the children at their sports, ut when one realizes the amount of time devoted to these two adjuncts to school education, which would otherwise be devoted to lessons, one is inclined to ask whether drill and sport are not overdone at this school. The time given to them would seem out of all proportion: to their value.
The current school year has been sadly disturbed. With the resumption Of school work one hoped that the children would settle down toa Steady routine and make up for Tost time.
Vain hope! a large part of the term was given" up to preparations for the drill display held Just before Easter. The commencement.of the short summer term marked the commencement of the sports practices—all, be it understood, in school working hours.
Not only is valuable time given up to these practices but it is Idle to pretend that the children are able to Settle down to. steady work when they come in heated and breathless from the garden.
Let drill and sports form a part of the school curriculum by all means bhut let them be put in their proper perspective.
Do those who attend any school functions and on the breaking Jup mornings realize how much time has been devoted to marching up Jand down stairs, in and out of the Assembly Hall, the placing and spacing, to ensure that every child should be immediately behind the tone in front, the practising of getting]
and sitting down? All very nice to watch onthe day, certainly but at what sacrifice of valuable school! working time has this order and precision been attained. Things are Fehearsed and rehearsed to the last "And while on the subject—when some "of us saw the new drill Japparatus, which no doubt cost a pretty penny, we thought, "What pity some of it wasn't" put into textbooks 'There is a lamentable lack of these in some forms, particularly in the' middle school. One often hears the remark "If only the child would bring home a textbook with a definite bit of work to prepare, one ref could help her along, but never a book does one. see.
May one make the suggestion in. closing that there should be less time: taken from school work for drill and games, and a little more money spent, Jon books.
Mone Wonk Less PLay.
[Shanghai, May 1
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.