CO885-(18-19) — Page 441

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

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سلسل

Reference :-

C.O.885

19 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC-

31866/07

40

No. 84.

THE ANGLO-INDIAN EMPIRE ASSOCIATION INSTRUCTION COMMITTEE. (Received June 11, 1909.)

DEAR SIR,

[Answered by No. 88.]

The Anglo-Indian Empire Association,”

to THE VISUAL

20, Church Gate Street, Fort, Bombay, 29 May, 1909 We understand that special lantern slides, for the instruction of school children, are now obtainable from you. We would like complete information on this subject, descriptive list, prices, &c.; also prospectus and conditions of joining (i.) the League of the Empire, (ii.) Victoria League, and any other information which, in your opinion, would be helpful to us.

The Secretary,

Visual Instruction Committee,

Colonial Office, London.

DEAR SIR PHILIP HUTCHINS,

Annexure 1.

Yours faithfully,

C. PALMER,

Secretary.

2, Tanfield Court, Temple,

London, EC., 15th June, 1909. We have an enquiry from Bombay with reference to the slides on the United Kingdom for use in India. There is apparently a desire on the part of a private asso- ciation to purchase a set. As a matter of form, I imagine no more I think we ought to ask the India Office whether they have any objection to such a sale. They paid for the preparation of the Indian edition, and though they have permitted the re-issue of this edition for use in this country, they have not formally permitted its re-issue for use in India. I cannot imagine any objection on their part. Would you very kindly ascertain their view, or give permission on their behalf?

(Extract.)

MY DEAR MACKINDER,

*

Annexure 2.

Yours sincerely,

H. J. MACKINDER.

Danesfort, Camberley, 23 June.

* You are quite at liberty to let your Bombay correspondent have

copies of the slides.

I am writing to Madras about the copyright.

18996/08

No. 85.

Yours sincerely,

PHILIP HUTCHINS

41

Grey, Governor-General of Canada, telegraphed "Success attend organized lantern lectures in Dominions."

your

efforts.

The Chairman explained that the Visual Instruction Committee, formed in the autumn of 1902, gave the best consideration to the scheme which it was proposed to initiate. It appointed Mr. Mackinder to prepare the lectures and the lantern slides which formed the most important part of the education they had in view. On behalf of the Committee, he thought he could say that it would have been abso- lutely impossible to have obtained a more competent colleague to carry out what the Committee had in hand. A series of lectures was in due course prepared, and a suggestion was made to the three Eastern Colonies, Ceylon, the Straits Settlements, and Hong Kong, that they should provide the necessary funds for the lectures in their own schools. The Governments of those colonies readily and generously responded to the invitation. It was their funds that provided the first expendi- ture with which the scheme was carried out. Lectures were now actually in use in ten British Colonies and in nine provinces of India. That was only one side of the work. They had always had in view the importance of bringing to the notice of the schools in this country what the British Empire over the seas represented. The Committee desired, through him, to express their very great obligation to the Princess of Wales, through whom a fund was provided with which to begin work in this country. It was placed in the hands of Lady Dudley, wife of the Governor- General of the Commonwealth of Australia, and money amounting to as much as £4,000 was raised, which enabled the committee to take in hand the work. Without the patronage of Her Royal Highness it would have been impossible to carry out the scheme. (Cheers.)

Mr. Mackinder said that with the lead of the three Eastern Crown colonies referred to by the chairman the committee had inaugurated teaching in regard to the homeland over the seas The other side of their work was teaching in this country in regard to those dominions. To define the work as merely bi-lateral was insufficient, for not only was Australia interested in this country, but Canada The work of representing this country was interested in Australia, and vice versa.

in India and throughout the Colonies had been one of great difficulty. Most collec- tions of lantern slides had a definite object in view. Sometimes they were for missionary work, sometimes to familiarize those who were to come to this country, and in other cases for the promotion of emigration from this country. In every case there was something more than a political object. Their object, though not one of party, was political. It was to lay that foundation upon which alone we could have a healthy political party life. It had been said that a nation had the newspapers and the politicians it deserved. It was impossible for any jour- nalists or any politicians to go far above the heads of the people. Their object was to raise the heads of the people. Mr. Hugh Fisher had travelled many thousands of miles collecting slides for the work. As regards this country, they had practi- cally completed the tropical zone. They were now about to send out slides from this country for teaching in Canadian schools matters concerning this country.

Mr. Mackinder proceeded to show a series of slides on the screen, and to give a synopsis of eight lectures which had been prepared with regard to the Indian Empire. Incidentally he remarked that one of the great needs of our stay-at-home people was sympathy with race problems in other parts of the Empire-possibly one of the chief causes of quarrel in the future unless they were treated with knowledge, imagination, and sympathy. It was for the schoolmaster to lay the foundations of that sympathy and knowledge.

18996/08

EX

'THE TIMES," JUNE 5, 1909.

THE PRINCESS AND VISUAL INSTRUCTION,

The Princess of Wales was present yesterday afternoon at a lecture delivered by Mr. H. J. Mackinder, at Caxton Hall, Westminster, explanatory of the method proposed to be adopted by the Visual Instruction Committee, formed at the Colonial Office in 1902, for bringing under the notice of the schools, both in the Colonies and India and in the Mother Country, the greatness of the British Empire. Her Royal Highness, who was accompanied by Princess Mary of Wales, was, on arrival, presented with a bouquet by Sir Cecil Clementi Smith, who presided. The audience included Government inspectors, members of the Consultative Committee of the Board of Education, and divisional inspectors of the London County Council. Lord

(Unofficial.)

No. 86.

MR. A. T. DAVIES to SIR F. HOPWOOD. [Answered by No. 87.]

DEAR SIR FRANCIS HOPWOOD,

Welsh Department, Board of Education,

Whitehall, London, S.W., 7th June, 1909.

I SHOULD like to express to you my appreciation of the value of the work which is being done by the Visual Instruction Committee, as illustrated by the lecture I had the pleasure (and which I thank you for affording me the oppor- tunity) of listening to the other day at Caxton Hall.

In connection with the allocation of the sets of lantern slides now or eventually. as I understand, to be made available for use in schools in this country, I should

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