1923-06-06 — Page 9

ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS.

Teacher's Spirited Defence.

Mr. Stephon Southwold, the writer of this spirited article, which we reprint with acknow ladgements to the Sunday Chronicle, in a teacher in an Eng- lish elementary school.]

VALUE FOR MONEY,

The first charge is impossible | to answer unless someone will tell me precisely what in value! for money in terms of ednation.

Assuming for the sake of argu- ment that the charge be true: Is there any branch of publio ser- vice where the average man would say that he got a fifty fifty valua for his money? Honestly, name me one.

Apart from these considerations. Every age has ita Aunt Sallys. I suggest that the public is getting To-day the most popular is in elementary education (more a elementary education. Not aday | hundred-fold) than value for passes without someone taking a money. But to that presently. shy. I don't know whether the | The second, that children lear- fascination of shying. at Austing the elementary schools are ill- Sallys in due chidy to the fact equipped to face their respon- that Sally cannot bit back. sibilities, is a half-truth based

To attack elementary educ-upon a concealing of the whole stion to-day appears to be the one

facts. sure method of gaining a bearing sympathy, and applause.

A member of Parliament has only, in the course of a dull speech, to interpolate a slighting' references to our elementary schools to receive his meed of : applause.

A writer, barren of ideas, need only pad out a vapid article with floer at the attainments of the elementary scholar to be sure of his guiness per thousand.

A county councillor, avid of space in the local Press, has but to slips speer into bis raroblings upon the maligned subject to be bailed with plaudits that would not have shamed an oration of

Burke's.

fourteen. How much do public Consider first the mature age of

#choolboys know at that age? We will see in a moment.

Elementary education does not claim to turn out a finished pro- duct at the age of fourteen. What

THE HONGKONG TELEGRAPH;

.

RADIO NOTES AND NEWS.

The Deaf Now Hear.

TWO INSTANCES OF RADIO'S BENEFIT TO THE DEAF.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 1923.

it does turn out to-day in numbers J. ROGERS OF CLYDE, AND. INSET, GEORGE FARBAR, PUPIL AT THE WILLIAM enormously in excess of those of CALIFORNIA SCHOOL FOR THE DEAF. any other period of our history is

a child (undeveloped and imma- ture, naturally), who has had his

Radio has already been or her mental powers awakened, developed to such an extent strengthened, exercised, and that practically

BreTy pereou tempered.

on earth CRO enjoy it. For A human being, that is, who in even the deaf can bear, by absolute execution may be faulty, means but who carries within him or her Inventions based on this science of a radio receiver! an inquiring, a questioning, an have been brought out to help the eager, and capable pieca of deaf hear, and many of them have mental apparatus.

proved successful. In many cases, "Can't spell nor write deceat where the lack of hearing isn't so DISLIKE OF THE TEACHER. English, nor calculate efficiently. pronounced, the radio amplifier My own view of all this un-elementary school children, and strength to make broadcast pro- I receive many letters from ex-alone has been found of sufficien countable venom is simply that at their slipshod, painful, ill-written, grams audible to persons who, the root of everything is a cons shoddy attempts, etc." cious or unconscious dislike of

otherwise, could not bear. the teacher.

A CHALLENGE

This, for instance, has been So runs the common charge. the experience of Mr. William Very well, I will pick baphazard J. Rogera, 65. of Clyde. Mr. one hundred boys of fourteen from Rogers can't hear our elementary schools and one near him, but be enjoys the This dislike bas, it seems to me.

hundred from our public schools concerts broadcast from nearby persisted in the unconscious

I will back the elementary boy of and distant transmitting stations through youth, and on to maturity.

fourteen to beat the public school every night. In fact, Mr. Rogers Influenced, therefore, by an bay of fourteen every time in eays, radio is improving his bear- unconscious dislike, the public reading, writing, arithmetic.ing, and he hopes in a short while mind is fertile ground for state-handling the English language to hear sounds without the aid of ments attacking both teachers in writing), and general know. the radio amplifier. and the results of their work. ledge.

In the past, much more so than to-day, children have undoubtedly disliked, their teachers pretty heartily.

MR. BIRCH CRISP AND CHINESE LOANS.

My C

While more stirring events have completely thrown in the ahade the question of China's borrowing abroad, there is little, doubt that Mr. Birch Chisp has! been nibbling again at the Chin- sas rice bin. The great surplus of funds in London has no doubt prompted him to came into the market again. London is just now literally stuffed with money seeking re-investment and although there are signs that the inevitable reaction from this con- dition will come this year, as a matter of arithmetic Chias could find enough to finance her for years if her credit were good, and her administratien well established.

CA2-

It is eleven years since Mc Birch Crisp carried out his sens- ational coup and in defiance of six governments flasted a ren million pound loan, of which fire millions was ultimately called. It is this fire millions there is now so much talk about. If an agreement is reached that

brosdoast through space mospherice" are wireless signala be carried out the press will be the original 1912 Prospectus is to with calling him once more a! immensely powerful instru- did then · ments by the inhabitants of some Goliath."

David fighting distant planet, in the hope of this and other worlds. Thunder-Chambers of Commerce are car- getting into communication with the recommendations of British An interesting angle is that if

storms are known to produce ried to North Chins, China's some of them, but in many credit will be considerably in- instances this explanation will proved. Given some guarantee not hold.

it

of stability the Londea market| will plunge" on China to a Post-master-General, announced ity of the Chinese people to pro- Sir W. Joynson-Hicks, the finite faith existing in the capac- practically unlimited extent, in-

in the House of Commons recent-Į ly the appointment of a special certain things have been done.- gress and make money when committee on

the subject of Far Eastern Times, broadcasting, to consider. sound (1) Broadcasting in all its as-

pects:

(2) The contracts and licenses hear a distant station. For ex- which have been or may be ample, some areas granted:

along the Atlantic coast are within radio (3) The action which should be shadows, where listeners have skep on the determination of the found it hard to hear certain existing licenses of the Broad-stations distant from them. At one casting Company.

spot, the fans may hear stations 4) The uses to which broad- within the area and others to the casting may be put;

south and west, but stations to the north are almost totally out of range.

of:

4

At the California School for the Be this true or not, let us for a I have been privileged to read Deaf in Berkeley, experiments are moment consider the charges many letters of public schoolboys being conducted with radio receiv (5) The restrictions which may against popular education. The of fourteen and fifteen. I have ing instruments. Some of the boys need to be placed upon its user or geceral charge that it is not ever seen anything to equal them in the school are already enjoy-development, good as it was may be dismissed.

for sheer illiteracy, even ining broadcast concerts and other The committee is to be composed Nothing ever is. Not even Punch elementary schoolboys who are music by means of an especially None the less, upon this point I their juniors by two or three years. loud amplifying device attached am prepared to agree with the critica. Elementary education to day is not as good as it was twenty-five years ago. Perfectly true. It is fifty per cent. better that is all.

But the main serious charge

are ******

not wetting

1. The public is val for its mo es.

S. Children leave the element ary schools ill-equipped to fura their responsibilities, eg, their equipment in the matter of read ing, writing, and arithmetic.

Thero two chatues appear to cover all the minor ones,

44

I number amongst my friends a to the radio receiver. These met- man who is an examiner. The hods may be the fore-runner of a students whose papers be sees are system which will solve the pro-. seventeen and eighteen years of blem of curing the deaf. age, and are sil public school boys and girls. He has told me that) the spelling, handwriting, and

A new departure in broad- general ability to handle English casting innovations took place would disgrace Zutu. at Belmont (Mass), says Reuter's humorous exaggeration, of course.;

correspondent, a large congre Bul-

gation listening during morning service at a Methodist Episcopal

A

Consider for a moment the secondary and higher elementary schon's. The boys who win scholarships there are in the main recited from the elementary (Continuvi fæst og nest column.)'

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church to &

sermon from an empty pulpit. The sermon was delivered and the byns an couced by a preacher five miles away.

A first lesson in English by wireless has been given at the French Post Office High School in Paris. The lesson was devoted to the pronunciation of words and lasted three-quarters of an bour. The method was considered high- ly satisfactory.-

1

Major-General Sir Frederick) Sykes, M.P., chairman:

Major the Hon. J. J. Astor, M.P.:

Mr. F. J. Brown, C.B., Assis. tant Secretary of the Post Office having charge of the wireless lepartment.

Sir Henry Bunbury. K.C.B, Comptroller and Accountant General of the Post Office; Viscount Burabam, chairman of the Newspaper Proprietors

It is the causes and cures for these conditions that radio scientists are searching. They in these shadows and have been] have set up experimental stations collecting valuable information concerning the phenomenon of fading.

1.0

mentation, these searchers have In the course of their experi

fading, caused, they believe, by come across a curious form of the subrise and sunset. Marconi, Association.

Mr. W. H. Eccles, F.R.S., pre across the Atlantic, found

in trying to send his signals sident of the Radio Society of obstruction when it happened to Great Britain;

Sir Henry Norman, Bart., M.P; in New York. He noticed a be light in London and still dark

manager of the British Broad-signals and he ascribed this to Mr. J. C. W. Keith, general depression in the intensity of bis casting Company

Field-Marshal Sir Wm. Robert line in the ocean.

the interference of the sunrise son; and

As soon as the sun rose in New York, however, the signals picked up.

Mr. C. P. Trevelyan, M.P. Colonel Fremantle asked the Postmaster-General who would represent the 250,000 listenare-ia,

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Sir W. Joynson Hicks replied when it got dark in London and The same difficulty occurred Experts of the Radio Research the House

that there were four members of was still light in New York. As Board station at Aldershot bave Robertson (who was not in any bis signals increased in intensity. and Sir William soon as the sun set in New York, lately been investigating the char-way. acter and causes of

connected with "atmos-casting)-in fact, simost every-jenced to any noticeable extent by broad-This interferer ce ia not experi- pherice"-the electrical turbances which so often interfere seated the listeners-in.

dis body on the Committer repre- the powerful long-wave radio THE HUMAN ZOO with the reception of wireless signals. By the use of ingenious

stations along the coast but they Bre felt by the short-wave stations. of the country come within this The regular broadcasting stations scope.

Another form of interference,

apoarstus coupled up to an serial An Edinburgh deaf man, who 500 metres long, it has been found bad read of the banefits of listen that the wave-longth of atmos-ing-in to deef people, visited a pherica is normally somewhere listening-in atation the other day about 600 kilometres, and that and had a remartable experience. their intensity is, on the average, After adjusting the bead phones which of late bae made itself a förty times greater than our most be could not distinguish any particular nuisance, is the linking Dowerful Transatlantic signals. sound, but the extraordinary of the radio waves of two broad- In one case they were found to circumstance was that when he casting stations, be no less than 800 times stronger. There is as yet no evidence to counter the theory that

80

to

spoke to those who were with him produce a singing note with a be was able to hear the broad-constant beat. This is caused atcasting concert quite distinctly. when the stations are broad- Immediately be stopped speaking, casting within & mater or so of however, all sound by wireless each other. vibration of his own voice bad ceased. It is assumed that the some affect on his bearing.

schoole. I have no doubt whatever in my mind that one hundred of these youngsters would beat & picked bundred public schoolboys, and, moreover, give them a year's seniority into the bargain.

If the public are so dissatisfied with elementary education, let them demand test upon these lines. The elementary teacher of to day will be happy to stand or fall by the result.

To conclude upon one point, I would ask you to bear in mind what-herculean task it is to teach decent English in many schools where the child's first five

fi

The waves seem to fade. into one another, causing a beat note, and producing interference which The radio

Scientists who are specializing cannot be overcome.

in radío are devoting a great part listener may as well tune them of their attention to the pheno out and try to get another broad- menon called "fading." This is casting station.

...

a form of interference to the reception of redio messages that comes from the interception of for example, es mountains, tali new U.S. Department of Com certain physical causes. Such, ranges of radio waves, under the With the allotment of closer

buildings and open “ pockets" in merce the atmosphere.

ruling, this form of Interference may be 07. countered TOOTD often than heretofore. For the differences:

years' environment, and vinstern ́ These obstructions to the trans in wavelengths have been re- hours out of every twenty-four mission of radio waves cause duced of the next nine years "is one, shadows in the area of which it

considerably. Sharper mentally, of illiteracy, and, phy has been difficult, and in many needed nowadays to avoid such modulation and closer taning are sically, of sordid overcrowding.

cases practically Impossible, to interference.

11

BELATED BY DIVORCE."

Copyright 1923, by

Public Lodger

"Madge, we may be related. My second father says that his first wife's second husband was related distantly to your third father's second wife,"