THE OTAGO DAILY TIMES SATURDAY, MARCS 23, 1889.

Even from the most remote antiquity the ferule has been the emblem of the schoolmaster. The fasces of the Lictors did not more significantly typify the power of constituted authority to punish, even to death, than does the rod of the pedagogue the right to inflict corporal punishment delegated to him by the parents of pupils confided to his charge. The popular notion has ever been that the more a pupil was thrashed the more he learned; that there was some mysterious affinity between teaching and the birch which made their joint

use indispensable. Nowadays, the theory is that the birch is uncalled for | except for transgression of the moral code. It is not any longer considered right that boys and girls should be flogged because they are dull of apprehension ; they now incur that unpleasant fate when they have been wilfully disobedient, have lied, or have committed theft. It is very evident, however, that a relic of the old superstition that learning can be physically driven in still remains. From a case -which was recently tried before the Resident Magistrate it appeared that a schoolmaster frequently struck the pupils, and even female pupils, on the head with a treatise on arithmetic "because they

" -were stupid." The blows with the book, which appear to have been irrir partially dealt out, may really have been nothing more than quasi parental remonstrances intended to awaken dormant intelligence, and we are quite willing to make every allowance for childish exaggeration; but it also appeared that the same teacher had frequently used a supplejack, with a knobon.it, in a similar manner. Luckily for the teacher, no connection between any of the blows and the complaining pupil's subsequent illness could be proved, and he escaped punishment by the court. In this case exposure will probably have the needful effect, but it has been the means of eliciting complaints that flogging is not so uncommon as was supposed, and that it is continually resorted to for disciplinary purposes by subordinate teachers, male and female, in our large schools. Needless to say this is a practice which cannot be too strongly condemned, and not merely on sentimental grounds, It is to be condemned, in the first place because it is a direct breach of a regulation of the Education Board, which prohibits subordinate teachers from inflicting punishment, and gives the head master alone this power. Young, and consequently inexperienced, teachers sometimes strike not wisely but too well. Frequent recourse to punishment with the tawse, the rod, or the open hand begets contempt; and permanent injuries to little children are sometimes easily inflicted—as, for instance, deafness, produced by a slap on the ear. Granted that human nature is weak, and that the temper is prone to get irritable when dealing with a large number of children; that the application of the strap is the shortest, most efficacious, and often the easiest, way of adjusting a trifling difference between teacher and taught; and that it would be ridiculous and subversive of authority to be continually appealing to the head teacher to administer punishment: yet we cannot help thinking that over frequent resort to corporal punishment for trifling infractions of rules of discipline is tantamount to a confession of failure on the part of a teacher, and a direct admission that some other walk in life would be more congenial. Our remarks apply with equal, if not greater, force to junior female teachers —for the reason that female pupil teachers largely preponderate in our State schools. The positions are eagerly competed for, the number of candidates being' always largely in excess of the vacancies to be filled. A salary that is thought to be inadequate for a lad is considered quite satisfactory for a girl, and hence we find the lower grades of teachership filled principally by females. A very small proportion of them remain permanently in the ranks. They usually carry the accomplishments acquired during their apprenticeship into private

life — i.e., they get married, and the place that knew them as school teachers knows them no more. With the pupil teacher aptitude for teaching is not the first consideration, butthe possession of so much knowledge at a given age; and many of them never become aware that they have not the qualifications so essential to success in their profession. The picture has been drawn recently of the ideal lady teacher. Her voice is low andsweet, and her eyes beam with&quasi maternal softness upon her youthful charges. Her footstep is noiseless, except for the soft rustle of her garments, and the subtle influence of iier -womanhood pervades the atmosphere, and awes even Johnny or Tommy or Willy into willing subjection. To meet her approving smile

is Elysium, and her gentle voice in commendation is a sure forerunner of worldly success. Her reproval is Tartarus < — the outer limbo of those who are outside the fold oii the tractable. It is possibly not at all desirable that- the whole of these lovable qualities should be concentrated in the teacher; but it is also true that she is too often devoid of the sympathy and patience which ought to be qualities absolutely essential for her vocation. The low voice gives way to the imperious command. The eyes do not beam with softness but gleam with anger. The footstep is not noiseless but resonant, and pregnant with meaning to the wight who is its destination. Her reproval is measured by the number of strokes she inflicts, and the depth of her anger by their weight. "VYe gladly turn from the contrast and seek for a remedy for an evil which most parents strongly object to) and which we are confident requires only to be seriously considered to cease. We would not be misunderstood; The highest possible " tone," the greatest regard for truth and honour, and the greatest amount of acquirements possible in public schools havo been attained where flogging was a recognised punishment. That punishment, however, was never wantonly inflicted by underlings, but administered with all the solemnity which should attend such discipline in order to make it effective. It may be Utopian to hope for the creation of a code of honour in our primary schools even approximating to that of the great public schools, because the conditions of age and environment are so different; but if the training of the junior classes should lead up to even an approximation to such a code among the seniors, who would be imbued with the belief that to be flogged implied a disgraceful offence, and one unworthy of manly—or womanly—spirit, the influence would permeate the fabric, and would soon make flogging by under teachers a thing of the past. Meantime, it should be distinctly understood that parents will not allow their children to be subject to direct punishment by subordinate teachers, and those who resort to it at present must find some I other way of maintaining discipline.

The Midland Kailway is still little more than a more or less magnificent project. A beginning has indeed been made, but the rate of progress is so slow that the conclusion of the undertaking seems to be thrown into a very remote future; nay, the probability would seem to be that it will never be finished at all, at least by the present company. The scheme is not popular at Home. There was in truth little in it to account for, far less to justify, the enthusiasm which its promoters got up in Christchurch and other places. This the London money lenders soon found out; and their circumspection has lately been in. creased by certain things said about the enterprise by returned colonists—that the line would never pay working expenses, that the land acquired by the company was valueless, and so forth. These statements, which soon found currency in financial circles in London, were certainly not calculated to improve the prospects of the company ; and there have accordingly been rumours again and again as to difficulties experienced in their efforts to raise the necessary funds. It would be no great surprise to hear any day thattheundertakingbas been virtually abandoned. A paragraph in our Wellington correspondence of Thursday last stated that the prospects of the company were getting worse and worse, and that the works were likely to be suspended for a considerable time at any rate. This is only what many people, with no great pretensions to the gift of prophesy, predicted. The project, legitimate enough in itself, wns barely legitimate at the time when it was brought forward ; and even some of those who most loudly condemned the granting of such large areas oE land to the company declared that they had nevertheless made a bad bargain. Whether this is the case or not remains, of course, to be seen. It is alleged that this Midland Kailway Company, which was to be of immense advantage to the several districts concerned, as well as to the colony at large, has so far proved a hindrance to settlement. The company charge double what they pay for their land, and as they do not select until they are sure of a purchaser, the waste land reserved for selection is practically locked up from the public. It would almost seem as if the people of the West Coast and of the other districts interested in the railway had expected the company to shower gifts and riches upon them out of pure benevolence. They never seem to have reflected that the only end the company could have in view was to make money; and it must be owned that some of their complaints are a little unreasonable. The one unquestionable ground for complaint is that the company are not proceeding with the work. It is, perhaps, only natural that they, should endeavour to sell their selections at as high prices as possible, and it would be hardly fair to make them pay rates on the land until they have selected it; but they should either go on with the line in a satisfactory manner, or abandon the whole business. There is, unfortunately, no clause in the contract compelling them to finish the work within a specified time, or stipulating for a certain rate of progress. Long as the contract was under consideration, it appears to be rather a one-sided affair ; and there can be little doubt that the great Midland railway project will enter on a new phase next session. . The probability appears to be that the present company will not carry out the undertaking, though it is certain enough that they will take care to abandon it, if that is their intention, in such a manner as to leave room for ample claims for compensation. They will doubtless first of all ask for further concessions—such concessions as. should secure the support of the London money lenders; but as the House is not at all likely to favour the revision of the contract in that direction, the next thing , will be a request to be relieved from it on terms sufficiently favourable to themselves. And then the oft-predicted complications may be expected to begin.

In our supplement this morning will be found our report of yesterday's proceedings at the Supreme Court, letters to the editor, reviews of new books, our London and Auckland letters, Passing Notes by " Civis," and other matter.

Mr Uasher, o£ the Public Works department, has just returned to Dunedin from an official trip to the interior of Otago. With respect to the Otago Central line, Mr Ussher found that Mr Anderson (the contractor for the bridges) has already a good deal of tho material on the ground, aud is proceeding to manufacture it.

The erection of the bridges may therefore bo expected to commence very shortly.

The hearing of the will caso Winmill v. Gallic was resumed at the Supreme Court at 2 p.m. yesterday. Mrs Gallic's examination-in-chiof was concluded, and for some two hours she was under cross-examination. Wheu tho court rose Mr J. F. M. Eraser said that he had not nearly finished his cross-examination. Tho case is to be taken up again after the bankruptcy business on Monday next. During yesterday morning an action, Findlay and Co. v. Mauder and Co., was heard by a special jury, and resulted in a verdict for the defendants.

Somo mischievous person or persons during the last few days cut adrift and took away the foresail from the yacht Gipsy, lying at her moorings at tho head of the graving dock. It

in to bo hoped the offenders will be brought to justice ami niadd an example of, as this is not the first time gonr hiis been taken from the boats aud yachts lying at their moorings.

There was a large gathering of the general public and volunteers at the railway station yesterday morning to witness the departure of his Excellency Sir William Jervois, who left for Invercargill by special train at 10.15 to join the Wairarapa at the Bluff. Among those assembled were the Hons. R. Oliver, George M'Lean, and M. Holmes, M.L.C's., Lieutenant-colonel Wales, Major Gordon) Captain White, Messrs John Roberts, J. M. Ritchie, K. Ramsay, C. C. Kettle, W. M. Hodgkins, &c. On alighting from his carriage his Excellency (who was accompanied by Miss Jervois and the Hon. Lieutenant Fortescne) was saluted by the Dunedin Naval Artillery, under Captain Smith, who formed a guard of honour; while the Ordnance Band played the "National Anthem." The crowd cheered vigorously as the train moved awayt the band striking up " Auld lang syne," and his Excellency repeatedly bowed in acknowledgment. It may be mentioned that the day before his departure Sir William visited the Town flail to inspect the oil colour portrait of himself presented to the city by Cr Solomon. His Excellency was curious to see the picture again, which !iq remembered was painted during his governorship of South Australia

The Roxburgh Amalgamated Mining and Sluicing Company has at length been successfully floated, and registered under " The Mining Companies Act 1582," which is regarded as more safe and suitable than the Mining Companies Limited Liability Act. At the preliminary meeting of directors yesterday Mr Vincent Pyke was elected chairman of the board, Mr John R. Perry was appointed managing director, and Mr Donald Spedding, jun., secretary. Upwards of 36,000 shares were allotted, and it was resolved to keep the list open for a few weeks, after which any unsold company's shares will bo placed on the market at a premium. One of the special provisions embodied in the articles of association is that promoters' shares cannot be sold whilst any company's shares remain unsold. This gives additional security to investors.

Mr J. C. Plaisted, for many years accountant of the Colonial Bank at Palmerston, and afterwards manager at Wyndham, died at Palmerston last Sunday evening of valvular disease of the heart. At a meeting of 'the Committee of the Ambulance Association, held last evening, it was resolved to commence the first course of lectures on the first of May, when it is expected there will be a large attendance. It is reported that theiS are 117 houses in Wellington city in a thoroughly bad sanitary condition. The Minister for Justice and Defence estimates that his expenditure during the year will be within the votes. The cost of the Te Kooti expedition will be defrayed out of current revenue.

At the Land Office this week the sale of section 2, block XIV, Greenvale, comprising 180 a lr 20p, was effected. Mr Andrew M'Kenzie, of Greenvale, was the purchaser, and the price paid was 15s per acre.

It is stated that Mr Edward Wakefield is going Home for a few months shortly, to bring out a new book on the early history of New Zealand, the materials for which have been derived principally from the correspondence of early French missionaries in New Zealand. The French vice-Consul Count d'Abbans is a colabourer in the work.

The Queenslander of a recent date says:—. " Two deaths from thirst occurred in the busb last week —one a shepherd on Nive Junction, the other an old man named Head, who died about four miles from the Tickleman mail stage. Nothing has.since been heard of .the missing billiard marker, Fitzherbert, who started to walk from Adavale to Charleville. Ho is generally believed to be dead, as no man could go 24 hours without water in this hot weather. Papers that belong to him show that he was well connected, and had been trained for the law. The.papers indicate that his brother is Crown Solicitor of New Zealand, and that the deceased was a nephew of Sir William Fitzherbert, barrister, lately of New Zealand. Deceased's father, who is dead, was a well-known barrister in Devon, England."

Viscount' Mori, Minister of Education in Japan,-was assassinated on the 11th February in his own house by a young man who obtained admission on the pretext of informing his Excellency of an intended assault upon his person. When his Excellency appeared the murderer plunged an ordinary kitchen knife into his abdomen, and the victim died next day. The murderer was cut down by one of the Minister's guards when trying to escape. A manifesto found on the murderer showed that he had no accomplices, and his sole motive was a fanatical desire to wreak vengeance on the Viscount for an act of sacrilege which the latter committed, either ignorantly or inadvertently, by entering the principal shrine at Ise without removing his boots.

Eaormouß is the progress made in the adoption of electrical appliances in the United States within the last year. There is a city exulting in the name of Scranton, on the other side of Philadelphia, which haß only been in existence as a city for 28 years, and now has a population of 95,000. It calls itself " The Electric City." Not only are all its streets lighted and most of its machinery driven by this power, but all its street cars are run by the electro-motors. The patents for incandescent lighting scarcely go back a dozen years, yet to-day there are actually in use in the United States the enormous number of 3,000,000 incandescent lamps, while the contracts already made and partially executed amount to almost double that number. Not only will horses very soon be replaced by electricity on the tram lines, but there ia every reason to believe that the cinder-dropping) bilge-dripping locomotive will be supplanted on tho elevated railway by the Julien electrostorage system, which has proved so successful with the Daft motor on the Fourth avenue surface line. Electricity is so wonderfully aggressive that it is difficult to say in what new fields it may not push itself before the close of the new year.—New York correspondent Daily Telegraph.

At a meeting of the General Committee of the Otago Rugby Football Union last evening it was decided to lease the Carisbrook ground fo r the ensuing football season. Mr Chas. Edmonds, the Union Company's, manager at Invercargill, was a passenger by.the Wairarapa from the Bluff yesterday to take over the charge of the Melbourne branch, vice Mr Thos. Oliver, resigned. The North-East Valley Public Hall is to be utilised for a variety of purposes for the benefit of those residing in the Valley. Professor Oscar David will hold gymnastic classes for boys, girls, and adults. A chess and draughts club is to be formed, and on Saturday the hall is to be used as a skating rink. In order to inaugurate these arrangements Professor David will give a variety entertainment on the 30th inst., and an excellent programme has been prepared for the occasion. Mr R. Jil'Call and his company -will give the last of the series of Scottish concerts at the Choral Hall this evening. On Tuesday next the quartett of Spanish Students, who have been announced to give three concerts in Dunediu, make their first appearance at the Choral Hall. The fact of this company having beerOTaken in hand by Mr Simonsen, and having met with discriminating praise from the musical public of Australia, is enough to prove its merit, and indeed wherever these four intrumentalists have appeared their performance has caused as much wonder as admiration. Two mandolines, a guitar, and a 'cello are the instruments used, but they (especially the mandolines) are played with such rare skill as to produce the most peculiar orchestral effects. They play a varied selection of compositions from operatic gems to national airs, and their concerts ara to be strengthened by the vocal assistance of Miss Alice Wooldridge and Mr H. B. Smith.

Messrs Wright, Stephenson, and Co.'c Bale of horses will now be held on Tuesday, in cousequence of Monday being a holiday. Messrs Keid, Maclean, and Co. will sell at Burnside on Wednesday fat lambs and merino ewe 3. The Duuedin Saviugs Bank will ta closed on Monday. Messrs James A. Park and Co. will sell apples and pears today. The sale of machinery, &c. which was to have been held on Monday at tho Woodwaro Company's premises, Ims been postponed till Tuesday. Mr It. D. Martin will sell educaiion reserves ou the 27th inst. Mr D. M. Speddlng will sell allotments in tho township of Forbury on the Bth April. Messrs Donald Heid and Co. will soil to-day freehold property, with house, at Pelichet Bay. Messrs James Samson and Co. will sell household furniture, &c. to-diiy. Moii'lny next being a holiday, tho skin sales usually held by stock and station agents will take plaßi) on Tuesday, Tho New Zealand Loan a;:d Mercantile Agency Company will sell at the cud of March iIO.OUO superior merino ewes. The Knikorui Football Ohio will play a scratch gnmo this afternoon. Sides will be chosen ou tho ground.

E. K. Smith, sharebroker, Eldoh Chambers. Telephone 370. (Broker to Australian M. P. Soaiety)• [ADVT.J " To Thomson and Co., mineral water works, Dunedin.—His Excellency the Governor (Sir William Jervois) considers your exhibition ginger ale and soda water of excellent quality.—(Signed) S. Medley. A.D.C." The Union Steam Ship Company, recognising the superior quality of our beverages, have appointed ub contractors to supply amted ■waters and cordials.—Thomson and Co., Bond street.—Caution.—See that our soda and ginger ale 18 labelled with the White Cross brand.—[Advt. i