The Press. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 1884.

Press, Volume XL, Issue 5755, 28 February 1884, Page 4

The Press. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 1884.

Ik yesterday's issue we showed that at the time the Canterbury Museum and Library Ordinance, 1870, was passed, the intention of the Provincial Council was the creation of a library of reference in connection with the Museum; that the endowment was set apart for that amongst other purposes; that the present Public Library was taken over by the Superintendent, and for seTeral years maintained out of Provincial funds, voted annually by the Council; that the endowments under discussion were placed under the control of the Board of Governors in 1876, and that no mention wae made of the Public Library as one of the objects upon which the revenue was to be spent; that as a matter of fact, it was not till 1878 that the Library was conveyed to the Board by the Governor. By accepting the trust the Governors have undertaken to maintain the Library in as efficient a state as possible, considering the means at their disposal. The figures, which we publish in another column, show what has been done during the past year, and what is to be done during the current period. An examination of the accounts should satisfy any candid mind that were the Board not bound by the transfer of 1878 to keep the present. Public Library going, with its free reading room and circulating department, they would have been able to spend several hundred pounds per annum upon a library at the College which would, have answered the purposes of a reference library, and could have been managed at a very small cost. In other words, it is the necessity for keeping the circulating department going and the free reading room open which compels the Board to raise the subscription and retrench in the manner they now propose to do; and if any larger share of the revenue from the endowment were to be spent upon the Public Library in order to avert such economies, it would be in consequence of the existence of the circnlating library and the free reading room. Now, whatever opinion may be entertained regarding the duty of the Board to keep the reference department going, there can be none as to the impropriety of spending public funds upon the circulating department. The Museum reserve was set apart out of land which belonged to the Province of Canterbury, and it would be a gross misapplication of funds were the Board to spend any part of the proceeds in providing light literature for the Christchurch patrons of the circulating department of the Public Library. That part of the institution must be made self-support-ing, whatever the consequences may be. Assuming, then, that the Board are justified in spending a portion of. the revenue from the Museum reserve upon the Library; on the ground that the reference department brings it within the scope of the original intention, the next point to ' be settled is, is it receiving its fair share P £500, less a proportion of expenses, was spent in 1883, and during the current year a similar sum has been appropriated for the Library. An examination of the accounts shows that it is with the utmost difficulty that the Museum and School of Art are kept going out of the revenue at the disposal of the Board. And are the public prepared to see these institutions starved for the benefit of a few hundred novel readers in this city ? It is scarcely necessary at this time of day to dwell upon the educational advantages of a well managed Museum. The Canterbury Museum is acknowledged to be the best institution of the kind south of the line, and it has not merely a Colonial, but an European,, fame. To cripple its usefulness for the sake of a Circulating Library would indeed be to display an extraordinary lack of comprehension of the relative importance of the two institutions. Then there is the-School of Art. The Board, it appears to us, can scarcely contribute less, than they are doing towards its maintenance. The sum of JE4SO, less a share of charges, is- all that is to be spent upon the school this year out of the endowment revenue. Yet in reality the School of Art is likely to exercise a very huge influence upon the future wehare of this community. If our mechanics and artisans are to be able to keep themselves abreast with the progress of the rest of the world, it must be to a luge extent through the instrumentality of such an Institute. What is it which has given the German and American workmen such~& superiority over their English competitors, but the opportunity of improvement placed within their reach by schools of technical science t And if New Zealand is ever to progress in the Indastrial axis, if her mechanics are ever to compete successfully with their brethren in other parts of the world, they

most have the same opportunity of improvement placed within their reach. It ie encouraging to learn that there are no less than forty-nine names on the roll of the evening classes at the School of Art, and that, with one or two exceptions, all those who are thus taking advantage of the Bchool belong to the industrial classes. What more argument is needed in support of our contention that the Museum and the School of Arts have the first claim upon the revenue derived from the reserve set apart for their support ?

Oue London files to band up to January 11th throw some light upon General Gobdon's mission to the Soudan. That officer at that date had just arrived in England, and in the columns of a London newspaper there appears an important communication from him on the subject of Egyptian affairs. At that time it had been announced that.it had been decided to abandon the whole of the Soudan south of the Third Cataract. The Egyptian Government wished to hold Khartoum. But, "in the opinion of Sir Evelyn Baring and hie military advisers, such a task was beyond its strength. Therefore Khartoum was to be evacuated. The garrisons south of Wady Haifa were to be concentrated there, and the whole of the eastern Soudan was to be abandoned. All civilised rule would thus cease south of the Third Cataract." This command of the English Government was opposed by the Egyptian Ministry, who, finding opposition hopeless, resigned, and a new administration, favorable to the policy, took their place. General Gordon's opinion was that the decision of the authorities was a grave blunder. He questioned not only the policy of evacuation; he denied its possibility, unless the English Government were willing to admit that when they said " evacuation they* meant massacre." He contended that Eastern Soudan was indispensable to Egypt, although Durfar and Kordofan must be abandoned. If the whole of Eastern Soudan were abandoned, he said, the Arabs on both sides of the Nile would take fire, and the Turk would be forced to do something to cope with so formidable a danger. " 1 see," he said, "it is proposed to fortify Wady Haifa, and prepare there to resist the Mahdi's attack. You might as well fortify against a fever. Contagion of that kind cannot be kept out by fortifications and garrisons." He further adds, "ifin a moment of panic orders are issued for the abandonment of the whole of the Eastern Soudan a blow would be struck against the security of Egypt and the peace of the East, which might have fatal consequences." The fact that General Gordon, after expressing his opposition in such explicit terms to the policy announced at that time, has since been appointed to supreme control in Soudan, may be regarded as a sign that the policy will be reconsidered. We learn by cable that, since his arrival in Khartoum, he has proclaimed Mahdi Sultan of Kordofan, but we hear nothing more about the abandonment of Eastern Soudan. It is true that Colonel Coezlogoh, who was in command at Khartoum, has arrived at Berber with 2000 men. But, as the former place contained 6000 troops, it may be assumed that it was merely the disaffected that have been withdrawn, and not that the place is to be abandoned to its fate. Neither do we hear any more about permission being given to Turkey to reconquer the Soudan provinces, as the British note stated in the beginning of January. It is worthy of notice that the Pall-Mall Gazette advocated General Gordon's appointment to supreme command in Soudan some weeks before any action was taken on the part' of the British Government. "There is only one thing that we can do/ said that journal. "Wβ cannot send a regiment to Khartoum [to relieve the garrison there], but we can send a man who, on more than one occasion, has proved himself more valuable in similar circumstances than an entire army. Why not send Chinese Gordon with full powers to Khartoum, to assume absolute control of the territory, to treat with the Mahdi, to relieve the garrisons, and do what can be done to save what can be saved from the wreck in the Soudan ? . . He may not be able single-handed to reduce the raging chaos into order, but the attempt is worth making." The attempt, as we all know, is being made, and so far with most wonderful success.