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Clutha Leader, Volume I, Issue 17, 29 October 1874, Page 3

.(Tojhe Editor of the Clutha Leader ) SiHv4^ln your issue of .tbe Ist October there is an, article on CatlinV River. As a" Cflsusj???i¥sjdent there I would beiyfo call your attention to the small potion of tHat article dedicated to the interests of the ' settlers. If there had existed that manly feeling ot honesty which ought to characterise, the noble pioneers of, civilization, it would not have been left to an out • rifle r to tell tbe, trpth about the,m ;. even although it should be to their discredit. You, as the editor of a newspaper, know foil well that it is a most unthankful billet to have to '*sbow up v any one, but in-t'be .interests of truth and hoping it will arouse some . of them to rise up to the necessity i oftbeir position, I have assumed the thank-, j less job, aa none of them have been manly i enniiah to do it. It ia a most undeniable tfict that although the Lower Flat is pretty ; | well settled and convenient to the mill?, i there are no potatoes, no vegetables, little J or no butter and eggs to be. bad for love i . or money, JSTow, surely -in the face of that, you can't call tbe settlers active and energetic. . What they do grow is a mystery to a gre*t many, perhaps even to themselves. Surely it says very little for them to say they have a market for those tb?nss '- at thi ir door one might pay, and i are ether incapable or too indolent to take advantage of it, .. • . One is led. to suppose, however, that. the real reason is ," the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans," front the fact that ; the other evening at a meeting fo consider I the advisability of shifting the school site from the Reserve to a more central position, amitnber of them were in arms a( once for no better apparent reason than to debar the children from the mills tbe privileges of education for a great part of the year. It is well known in the district that the Reserve is much farther for a fery large maj >rity of the children to go to school than the proposed site. But I think I hear the leader of the little baud telling his party to move heaven and earth to have the school as far from the mills as possible. so„ th*t the children of thrae •'casuals" worse than heathen, may not! contaminate their cbildi en by mingling with them. Oh ye casuals, were ye not afraid -the earth would open and swallow you, to propose such monstrous injustice, or attempt to dictate tons, the free and enlightened cultivators of the soil, the scientific farmers,, the glorious pioneers of civilization who have made the ilefert to blossom with— with— sorrel and moss. . But well- have a petifioo signed by anumber of the respectable inhabitants of the district to put a atop to such monstrous proceedings. lam clad to te able to say that some of tbe settlers see tbe justice of our claims and would have the school convenient for all. We do not ask it to be pitt at! either of the mills where "the most children are, but central, do let us have it central. Yea we are proud to be able to say with Goldsmith of some of the settlers at any rate, ." A bold peasantry is their country's pride," but we feel ashamed, on the other hand to have to charge, a dumber of tbem with gross selfishness, because fo complete 'tbe quotation, " when once destroyed can never be supplied." It augurs wellf for the future of this or any oiher country when we can look with reppect to the peasantry, wbo may be. said to be the backbone and sinew.,of a country, ; that portion of the community whicb keeps •the breed pure and likewise by its intro* ' uuction of fresh health ml blood renews the enervated dwellers of the city. It is well, therefore, for the settlers to consider the responsibility of their position, and. instead of being a laughing stock to the casual^ even as the others are., let^hem beiUarks of respeot to all and sundry. ' .„,... A MIM.MAK. Catlin's River, 13th October, 1874. ,—*m—m>m.mimmmmmmmmmmmm