NOTES OF THE DAY.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1038, 30 January 1911, Page 4

NOTES OF THE DAY.

A good many journalists, have been finding rather amusing the decision of the University Senate to establish ".a course of study in preparation for journalism," but, as we said a year ago, we really do not think the general idea a bad one. And we are bound to add that some of the critics who have suggested that the Senate knows nothing about journalism are themselves plainly ignorant of what tho University is and what it does. By itself, a course of University study will not make a man a journalist; but 'if there is anything of the journalist in. the man, he will find such a course of study "very valuable. Most of tho journalists in this country are not University men, but to conclude that therefore University men cannot bo competent journalists is absurd. Wo can approve of the Senate's decision

tor the reason that it may save for the profession good men who might otherwise become mediocrities in other spheres of action. At the same time it is a mistake to establish the new diploma that is contemplated. The B.A. standard is a very poor standard indeed; and it seems to us very unwise, at a time when the University's standards need revision and elevation all round, to enact that a student can obtain a new high-sounding diploma by adding to his inferior acquaintance with other subjects an equally poor acquaintance with the theory of something that has no theory.

Quite the most remarkable contribution to the controversy over the big loan is the following passage from the article in which the Christchurch organ of the Ministry discussed Sik Joseph Wakd's Stratford speech:

Sir Joseph Ward showed last night that there was not the slightest justification for these repeated sneers. He quoted Home newspapers that had congratulated the Dominion upon its financial stability and upon its good fortune in obtaining the money it required at ft rate which other borrowers might envy: But our readers can see all this for themselves in the summary of his speech which we publish this morning. To our mind the most deplorable thing about this wild, unpatriotic criticism is that it prevents the public making a calm and unbiased examination of. the country's financial affairs.

Nobody has said a word against the country's "financial stability." But we should like our Christchurch contemporary to name-a single British newspaper which "congratulated" New Zealand "upon its good fortune in obtaining the money it required at a rate which other, borrowers might envy." We should even like it to show where, in its summary of the speech its readers can "see all this for themselves." Our contemporary's statement is quite untrue—grotesquely untrue indeed—and it knows it. It is not difficult to understand that an advocate of that kind should "deplore" the free discussion of public topics. Obviously, its idea of "a calm and unbiased examination" by the public is a meek acceptance by the public of any uncandid rubbish that the Ministerialist press may print.

Two speeches of great importance and high significance were delivered yesterday at the opening'of the hew Catholic school in Newtowtt, the latest fruit of the admirable zeal and Eelf-reliance of the Catholic community in New ' Zealand. The Archbishop stated the Catholic position towards the State'in the matter of education, and Me. Martin Kennedy showed how the Catholics can and will press for the granting of 'their demands. Catholics, said the Archbishop, have never asked, and will never ask, one penny from the State to help Catholic propaganda, or a-s a remuneration for teaching Catholic doctrine, but "they demand" that as'they educate half the Catholic children of the Dominion in their own schools, and at their own expense, they should have the money they spare the Government and the taxpayers refunded to them. The questions that this demand . raises are exceedingly difficult and will create intense feeling when they are debated.' ."We do not care to. discuss them just now, but we may express the opinion there is much justice in his Grace's complaints of inequality;. Of mOrc immediate gravity is ' Mr. MArtik •Kekkepy's frank announcement that it "was'time that the Catholics united' in order to force the Government of the day to recognise its demands. He ; says that a beginning has been made to promote that unity, and to promote it in such a way that when they made a demand "they would have something behind that demand." He was quite explicit. If they organised, he declared, the Catholics could turn Governments out of office. Nor can any complaint be made against such organisation. It is plain that there is quickly hardening a new issue in our politics that must be faced and decided. '

We publish to-day a statement to the effect that Captain . R. J. S. Seddon, at present staff officer to the Adjutant and QuartermasterGeneral of the Forces, will shortly proceed to England for a course of training, and while there will take the special course for administrative officers at the London School of Economics. We understand that this officer has given evidence of the possession of considerable ' business ability during his connection with the Defence Department, and we have no doubt that his value in that respect will be further enhanced by the experience gained, at the School of Economics. We do not. think, however, that the possession of some special qualification should be the sole, or even the major factor, .in the determination of a military officer's eligibility for selection for a course ot training at Home, but that this special qualification, whatever it may be, should be part of the sum of several distinct points_ of merit which single out the individual from his fellows. We presume that the Government, in selecting. Captain. Seddon for an expensive trip to England for the purpose of gaining something which may be of subsequent value to this country, has proceeded upon some definite basis. The appointment Raises a point upon which light is wanted. In view of the circumstance that officers of the New Zealand military forces arc to be selected. from time to time for training at Home, some authoritative statement of the conditions under which officers desirous of striving for this distinction may qualify themselves ought now to be made.