UNDER THE VERANDAH. [WRITTEN FOR THE "WEEKLY NEWS."]

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXXII, Issue 5708, 8 January 1876, Page 1 (Supplement)

UNDER THE VERANDAH. [WRITTEN FOR THE "WEEKLY NEWS."]

To be kept in prison a week or ten days upon suspicion whilst the police are endeavouring to prove you guilty, is not a pleasant state of things. To be brought before the Police Magistrate and hear evidence given against you, which you feel does most mysteriously connect you with the crime with which you are charged, and then to be committed fortiial with a possibility intruding itself upon your mind that a jury may be persuaded of your guilt in consequeuce of the circumstances adduced by the witnesses and cleverly pieced together by counsel against you, is still less pleasant. Something, however, even worse than this may happen to a man in Auckland. He may be arrested on the barest suspicion. He may be brought up several times at the Police Court, and stand in the dock there for some hours, whilst witness after witness is examined, and not one single circumstance comes out to connect him with the alleged crime. In spite of this absence of everything suspicious against him, he may be committed to take his trial, and, although plenty of bail may be offered for him, he may be refused the benefit of it. Thus he may be doomed to spend in durance vile his Christmas, the very time when, from the nature of his calling, he would be in the way of making more considerable additions to his income than in any other period of similar duration during the year. And, after this "merry Christmas and happy new year" have been thus joyously spent, he may have the pleasure of finding that the Grand Jury find " no bill" in his case. Such things have happened, and not so long ago. I suppose the man to whose case I am referring must feel deeply grateful to all concerned, and must have a high esteem for the consideration shown by the committing magistrate. I believe there is nothing for a man to do in such a case but "grin and bear it." For my part, I pray the gods his position may nevor be mine. The weather has on several occasions lately been insufferably hot. Even persons who have nothing to do have found it oppressive. Such surely is the reason that a fair one at a city church must have given to herself for taking her fan to that place of worship, and using it pretty freely during the sermon. "Quite right, too," I hear some one say, " It is no worse than f tinning herself with her pocket handkerchief." Perhaps not, but some little consideration might have been shown to popular prejudice, and the said fair one might have chosen a less conspicuous spot than just beneath the pulpit, full in the view of all whom the sermon did not put to sleep. Besides, is there not a little too much of malice prepense in taking a fan to church ? I suppose it is useless to inveigh against the practice indulged in by most at least of the gentle sex of critically examining the habiliments of their fellowworshippers. The use of eye-glasses for such a purpose is defensible, but would it be "the thing " for them to provide themselves with opera-glasses ? In itself to look through an opera-glass is no worse than to quiz through an eye-glas?, but there is the evident deliberate intention in this case not appearing in the former, which renders it far less venial. It cannot be put down to the account of human frailty, but rather must be scored as malicious. Fans and opera-glasses, until our mode of thinking is considerably more advanced than it is at present, had better be reserved for the ball-room and theatre. My acknowledgements are due to the head master of a grammar school not a thousand miles fiom Auckland, foi* his courtesy in supplying me v. ith hid "examination list" for Dejeuibcr 1S73. I suppose it was sent in aii3w er to my denunciation of the prevalent "humbug" at examinations. If so, I accept it as a full and complete answer. About this "li&t" there is no "humbug." It is a return in black and white, showing the result of the written examination of each student. Ko picking out of clever ones, and leaving the stupid ones in the background -no vague statements which may mean anything and often mean nothing. We are tokl the possible maximum to be attained in each subject, and then every scholar is sternly given credit for actualities. These last range from zero to 34 in one subject, the maximum of which is 30. A possible total of 500 gives actual results ranging from (j to 342. A grand total of 1,075 gives a range from 7(> to 775. This is the list for the first division ; the other divisions are tested in an equally uucompromising manner. I don't send my young Cameos to this school, but if 1 did I should feel extremely at ease as to their improvement where such a system is so carried on. I am told that the head-master appeared to be a little sore at the tone of the report accompanying the list. I honour him for it. If he had not, he would be unfitted for his post. He ought to feel that interest in his pupils which would make him as sensitive cj any slur upon their reputation as upon his own, and this altogether irrespective of any possible reflection being made upon himself for their shortcomings. I have no doubt that he has himself said to his boys all that appears in the examiner's report, and much more than is there set down, and when he puts himself outside the school momentarily admits the truth of much of it, but he immediately reverts to his own knowledge of his boys, derived from personal intercourse, and calling to mind the many extenuating circumstances applicable to each of them, feels confident that did the examiner know these as well as he does the report would be much more favourable. But it is just this making "allowance for circumstances that renders school reports, as a general rule, so worthless as a means of judging of the actual proficiency of those who have been examined. Parents know all the circumstances of their children exactly, and it is for them the examination list is published. Where it is honest and straightforward, as this is — nothing extenuating nor setting down aught in malice — its effect will be, must be, most beneficial upon all concerned — parents, children, masters. I am very much mistaken if next year's list — other things being the same — does not show a surprisingly higher average of marks in all the subjects, a result which no one will be more delighted to congratulate the headmaster upon than I. Who shall despair of the future of New Zealand so long as he sees such indomitable pluck displayed by the rising generation as was witnessed at the North Shore Eowing Club Sports on Boxing-day ? I would give the names of all the heroes of that day, but the list would be too long. Let anyone procure the programme, and there he will find the names of many who that day proved that they possessed that power of endurance and cheerful determination to make the best of circumstances which have rendered Britain's forces, whether military or naval, unconquerable. I say of many but by no means of all, for a numerous " Band of Hope" is not mentioned there— the two or three dozen youngsters who competed in the boys' races. To them it mattered nothing that the ground was heavy, and themselves wet to the skin. Spite of the comfortlessness of thair position they came to the scratch, or rather to their respective scratches, unflinchingly, and showed themselves no degenerate sons of noble sires. As long as the same manliness is a characteristic of Auckland's youth Auckland will survive all struggles between Abolitionists and Separationists. Mr. Returning Officer Barstow would improve upon the existing state of things with regard to elections. The vote by ballot is altogether too troublesome a business tor him, and the custom of electors asking questions from candidates at least in his august presence is "intolerable and not to be endured." The whole thing is a dismal farce in which he is engaged to play the " heavy father " for a miserable stipend. What substitute Mr. Barstow would propose for the ballot-box he does not Bay, possibly a shake in the hat, or that interesting cabalistic form indulged in by children ending with "on t— spells out." Mr. Barstow has propounded an arithmetical problem which has excited much admiration. At the Thames there are 3,000 voters, and 15 candidates. Suppose each candidate to be asked one

question by each doctor, and giving three minutes for the questioning, thinking and answering in each case, Mr. Barstow states that the time required would be 104 days. Tompkius Ins taken the trouble to work the sum out, and tells me it would take 91 days of "24 hours each. I assure Tompkins that Mr. Barstow has ihade no mistake. Being a practical man, he allows for a little rest; being a great man* he docs not require much time for the purpose. If Tompkins will make a fresh calculation, and allow about two hours and twenty minutes in each day for rest and refreshment, he will find that Mr. Barstow's calculation is quite right. Tompkins says so small a deduction for rest is ridiculous ; but he forgets that every seventh day beiiia a Sabbath, for^ the observance of which Mr. Barstow is so renowned an advocate, that gentleman makes allowance for the whole 24 hours on that day, thus bringing the 104 days within the bounds of possibility, and establishing his reputation as an accurate calculator, selfsacrificing public servant, and rigid upholder of the letter of the law. Cameo.