TOPICS OF THE DAY.

Evening Post, Volume LXXXI, Issue 19, 24 January 1911, Page 6

TOPICS OF THE DAY.

One may admire valiant Sir Maurice O'Rorke's persistence Putting Back in the matter of •the -Clock. divinity degrees, but may deeply deplore its success. Year after year he urged the University Senate to support the granting _of degrees in divinity, and year after year he failed till 1911, and now the Senate has weakly yielded to the long-sustained intercession. As Sir Robert Stout, a tireless champion of the secular system, explained yesterday, the Senate's charter excludes divinity degrees, but in spite of protests by the Chancellor and other strong opponents of denominationalism in the State schools, the Senate has resolved to urge the Government to amend the lav/ to enable Sir Maurice's ideal to be realised. No doubt this lamentable request will be strongly supported by those who are seeking to get the Bible introduced into the primary schools. Thus the whole secular education structure is being attacked top and bottom, simultaneously. It is clearly time for tie friends of the ! secular system, which keeps religious " feeling " and strife out of all the State schools and colleges, to rally their forces in a manner to impress the Government. Experience has proved that the Government will take vote estimates, and if it is convinced that a larger voting strength lies behind the divinity degrees, the secular party will have sad day's. We do not believe that the bulk of public opinion is with Sir Maurice, but it is possible that the minority, by making a large stir, may make 'itself appear a majority to the Government. In this matter the Senate need not be surprised if it is accused of betraying a trust reposed in it. This regrettable lapse should be a perpetual reminder to the secular party to be on guard against the ceaseless activity of its opponents. Probably Wellington has the most inj teresting history of all j Old the provinces, and perI Wellington, haps this history has j received the least attention of all. Another reminder was given, yesterday in The Post's news columns about the need of collecting information and materials connected with the settlement of Port Nicholson and the province, and the stirring example of Ckristchurch was cited. Christchurch I was moved because one enthusiast arose, 1 with motive power. Mr. Johannes C. I Anderson, two or three years ago, set } out to create a fervour about the old j days, and he worked so heartily ' that ! he was soon joined by able assistants. ! Hence old Canterbury is now nobly pictured in the Christchurch Museum, and the store of exhibits increases now almost automatically. The surviving pioneers of "-the first four ships" were interested in the enterprise, and they have given very valuable aid. Wellington's lack is a man or woman to start a similar movement. We hope it will not be a caße of "leave it to the Government." It is very likely that a number of Wellington's citizens will bs glad to help if a lead is given to them. The leader must be prepared to work with a will — to inspire enthusiasm. The task may be hard, but the reward should be worth it all — a name immortalised in the city annals. Here is the scroll of fame, with a vacant space, and the pen \ is handy. Who will grasp it? Most of the Minktei® of the Crown are in Wellington toHere To-day, day, but who knows but To-morrow ? whither they will be whieked away tomorrow by the grave duty of studying "the needs of the electorates." During the recces a Minister seems to be as fretful and restle&s in- Wellington as a Napoleon on a St. Helena. The "wanderlust" grows upon him, distant fields i call to him, and soon the bag is on the way to the wharf or the station. Even the two islands are hardly large enough to furnish stalking ground for the Ministerial pilgrims, eager to pay their respects at a maximum of votera' eluunte. By present indications tho "travelling allowances" will be an exceptionally heavy bill this year, because much of the campaigning for the next general olection j has to be done during the next few j months. It will be a very email place ' indeed, far removed from the highways, that will not bo able to boast a Ministerial vieit this year", and get honeyed j words from Ministerial lips. Tie other day the Hon. G. Fowlds spoke of the drudgery of Ministerial work, with no escape from the worrying telegraph wires for more than, a few days in a jear, but it may be replied that Ministers give themselves work, of a uselefie or worse than useless kind, which New Zealand does not require. For purely political purposes they bother themselves with all manner of petty details and journey hither and thither, and larger things, above party, may get scant notice. For the weariness accruing from some of their work they are no more entitled to sympathy than a mau who gets tired by ploughing Lyall Beach or carrying ice to the top of Mount. Cook. We should have preferred to leave the question of the CoroThe Premier nation invitations and alone until the Premier his Advocate, himself deemed it advisable to recur to the subject. But it is impossible to ignore entirely the tactics to which the Ministerial organ again resorts in his defence. The ground on which our contemporary chiefly relies is that "the probabilities are all in favour of the Prime Minister knowing what he is talking about, while it is at least possible his critics do not." As the mater is put in this way, it is necessary for us to point out once more that we lftrve not set up our own knowledge of tho subject as superior to Sir Joseph Ward's. It is from his own statements that our knowledge of this subject is necessarily derived, and it is not our fault that what he say_B in January,

differs radically from what ho said in October and December. An advocate who persists in ignoring this fundamental discrepancy is perhaps doing the best he can. It is sometimes wiser to ignore than to endeavour to explain away. But, in that case, it is hotter to say nothing than to continue advertising a weak case by arguments which entirely evade the point.