The Feilding Star. TUESDAY, JANUARY 25, 1887. Education

Feilding Star, Volume VIII, Issue 86, 27 January 1887, Page 2

The Feilding Star. TUESDAY, JANUARY 25, 1887. Education

Three hundred years ago, at a time when the fiercest struggle for religious and political liberty which has ever agitated Europe was at its height, the subject of education of the people of the Netherlands was not neglected by the wise rulers of that country. The historian Motley in his interesting account of the United Netherlands said — "And thus, at every point of the doomed territory of the little Commonwealth, the natural atmosphere in which the inhabitants existed was one of blood and rapine. Yet during the very slight lull, which was interposed in the winter of 1585-6 to the eternal clang of arms in Friesland, the estates of that Province, to their lasting honor, founded the University of Fraueker. A dozen years before, the f amous institution of Leyden had been established as a reward to the burghers for their heroic defence of the city. And now this new proof was given of the love of Netherlanders, i even in the midst of their misery and warfare, for the more humane arts. The new college was well endowed from ancient church lands, and not only was the education made nearly gratuitous while handsome salaries were provided for the Professors, but provision was made by which the poorer classes could be fed and boarded at a very moderate cost. There was a table provided at an annual cost to the student of but 50 florins (£5), and a second and third table at the very low price of 40 and 30 florins respectively. Thus the sum to be paid by the poorer class of scholars for a year's maintenance was less than £3 a year. The voice with which this infant seminary of the Muses first made itself heard above the din of war was but feeble, but the institution was destined to thrive, and to endow the world for successive g-enorations with the golden fruits of science and genius." Here we have an example which the statesmen ©f New Zealand might do well to follow. Instead of inflicting a tax of about £.375,000 a year »n the taxpayers, they might relieve them eu-

tirely by setting aside certain waste ' lands of the Crown iv each provincial district as endowments, the revenue from which, by the lands being leased, ; to be applied to educational purposes . only. Five hundred thousand acres ! could easily be spared at the present time. As the land was let and reveuue began to accrue, the present necessary annual vote of Parliament could be reduced year by year until in less than twenty years the whole would be extinguished, and colleges and schools maintained without pressure on the ordinary revenue of the state. I ■_■■