RANDOM NOTES

Grey River Argus, 1 July 1914, Page 7

RANDOM NOTES

(By an Unmoralist.) *

Perhaps the contributor to this column should offer a = word pf explanation of the term "unmoralist." Well, he does not, in the first place, pose as a "moral" philosopher or a moral ist of .any kind. Yet he would like to ciisclaim being- "immoral" in any sense Those who. may chance to peioise these jottings may be trusted to classify him- as of the "unmoral" persuasion — that is as the saying- is, some thing- "betwixt send between." What ap i'ty it is_. tha,t the blackcoated pulpiteers of this delightful littlfe country cannot find something more conducive to the benefit of the rising generation and the harmony of their fellow-citizens than, by trying o wreck our unsectarian system of national education! The country has had over thirty years of quietness and fairly satisfactory progress in educa tonal matters since Sir C. C. Bowen got his Bill passed throug-h Parliament. During all that time the majority of New Zealanders have receiv cd their primary education without a thoug-ht, of religious distinction or any thing calculated to lead them to dash with their good-fellowship in the future. -AJI who know the strength of early impressions know the value of "early associations untinctured with the sinful bias and wicked prejudices that ;.eem to> be inseparable from sectarian ism generally. SuTely t;lu>se earnest and active souls who' are • breakingtheir necks to get Bible-reading- into our schools would do a g-reat deal more good by going Tip and' down amongst their congregations and persuading them to do a little more Bible. reading in their homes than they do. It is unfair for "the black dragoons" of the churches who have a great deaj less to do than . the State pedagogue, to be so unresting in their endeavours to heap on to the shoulders of the unfortunate school teachers work that properly devolves upon the church or the home. What right has the State to interfere with religious views at all? All religions should enjoy equal rights. As all Christians take their faith from the Bible in some form, and as Bibles are as plentiful almost as newso^pers. no house is without one or two v-f them. As all? school-teachers are pretty well occupied with, rheir dutie? six days a week imparting; the three "R's," it would seem* a #ood deal like effrontery for ministers of religion to be raising such a clamour, by shirking what is their own .work., properly speak iner, nre trying to fob it off on to the school-teacehrs. The schools are quite open to the erentlemen of the churches to impart Bible instruction if thevare really inclined that way. But they are not. They would rather go prancing about the country and writing to th.c newsnaners about the wickedness of so called "Godless schools." They seem to labour under the. idea that there can be no real goodness in. human nature unless ,it is' in some way associated with the Bible. It is a pity to feel that a book which all ; agree to' "esteem and so few read, comparatively speaking, should be responsible for so' much 1 bad feeling" and absence of brotherly love amongst men. While no religious sect will plead guilty to the soft impeachment- that it teaches anyone to hate his fellow-man, it does not argue much for the efficiency of ,"The Book" if the result is not better. Christian love than is at present animating the men of Ulster. It was once true to say "How those Christians love each other!" It would be un true to say that now. It may well be asked how it is that so much that is opposed to all Christian teachingshould come, out of such a fountain -of purity and goodness as the Bible? If sectarian bitterness is the sort of feel : np- that has come from Bible-Teading-and teaching the people should not listen to the. selfish /pleadings of the turn -thumping shirkers who would pass ->n rheir work to the school-teachers. Besides, what necessity as there for Bible-reading at all in schools? Everyone agrees that the essence of all re-l-'gion is contained in the Gospel injunction to "Do unto others as you would be done by." If our boys and «-irH are taught to> abhor 3 lie and respect the rights of others, that and Jhe ordinary curriculum of primary education, are sufficient educational equipment to start with to battle their wav through the ; world. They are not wanted to be skilled *in Biblical lore; athev can dispense with an intimate fcl-nowledcre of the lives and habits of the matriarchs or the discrepancies of th** Gospel in the lie-ht of the higher criticism. Young ,Ne\y Zealanders haw* something t» learn at school that "•quid be of far more importance to them in after life than any instruction

they are likely . to get out of the Bible, which cannot % be accepted as aguide scientifically or as a repository of history.- While thfere can be no oorb r jection to> B^ible-reading by 'all who find consolation in its pages, it is to be hoped that no sensible parent will consent to allow any portion of the precious time of his children at school to be frittered away by Bible-reading or learning BibleJessons. All such instruction is the province of the home or Sunday-school and no other place. Let the cobbler, stick to his last' and the ministers to the pulpit, and save us from any sort of religious discord, which is only too apt to raise its ugly head on the slightest ...pretext.

Everyone must, regret to see the Ross Goldfields at so low an ebb. Shares could not be quQtfed much lower unless they were on the point of beings snuffed out altog-ether. When one reckons the amount of money that has been sunk in that undertaking unprofitably it only goes to show what speculative enterprise there is on this Coast. An idea largely -prevailed that what was known as the Cassius workings was fabulously rich, and that the former miners were flooded out before they had work ed out the ground. After much labor and heavyyexpenditure all hopes raised by such stories 'have been dissipated. The. Cassius workings have ben drain ed and explored, but only wash of the most ordinary kind has been discovered. Any hope that the old levels had not been thoroughly exhausted have proved equally illusive. Such auriferous wash as has been found could not be regarded as "rich" in any sense of the word, or hardly remuner. ative. It was certainly not of such a nature as to induce anyone to risk money to get. The • curious feature about the undertaking, is that no attempt was: made to go to bedrock to see what that was like. The depositworked by the original [miners was not what ordinarily known as "a lead." There was no run^of gold to be follow .ed north and soufri. The western wash did not carry gold very far, and the eastern side did not prove much better, and is not likely to alter. * The only attempt to open fresh around was by sinking a monkey-shaft in the irner workings. Unless the company can open fresh ground of a more payable nature than has been tried so fair,, there would riot seem to be much just ification for raising further capital. .That, however, is a point that share holders should carefully consider. The only hope seems to be that -of finding another bottom. There can be but very little to expect from any of the old levels. Thereforej all things considered the most advisable thing to do is to keep on sinking the monkey shaft until bedrock is struck or some more satisfactory *tage ro.:»ched than has yet been arrived at. The plant is now so powerful and !'"''<mgh Iv complete that it would be a pity to throw up the sponge without another effort. If operations were discontinued- now it is to be feared that the last would soon be heard of the Ross Goldfields. The Government has twice come, to the rescue, and it might b? not so beneficially moved a third >: me. "A word to the wise" rr.ight be a not inappropriate reminder in* tb.."" circumstances.