The Lyttelton Times. TUESDAY, MARCH 13, 1883.

Lyttelton Times, Volume LIX, Issue 6875, 13 March 1883, Page 4

The Lyttelton Times. TUESDAY, MARCH 13, 1883.

Ik asking that the children in the schools o£ Great Britain may be taught aoijie appreciable knowledge of the Colonies, and, we presume, of things Colonial, the Colonial Institute was only recognising the great troth that childhood is the proper age for the forumtion of correct opinions. It la of the utmost importance that the growing generation should have correct ideas about the great dependencies of Great Britain, simply because the chief question of the day is the question of build* ing up, on a solid basis, the British Empire. Upon that question the foremost intellects both in the United Kingdom and the Colonial have been long engaged. All haw at last realised that the connection » good for both parties. The partnergulp gives the United Kingdom room lor her teeming millions without reouiring from them a surrender of UU and yeafly kcrease. fce value of her commerce. Vtom the partnership the Colonies derive protection, population, money, and markets.

Hitherto the p*rinersUp has progressed in & fortuitous sort of way, until wo have a fabric of Bmpira made up of divert element*, Grows Colonies ranged witft communities that are »* once self-governing and nadir the away of the Colonial Office, the most compact kingdom tho world Ims ever seen, and the fr«ei»t» vido by side with the wt collection of heterogeneous nations peopling tho huge Indian Peninsula, amongst whom law and erder are maintained, aud life and pro* perty made secure, without tbo possibility of a tingle free act on the part of tho population, as self-governing i people understand f roe acts. And all ; tbeso elements aro under tho same banner. How they are to be kept under that banner by a bond that shall withstand every strain of circumstance, i« the great problem upon which the foretnostnienof the near future will bono* tion public opinion mutt necessarily play an important part. Tho first condition necessary for the formation of any opinion that ia valuable is knowledge. In this cm there mutt be knowledge both of the United Kingdom and of its dependencies. Tho beat and moat advancod idea of the Empire of the future it. of Great Britain acting aa a vast reserve of force, available for the development of the dependent outlying oountriea; and of the Colonies by their development making rich returns for the assistance derived) the whole forming the strongest combination of powers the world bas ever seen. But if the poblio opinion of the great reserve centres is not turned in the light direction, the failure of tho Empire to grow will deprive the Constitution f ramors of the necessary materials for their work. At present there is no attempt to impart the accessary knowledge to the reserve centres, at the proper age. Colonial agents of various kinds address themselves to tho adult populations, while the rising generation is acquiring false ideas. Ignoranoe ia the mother of mischievons opinions. Not very many adults in Great Britain know anying whatever about the Colonies, except that they are an awfully long way off. People have heard of cannibals, of deserts, of vast nooks and herds owned by a few hands. As to where the deserts are, where the cattle roam, where the cannibals used to be, there is considerable ignoranoe. It is useless to collect for quotation instances of ignorance of so amali but necessary a thing aa geography. Every one knows what confusion there is in the British mind between the capitals of Australasia. Most people are familiar with the stories of people who want to take ship to Auckland as the best way to get from London to Otego. Equally unnecessary is it to say anything about the assortment of weapons and appliances for "roughing" it, which are popularly supposed to be required by people who take a trip to the Colonies. The history of one trade alone supplies the strongest possible testimony of prevailing ignoranoe. When the tinned meat went Home first an idea was easily spread abroad that the canisters contained the flesh of monkeys from Australia. Now that meat goes Home in a frozen state from the Oolonieß, the " trade " finds it not difficult to appeal to the prejudice against Colonial meat, though the article is admitted by good judges to be often equal and sometimes superior to the local product While ignoranoe of this kind prevails among adults, it is manifest that the rising generation is absolutely growing up with false ideas about things Colonial.

It was high time for the Colonial Institute to apply to Mr Mundella for bis aid in getting the proper kind of knowledge taught in the schools of Great Britain. Aa Vice-President of the Council on Education, Mr Mundella may be expected to exercise considerable influence on the curriculum of the schools, both State schools and aided denominational schools. As one familiar with all the systems of primary education in use in the world, and a j very competent authority on the educa* J tion question, he is well qualified to form an opinion as to the possibility of giving the rising generation of Great Britain knowledge which shall be of paramount importance to the best interests of the Empire. As an indefatigable energetic and withal admittedly successful administrator, he has a right to hope that whatever opinion he wishes to be acted upon will be acted upon. It is lucky for the Empire and the Colonics that Mr Mundella happens to be the Minister to whom the Colonial Institute has had to apply. In the Ministry there are open questions connected with education. Upon the denominational question Mr Gladstone may be at variance with Mr Chamberlain, and free education may divide Mr Chamberlain from Mr Mundella. Only lately Mr Mundella replied to a speech of the President of tho Board of Trade demanding freedom of education, that ho might as reasonably ask Mr Chamberlain, as President of the Beard of Trade, to supply free gas. To whioh Mr Chamberlain replied that gas is now practically free for public purposes, In the sense in which education rosy be made free, while those who require a farther supply of light for their own purposes, pay for it, just as those who want more education than the State supplies have to Had the expense out of their own pockets. But, notwithstanding these differences, tho Government is, upon the main questions of educa tion, a united body. If Mr Mundella becomes the champion of Colonial knowledge, the most useful and iav portant addition conceivable is pretty sure to be made to tho course of youthful study in Great Britain, Protttable knowledge of the earth's surface is better than strings of barren dates, Whether the suggestion is adopted or not, tho Coloaial Institute deserve the thanks of every true colonist for having made it.