SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 1889.

Northern Advocate, 16 November 1889, Page 2

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 1889.

The Show which, was so successfully carried out on Wednesday last is pregnant with food for reflection. It afforded a striking demonstration of the fact lhat in spit,e of neglect from the Government such as no district in the Colony south of Auckland has had to complain of tho despised Far North is shooting up into sturdy manhood and is displaying those, virile qualities of pluck and self-reliance which -ndlLcartaa^yenthejvilderness to blossom as theroleT~Xlie large concourse of 1,500 people which assembled at Kensington furnished proof of the existence here of a class of yeomanry of whom the Colony may well be proud. To thoso who could contrast the present with the past it conjured up visions of the splondid future that lies bef ore the North with its genial climate, its manifold agricultural resources and its affluence* of mineral wealthy The people by tho unmistakable evidence of solid comfort which they displayed shewed that the wave of depression which has been passingover the country has not been able to seriously affect them. Button the othor hand, the scarcity of the exhibits of live stock, as- compared with what wo possess, manifested a spirit oi apathy or indifference qp the part of our settlers that is rather discreditable. If we wish to impress the outside public with a just sense of the rich and varied qualifications of the district we must rise superior to al^ sordid considerations suggested by' the prizemonej^ do our level best to make- the Show in every department thoroughly representative of the entire countryside and worthy of it, and offer every facility and encouragement for visitors town and from remoter districts from to witness what we can dc and are doing. This is the suresl method by Tyhich to dispel that absurd

idea to which Mr Barriball alluded at the dinner, that "the North is a poor miserable country." The truth is that we have been too diffident of advertising ourselves. As a consequence districts less deserving but more insistent, clamorous and importunate have devoured the loaves and fishes whilo we h<ivo gone supper[ess. "We want greater co-opovation and organisation, a more active spirit of confidence and. patriotism, and a determination withal that in every undertaking representative of tho County, or of the entire North, no effort on our parts shall be 1 icking to ensure its success. A community that displays these sterling qualities cannot be pushed aside in the race of progress nor be denied justice by time-serving politico ns. Ix reference to the telegram elsewhere •which records the success of the Rev. B. Hutson in the theological essay competition, we may explain that the 'late Hon. J. Fraser, M.L.C., of Sydney, left a sum of money the interest of which was to furnish a yearly prize of the value of £100 for the best essay on sjome subject connected with the defence of the Christian religion', the competition being open to all residents of the various Australasian Colonies. Bearing in mind the magnitude of the field of competition and the probability of numerous aspirants conj testing the prize, it is highly gratifying to fiim two New Zealanders, and one of them a Whangarei clergyman, making a. tie for the honours. We cordially feßciI tate Mr Hutson upon the result of his I literary and dialectical effortr -■<-