CONCERNING UGLY DUCKS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume I, Issue 159, 17 May 1864, Page 4

CONCERNING UGLY DUCKS.

(rnilli lllu - W.:'.lini;l.,il lli.lc].:l»li-lil," April ZX) I In the .liiijiiai-v niiinber of ' Kraser's Mimazin,-,' is an admiiable 'essav entitled "Concerning l.'gly Uueks; being suine thoughts on misplaced men/' 'J He writer takin- for i.is. text the w,il-ki»wn tale of Hi.- IV.ly Dii.k which at last proved to be a swan, di.-eoiir.-es wiselv and pl.asanliy upon those mis- | piac-d men " who arc held in litti.-cstimation becau.-e | lhi-y an-too good I , .,rib.- j» oj.le among whom th. y : live." \\V think the npoloLi-ne has an 'api.lication to ' eonimiuiiti.-s as well as to individuals. England is : an " J>-|y Jm.-k" in the eves of Kiirope, A. \r Zv:.- I laud is jii '• I'uly Duck " in the eve.- ol Kngland, or '> in some of its eyis, lor Kngland lias as m.-.i.y . u-s as | Argus, ..r a spider, or i!u- li, ast in the Apocau pse. | Tin- ei>lony is young-, it is growing and it ]sai'wa\s I getting in!., awkward scrapes ; hence, it is ju.-t the | sort ol bird for .-piteiul old ducks, or stupid duck- j lings In ijiiaek auain.-t to their hearts' conlcnt. The • Aborigines l'roleelion Society people have indulged! thein.-elve.s in this pleasant pastime, happily without j duck.-.'aecuMoiiicd to "pu,biles and horribly afraid of I dee), water, heiiee their anxiety to gn e oiir colonial swan a lesson in sv. imn.iiig, w liich we arc grateful (or but don't want. In Eugiaiid the division ol labour seems to lime hern curried to all exlreme in all departments. J'lihlie ojiiinoii has "jliileivnliated" itself into innumerable lor its elaboration and expression. Aborigines i'rotcetion .Societies, Anli-Cruc!ly-to-Aniinals Socielics, "dolhe feelin-" for the rcsl of Ihe roiuii,unity, whicli, if ic.-s scn.-.il'ue is ii,ore si.iisiblc, and uhcii it docs ml iisual!\ uii.riglitl'iillv. l''or this reason we must c.irduiK ,iitn.guish between ihe great public opinion of l-.i.'-ian,,, and the opinion of public bodies in r.n v lai.u, the former is a beacon, lue latl.-r is often mile i.cll.i'; than a w ill-o'-lhe-u i>p. In Incites of t lie li.cuuci.-. j of ihe Aborigines I'roleclion Society, A'cw /lialiiml is i a '-hideously usjy ilurk ;" they cannol perceive the slightest trace ol the swan in our vigorous policv, it is all fooli.h or wicked, or loth, in Ihei.- est imafioii.

lint i., it mi in niilily :- We tliinlc nut; nav more, we think liml en tin- plia.-i.'oMiic native huc-.. t;<.K ;a any i;.le, an a.iu.unl of wi.-iiom has lieen .shown, wlueli i.-, hi-hiv i-i, <ln ; .! ].; to the p. .. ; ,le ~i,.i (i'.jvriumeiit 01 , tin; eoliiiiv. U'he luini.-h i,.,; -. lu mi ■ for inent of the ecuiilry, p.-,y.s line r.- ;: ut 1., li. • interests oi i Iμ: liaiivis and lo'the jn r'ni.-.oi-i.l n.-tere.-ts of eivili/ation. Tin- oniinary coiivn.-ain ni ! privale jH.Tsons on the saiuo .-uhjeet,' beira\.-' i.oi.e ~( that coL.nial Ki-ecd and .- whirl, i'- .s.. ~,i ( ~ harj'cd (ip.>u l»y the liiuii.nitarian.s. 'J h. n> ..- :,..-< i,-

lor no wish to tre.it tin: nati\.,., \m.:i in.'neeeswuy har.slmes.s, no iii-sire l<. do more in ,n place them upon llu; same iijotm- as i;»r,,pean 5 —to uiak.) I'olli raees eipial before u,. ; jjiw, ],ut j.eitlii r ab.'ve il. "iiL-s, the eoiony may fawly euii.-i<ler its,ll in the position ol an •• Ugly Urn i>, ' .so lar as die Aborigine.-, I'ioteelioii Society is i-o::eerne(l ; that. Soi-i.-tv," liUo the JJuck.s in t] lL . t tcry is unableu to ai.i.rwi.ilu ;.nvtliiiii,' (liHcivnt from ltrirli, and because il is duleient CL-iiUemns it, \\\- believe it does so, siini.lv li.raiiM.it does not uudwiitaml thy question. Tho ui".practical

recommendation of the inemoriali4.i to Sir Genrtre Grev to iiiake peace us soon as piss/We, snows how ti.-ofoumllv ii.'-n"i-;inl they ere of the native character. "We have ban eim,i e h of nllowincr the to end ,i w,v when it suited thorn. Tlio-y must learn that rebellion is a .cenVm.i mntter, which if nnsnccpssful, entails heavy loss on themselves. "We believe that the confiscation scheme will not only prove no bnrto peace, but that i< has tended irtvatly to preserve peace in those parts of the island net actually the scene of war. "1f we liirht we shall our lands" is an idea perfectly within (he comprehension of every Jf.'iori. 'I'li.-lt this idea lias not exercised ureal er inlluenee, that wesfill hear of natives leaving AVantranui anil Otaki Cor 11,.. seal of war, ari-ev from the fact (bat (i.e Inud i.-, hv the tribe, not by individuals. AVe believ...thal.nethii« would tend more to vender jieace ]ieiinaneut than the inilividualiznfion of native tides .to land. A\'e are couviiu-od ihnt besides 1... in- a <vii;.ranfee for ff'.od roiidii.-t. (he fact that cm.-b native could do as he lil-e.l with his own pi-opi-itv, would iro far towards civilising llieritce. AVe also think that anioiip-l the natives them.-clvis, the plan would be popular'if it were undertaken in a fair spirit and carried out by men posso-sintr their confidence, 'f'here are doubtless, many difficulties in the way.fsi.eh a .scheme, but «-..-believe nom- of them are insuperable in any part of theXorth Island, least of all in that part where the majority of the natives have committed overt' acts of 1.-bellion. It is quite poi-sible too fh.it the diffusions of the notion of private property in land amongst the natives themselves would help to In-oak up that land league which still forms the lalhinir point, for the disaffected. Tlio "'Native Aristocracy" have shown themselves Mindly conservative and' powerful only for evil. In recos.'iiisiny tril.a! rights we have in .-iTect i.laycd int.. t1,.. bands ~f the cliiels. It was possibly rin-ht. to try the experiment but it has failed. Let us now recognise tile rights of the "nomocracy, '■r if needful L'ive (hem ficsh ones. This is Ib. natural course of thinps,—that is—the coiiive I'.ctermiiied by p-i-eat natural laws. All historv f hows that (be interest of the many are scarcely th-.u-ht of till some prf.irn-ssis made in civilisation, but there comes ii time when these must be attended to. "We can then hardly do wvoii"; in belling forward this, the iiMlunil course of ( vcnt.j. l.i-t us have as little sentimeiital noiwei.se as i.pss-ilde in all our future dealings will, the. iii.tiv,..-. T'heir ri<;hts common to all men, which if not co-incident with the !;eim:il interest become wronys. Tim perccptioii of tin's simple principle, would po far towards removinir half tlie diflicultius which attend the discussion of political questions involving moral c-onsiderafions. lieii, xii.f.- that the sound jMiblic opinion in Kntriand, if not so prci i~e as that of the colony on the Native. 11 nest ion does not difler materially from it, w,- trust th.it the Government will not be persuaded by the Ahc.riirini-s Vrotection Society or niiy other boily of men, into patching up a pem-e, or into an alteration of its policy, for f.-:,r .',( not l.eiiur suppr.ited :,t. horn... 'I'h.: Kn-iish pnblJe ;,re in perceive, thai n>it only Colonial but (mpeiial interests also, are best si.rvcd when tl (iloniVts are allowed some liberty of aetioji, and tii< ir interference sencrallv does more haim than u0..,i. \V,. .-aiinot doi-.bt that the almost ' uniiiiinious support which our present native policy has rectived in (lie colony, will have irivat weisrht at home and will prove tliat colonists are capable of takinsr a larsru and stati-simm-l-l.e view of a ureat ( (luestion. It would be well if we could do the same | in other matters; if f'oi-efinir local and persona! inl. lists, t1,,. public would acquire the habit of.< ( facts in wl.at liaeoii calls the " dry li-bf of reason, ] instead of throuirli the distoitim,' medium of mere s llisin.e-s, even th..m;hthal selfishness should include ■ i town, a pr..vii:ce, or i.vcn the whole colony. Xew /..-aland will best prove herself a swan, liv keepin-r | • nit of puddles fit for notiiinir but the diitiest of j duckliiiys.