PASSING EVENTS.

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXVI, Issue 5288, 28 May 1904, Page 10

PASSING EVENTS.

(From Ilia “New K-a!anJ Mail.”) History is p!i ]'.>u>>i\rs id’.': ii ir:: '>’/ aiajjkj. —Tijiicv-(linorf. Our cuhiuuii, coiUain f allusion io lJu.* subject oi' oi>lio/.al ii'-trf-lioltK. iWuotj tl*u; is ir;t Is.'.tiiV in Uio nuiin point at i.vm:* is Ixtiii;' 'inporiofi ni* to tJio (lisr-us.-ion on u holier * in- i i#it in convert-, hi- Ica-iiiokt imo a L.-utAuM should ha accorded lo (./oun i.-nams. For ijisliuico, home oronclu s ol ihc J’urninr’V, Union liuvu* j>roj»o.M j d looxu ad the. right lo occupiers oi Anvivo i'cj-oj vcs. This Mould »!«■• a mi.-tak". The -Maoris are depending upon Utu rent'. 1 rou; tlioir re>erve>. and it is oof iho polic;/ of tho Puhhe ec, who adaiiinJers tlioso Native reserve,. lo put with Ilia trochoid of .Maori lamia in order io purchase other hinds out ol which the .Maoris inferostod may dosiro a t-isilar snioimi; ol revenue. The Public Tru.teo has nothing to do with Iho policy ol clover se! tieiuent. And so, in considering tijp West ( cast fjultluinciit. ilo.servos Ih -- Trraur,_ tanners have for Iho moment lost sight <>! cue of llio objects of tlie ughutiou :u Javosr of Crown tenants being ''ranted (no right to acquire tho freehold of their farms. Farmers aro generally agreed that, (ho freehold is preferable to (ho leasehold as a system of land tolillio, and the count ry Inis tlechired that Ino holding of large tracts oi land snitafile for closes- settlement is inimical to it a hest interests. Thus it has iallcu out (hat tho Government for years has pursued, tho policy ol borrowing money for the purpose of buying lag estates lo lot in moderate areas under leasehold. Success ha.s uf tended that policy all along tho lino. Even rstates that ivero predicted to failures have turned out successes; and many who vrero opposed to' “tile Government's dabbling in land purchases,” as it was derisive ly dc.-a-ribed. havo boon converted to tho policy, lint the buying of land ami the leasing of it in small areas at such rentals ns cover interest mi imrchaso money borrowed abroad, cost ot reading ami other changes, arc: hut making the Government a. medium between tho rout payors and the money lenders, and in tho opinion of the tenants themselves flits is not altogether a good thing for tho country. It is, ot onni.so, a sound policy to pursue tho closer settlement ui tho land, and that having boon effected tho sound argument is that provided tho areas are limited and terms of occupation insisted upon anil compiled w-ith, it ought not to matter to the Government whether tho tenure is freehold or leasehold; and as tho tenants and - farmers generally are favourable to possessing tho freeholds of the lands they occupy tho option of turning Crown leases into freeholds is tho burden of the Farmers’ Union’s agitation. Having made terms with respect to area and occupation, it is further agreed that tho-sell-ing of tho freeholds to Crown tenants would stimulate industry and production, and that with, the money paid by the purchasers of their freeholds the Government would havo more money to pursue tho land purchasing and settling policy without recourse to tho London market. (There would be those two advantages to tho State by the adoption of tho farmer’s proposals, whilo greater independence and spirit would accrue to the freeholding producer. Thoir object is right, and they must not mar its attainment by the introduction of tide issues.

Lord llanfuijy Ims during his governorship of Xow Zealand ever held the interests of the country and ,tho wellbeing of the Empire in view. Wo find him stimulating patriotism and loyalty by speech and personal .sacrifice; we find him encouraging the young to nobility of lifo and action in the .service of their country; and wo find him establishing by zeal and persistency a homo for the veteran who has won glory for himself and honour for the Empire in'active' service against its foes. Thus it is that in all his selfimposed tasks His Excellency has found favour among tha people of Now JJealontl, and earned for himself a name that will long l continue to he honoured among us. Tlio latest effort on the part of Lord Baiifurly to promote the Imperial cause in this country is his institution of a scheme for the bettor instruction of the rising generation in all matters pertaining to the growth of the British Empire. 'As showing how tho minds of Imperialists may be working in the same direction, it is worth noting that a similar movement was being inaugurated in Great Britain all unknown to His Excellency, so that Lord Ilanfurly may fairly he credited with taking the first steps towards giving practical .effect to this Imperialistic notion. The people of Auckland have expressed their appreciation of the Governor’s .scheme, and we have no doubt citizens of other centres will endorse tho sentiments of Aucklanders and set about giving effect to Lord Banfurly’s proposal in their own cities. There is no reason why in every schoolhouss throughout the country head teachers should not devote some time to the imbuing of the youthful minds under their care with thoughts of Empire and of all that has made for its upbuilding, present solidity and strength. The first lecture iii connection with tho Governor’s scheme was delivered by Dr. Bamfcrd, and he dealt with pioneer effort in the Virginian and New England colonies. There are many noble lessons to be drawn from tha lifo and conduct of these fearless and independent men, who having loft Groat Britain to escape tho’ injustice of its then existing laws, established homes for themselves under freer conditions in a new country. The lecturer would not omit to applaud the action of tho New Englanders, nor would he forget to emphasise the lesson tho Colonists ’taught tha Mother Country’s statesmen, when at a later date they sought to impose unjust and oppressive conditions upon them. By the blundering of British statesmen the American colonies, whoso inhabitants wero as loyal as wo are to the British Crown, wore lost to tho Empire forever; and British people everywhere continuously regret not so much that the Xow England colonies were lost to the Empire. but that the American people'are able to point to British maladministration as the reason for their having declared their independence. The fact that America did so, however, has rendered the expansion of colonisation possible end its success under selfgoverning institutions pertain, Dr. Bamford would doubtless impress all this and muea more upon the minds of his audience, and mark the contrast between the methods of British statesmen then and tha policy and purpose of leaders qf public opinion throughout the Etppijre now. All are actuated by a desire to draw tho various parts of the Empire closer together. Whether this is to be accomplished op tho grounds of commercial, political, or national interests has not yet been Ho-

(ci-miiicd; hut v itli intelligence and I ability oar .-JaUre.em will donmic : , retMac!nrily solve inc greatest o; all j Imperial p; ohlc;;:'-. 1 n’c--:, iiov.erer. (he people arc; oducju-d on .‘.objects affecting the Kuipiro as a whoa- they v/ii! bo unable to llioroiignly appreciate ihe efforts of their leaders. The cducalian of the rising /'eiieratien on .Imperial .«;£'» jee-ta will make (or the ad-apmio relu'ioi: of tho bales mvolvod. Two iuoni.li> of war have di.-coverec! itussia * lie gigantic military terror ot tho civilimd world up lo the h-winning of February, io he weak, impotent, ami ill-prepared for a war she had contemplated for veari. dim sought, or rat.icr filched from Japan tier trophy of the (.'hitman war. Glut impregnable .ertiv.cs Fort Arthur, ami within su; weeks cf tuc firing of tii6 first gun ir is blocked by Inc Japanese, anti is u.-cie.-,s io their ioe. The c.mhiLions dream ol Russia to he'■uiiiEi a great maritime Pov. er has been to her a night marc, iter line fleet, equal in number to that of the Japanese, is 'scattered and broken. Disaster mis iollewed di-.astcc. until Gm vast seit-po.ver ol Russia in the Far Fast in nothing more that a memory. There have been accidents on both sides, as when the i’etni]iavlov.sk struck a mine and was blown up, or when tho Japanese .1 latinise met the value fate not far from tho same spill. lint the Russians have been disillusioned with respect to liu-ir ability to copo wilh Japan upon iho sea, and the remainder of their vessels now effective are afraid to show themselves. On hind success has crowned tho efforts of tho pushful amt warlike Japs. Aiter skinuishing in Northern Korea, soinctiiing like a pitched battle was fougnt on tho banks of tiio Aabi, and the Russians were unable to stand against the onslaught of tho Japanese infantry, .before fhe Japanese, wo aro told, tho Russians fled liko so many sheop before tho dogs, and their pursuers aro chasing them to tho coniinos of Kharhin. whore a, terrihlo battle is in preparation. •Meanwhile I’ort Arthur is isolated. 'I he railway to tho north is destroyed. The place Is in a state of siege. How long Fort Arthur may ho ahlo to hold out is a matter of conjecture, but if Japan is able to hold tho sui-rounding territory, tho “impregnable” must capitiilalo in tho oud, not to force of arms, hut to starvation. This war has in two mouths practically offoclcd for Japan all that sho desired, and were the Russians now to agree to abandon further aggression towards Koryn, Jajian would be content. Eut Russia' is not aufiiciontly broken lo accept I ho terms of pence Japan offered before tho outbreak of hostilities. Her ambition of conquest and hopes of success are still high, and to save lief prestige in tiro Far F.ast, indeed, throughout Asia, Eussia must continue a war into which she has been wrongly led. Already her inability to cope with the Japanese forces on land is having its oolitical and international effects. A little while ago Russia declared she would not recognise Korea’s abrogation of any treaties since she was under the undue influence of Japan, hut tho Korean authorities, pleased, no doubt that tho Japs havo driven the Russian incubus from their territory, havo now annulled all Russian treaty agreements, including the Yalu timber concessions, and they will roly upon Japanese support to save them from further molestation at the hands of Russia’s Intriguing ambassadors. At all events Russia is driven out of Korea, and her hold upon Manchuria is threatened. Tho native Chinchuses are molesting her troops, and she is calling upon China to punish those hordes in a territory that she declared she occupied for the purpose of maintaining order. China being unablo to do so. Reduced to making appeals to a formerly despised authority, Russia is in a desperate plight.

llow greatly this week lias the flag of the country been honoured, and how much tho English language abused! Many are able to write thoir thoughts upon paper fairly wall, but how few are capable of expressing themselves grammatically respecting tho King’s English, in spoken address? It is, of course, far better to honour the British flag and insult the English language than not honour the flag at nil. Tho meaning of this is that wo have not cultivated our acquaintance with the language, nor acquired that facility of correct expression ; in public speech that is tho distinguishing I characteristic of most educated Americans. It may ho said that our defect in I this respect does not erguo either for dullness or for lack of comprehension, but that our cousins possess it seems to show that we have.neglected tho cultivation of one of the many talents with which wo have been endowed, and that as a natural consequenco oratory is becoming a lost art. Strangers coming to these shores, if only from Australia, uoto that our pronunciation of numbers of words is incorrect, and from this it is conjectured that New Zealanders, especially those born and educated in the country, will develop a distinctive characteristic in speech. Parents notice how flagrantly several words aro pronounced by their children just fresh from school, and they may catch themselves falling into tho same errors. Such phrases as ‘T seen” and “I done it” aro frequently hoard from colonials ; and apart from the emphasis laid upon tho person’s own individuality, which may also be characteristic, the use of “seen” for ‘‘sow” and “done” for “did” ought always to bo corrected by public school teachers when uttered in thoir hearing by their pupils. Errors in speech are, perhaps, more conspicuous than mistakes in letter or essay writing; but the grace and beauty of stylo exhibited by educated people fifty or more years ago are conspicuously absent from similar efforts on the part of some educated men to-day. The art of letter-writing, like that of conversation, is wofnlly neglected; and when it comes to tho writing of an essay, tho teacher lias little taiio to tell the scholar anything of the grace and finish of an Addison, or of tho strength and compactness of a Macaulay. It may ho contended that the study of stylo, the giving of one’s days and nights to be abla to -write tlio King’s English with ease and dignity, is not necessary to either tho man of trade, or even to the man of letters. If one may judge from the abundance of the works nut forward in the name of literature, it is manifest that many who sot up as writers of Eng. bsh apparently “earn a living by not knowing their trade.” Possibly the man of business does not require to know the King’s English in order to make 'himself- understood to his principals or customers; but as many can appreciate the beauties of a picture without being an arfjst, or Of a piece of music without being an able musician, so all who know anything at all about composition cannot fail to recognise the education that displays itself in even n business letter, written or dictated by a man who has been early Initiated into the proper use'of words, apd knows something of that- which is known in literature as “style.” The rush and worry of tho times is not conducive to the revival of a declining art: but wo imagine that "if pm- school teachers were allowed more time to the teaching of English, the conversation,.. Idlers and essays of our

young people would ho freer from such ihivyaiiL imperfection--. Tin: importance m this in its hearing upon national education is scarcely realised.