THE TE OEANGA HOME.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 6371, 20 November 1907, Page 6

THE TE OEANGA HOME.

Anything like hysteria is to be-depre-cated in connection with the modes of discipline which have to be adopted in the case of difficult subjects like those inmates of the Te Oranga Home about whom we have heen hearing of late. What Mr Hardy, M.H.R., calls the “weak-kneed philanthropist” can work a considerable amount of harm when ho gives free play to his fine heroic and humanitarian emotions. Prom the facts as disclosed, there can bo no doubt that the managers of the Home have at present in hand several subjects of an extremely difficult kind, with whom it is probably useless to reason and who have few fine feelings to which to appeal. Apparently, however, it is considered that their vanity may bo appealed to, and accordingly those who were required to bring them under discipline resorted to the extreme measure of cropping their hair, whereupon the supsrsensitive sen-

timentalist, whoso heart is always stronger than his head, shrieks that the girls are being “disfigured.” Wo certainly should be strongly against inflicting the particular kind of punishment resorted to on any but incorrigible girls ! with whom other means of correction have been found ineffectual; but there ! is no physical cruelty or permanent disfigurement entailed in having the hair cut, seeing that it will grow again and be all the better ultimately for tho operation. Meantime, whilst their hair is growing, these incorrigibles will have time to reflect on their misdemeanours, the only pity being that in tho meanwhile well-behaved girls are obliged to associate with them. Certainly nothing is more likely to encourage them in their naughtiness chan to discover that they excite the maudlin solicitude of persons who, having no responsibilities of their own, delight in aggravating tho perplexities of those who have extremely difficult duties to perform. “Christchurch is a city of fads and faddists, a town of political agitators and land reformers, a place where receive encouragement, and busy-body week-kneed philanthropists cause mischief by unwise interference.” We cannot decide whether this is “poetic poetry” or “imaginative prose,” but it comes from a city where these fine literary qualities are native to the soil, and in any case it is extremely vigorous English. I Mr Hardy knows the neuropathic element of his city, H© has, no doubt, heard their shrieks before, and, having the Burnham mare’s-nest fresh in his memory, prefers, before making up his mind, to wait and hear what the Christchurch city evangelist has to say on the subject. So do we. Meanwhile, with all these neuropaths dapping in their amiable oars, discipline at the Te Oranga Home can be no easy matter.