PASSING NOTES.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 3364, 16 November 1872, Page 5 (Supplement)

PASSING NOTES.

{Otogo Wiim**, Nov. lo.) " The members^ of the Otago School-, masters' Association have lately had their attention. ,directed to one. of .the most puzzling questions,connected with school management'—the prize system. Mr Stewait, the head master of- the North Dunedin" District School, by whom the matter was first mooted, is opposed to i the giving of prizes altogether, but he does not appear to have entered into any detailed arguments in support of his -views. \ He seems to have contented himself with stating his opinions, and leaving it to others to. adduce arguments. This is to be regretted, for the matter is one which is of great importance to education, and therefore to the body politic generally. , It deserves much niure attention paid to it than this. It ought to be taken up determinedly, handled thoroughly, and, if possible,' settled conclusively. But as Mr Stewart iseemfl to be at present simply, gathering opinions, I may bo pardoned for contributing mine. I have seen the working of a school in which no'prizes were given, ana the working of one in which they were given, in accordance with a well-re-gulated system, and the result was entirely in favour of the latter. In the former school the discipline was superior, consequently nothing can be laid at its door. But, in the absence of prizes, there was a total want of stimulus to exertion, and consequently a want of life and spirit in the work, which were fatal to progress. Despite very great advantages, the progress made by the boys was very small. They learned their lessons sufficiently well to escape punishment, and that was all. In the other school, although with smaller advantages, the result was widely different. Knowing that prizes .we're, given, and that the chance of getting one was open to all alike, the boys worked with a will. They went without requiring the whip or spur, like a horse returning to hia stable with a good feed in prospect. The consequence was that they made rapid progrens, and that the school made itself a name. In this school, the prizes were awarded according to the number of errors made. The boy who made tho smallest number of errors during the session (they were recorded daily), took the prize ; and in cases where conspicuous industry had failed, it might be by a narrow margin, to cany off the coveted distinction, such merit did not go unrewarded. I freely concede, however, that the system of giving prizes to every child, which, I am told, obtains more or less in all the Dunedin District Schools, is a most pernicious one. It degrades tho value of tho prize, and completely nullifies the object for which it ought t> be given. This indiscriminate prize-giving is. simply, a pandering to tho parents, whose feelings are hurt if their children do not obtain prizes, whether they have fairly earned them or not. Every mother thinks her own gooso a swan ; every fattier looks upon his child as a " wonderfu' wean." Consequently the stupid and lazy children receive their prizes too, for "general improvement," or something of the Bort, when "general idleness" would be nearer the truth. This matter it lies within the province of the teachers to remedy, by exerting the moral courage to give prices only to those who doserve them, irrespective of parental grumbling. In time, parentu would -como to see that this was the wisest as well as the only honest course, and that by it they would arrive at a more correct estimate of their children's industry and ability than at i>resent, when a prize is simply a sign of the close of the session and nothing more. As the annual distributions of prizes at the various schools are now at hand, this subject should not be allowed to drop. Now is the time for it to be discussed.

A few words may in passing be devoted to a subject akin to tho foregoing. I refur to the appearance of children on the stage at entertainments given in order to raise money for the school prizes. Two of these entertainments have taken place within the last eight or nine days, so that the moment for notioiug them is propitious. So far as tho appearance on those occasions of grown-up persons in concerned, I havo nothing to say. Liko the once blind man in.the Scripture, they are of age, let them spoalc for themselves. But I would strongly deprecate the practice of encouraging boys and girls to come forward on these occasions and " show off" beforo the public. Colonial " cheek," to use an expressive vulgarism, is too plentiful among them as it is, without being fostered in ways like this. I have heard teachers here say it is the greatest difficulty they have to contend with, and therefore it is folly to nurse it Tho late Dr Norman Macleod said once that there were no boys and girls in Britain now; there were only little ladies and little gentlemen. In the Colonies the first part of his dictum holds good, but unfortunately the latter does not, and the good Doctor would have been puzzled how to wind up the sentence without being harsh or rude. If it is necessary— and i believe it is-—to hold entertainments to raise money for school prizes, let the performers be adults only. The amateurs of Dunedin are never backward in a goqd cause. But do not let children be encouraged to strut or spout upon a stage before a public audience, with the result of becoming more Belf-conndont— more '' cheeky "—than ever.

The opening of telegraphic communication between Australia and England will be of considerable benefit to that "one horse ", affair, the San ; Francisco mail service. People will no longer look forward to its arrival with impatience, and objurgate it for being lato "as usual." Now they get their news from England onco or. twice a week, and only six or seven days old, so that they can afford to be magnanimous to tho shortcomings of the San Francisco service. Still, as letters cannot come by telegraph, when tho firat novelty of cable news has worn off, people will settle down to it as a matter of courso, and look for the mail, even though it be with less eager impatience. It is to be hoped, therefore, that tho promises of an improvement in the service will be at length fulfilled, now that the Dacotah is on her way to Auckland, and that a fourth steamer is to follow her. Eighteen months have elapsed since Mr Webb first contracted to place these vessels on the line, and during all that period they have always been, like waiters, '* coming." When they actually do oome, tho experimental period of the line will be at an end, and the most perfect efficiency will be expected. It has been promised long enough in all conscience, and there will be no excuse in future if the promise does not receive its long-deferred fulfilment.

The proceedings at the late race meeting in Canterbury do not appear to have been distinguished for honesty, Twice the JTockey Clqb wa« compelled to exercise to the fullest ..extent the powers with which xs> is clothed, and its decisions appear to have received the public approval. Occurrences such as these, and other* that have taken place on various occasions

of the kind, do not speak well for the morale of the Turf in Hew Zealand. They are greatly too numerous in proportion to the number of race meetings in the Colony ; for, of course, such things will happen, ' even ■iv the best regulated countries. Speaking generally, however, horse-racing seems to be S°in? down in public estimation, both iv England and the Colonies. Shady practices in connection with it have been so common in Eugland of late years, that it is now lusiiig favour there. In Australia, it is true, it still flourishes, despite Fishhook scandals and other shocks to the public mind. In Kow Zealand, a few more affairs like thoao at Christchurch will cause it to lose whatever caste it may still possess. I must say that, for one, I shall not bo sorry if racing falls into disgrace here. A pursuit that causes so many dishonourable practices to spring up, does not deserve public countenance or support. And as gambling and cheating, to a more or less degree, prevail at all races, it becomes incumbent on all who do not approve of those practices to discourago the source from which they spring. To my mind, to call racing a "national" sport is a national disgrace ; for it implies that the nation is addicted to betting and swindling. It is a far greater insult than that intended by Napoleon I. when he called the British a nation of shop-keepers. There is nothing contrary to good morals in keeping a shop, whereas there is in betting or the other diahonourable arts to which racing gives rise.

Hard times, according to the late news from England, seem to have arrived for the poorer portion of the population in that country. The failure of the crops and the excessive price of everything, to{rethcrwiih. symptoms of aslackening in the high rates current for labour of late, are ominous of a winter of privation among the humbler classes. With coal at siege prices, meat at famine rates, and a heavy rise in the pr co of bread certain, the poor will have a hard Btruggle to keep the wolf from the door. Such factß as these cannot bat excite commiseration; nevertheless it will be impossible to deny that in some degree the suffering will bo due fco the improvidont habits of the people themselves. Quite recently the papers have contained statements of the manner in which the workmen havo drunk or guzzled their money away. Being unusually flush of cash, owing to the highness of wages, they have indulged in the best of port'and'the daintiest of dishes— " all the delicacies of the season," in fact. A" French or Belgian workman saves the extra amount ho earns in good times; the English workman thinks only of gratifying his appetite as long as he has the means to do so. The consequence is that as soon as the tide turns, we hear wailing and lamentation in England—talk of starration and the like, while in France such things are very rarely indeed heard of. There the bees have laid by their honey ; in England, like greedy creatures, they have eaten it. This improvidence of the British workman is an old trait in his character, and has arisen from the prosperity he has enjoyed in comparison with his Continental confrhrex. He has always been well paid, as compared with them, and has therefore not been under a similar necessity of practising economy. Of late yoars, however, the condition of Continental workmen has more nearly approximated to that of the workmen of Bx-itain. Still, the former have not yet lost their habits of frugality, though they have loarnod to strike. A generation or two of hard times would teach the working men of Britain to take a leaf oat of the book of their neighbours, and though it would be wrong to wish such an experience to befall them, there can be no doubt, the lesson would do them much good, and would be productive of vast benefit to future generations, Waste is a Hin against which the whole system of Nature is a standing protest, and the British workman, it must be confessed, is among the most wasteful of human beings,

Tho announcement contained in the San Francisco telegrams of the betrothal of the Princess Beatrice to tho eldest son of the Duke of Sutherland, lookß rather like a Yankee invention. If this arrangement has really been entered into, it is strange that we did not hear anything about it via Java. Besides, the Princess is only in her 1 (Uh year, and therefore somewhat young to be betrothed. Moreover, it is only a few months since it was gravely asserted in the New York papula that the Princess waa going to marry an American " dry goods " princo, and had declared her determination to havo nobody else, for a husband. Accordingly, the statement must be received with caution meanwTiilo, until it in confirmed. On the other hand, there are probabilities of its truth that should not be overlooked. Tho Duke of Sutherland has been one of the principal frequenters of the Court for years past. At one time he wan the fulus Achates of the Princo of Wales, though latterly he has devoted, his attention to railway speculations more than to oourting Princes. His mother, also, was for many years in close attendance on the Queen, in her capacity as Mistress of the Robes, while a Bister of hers (aunt of the reported future bridegroom of the Princess Beatrice) is 'Duchess'of Argyll, and mother-in-law of the Princess Louise. Tliorefore.it is quite 'possible,that the two young people whose namea havo been fch",a publicly linked together, may.,'havo, fallen in love like " Louise and Lome." As for the reported marriage itself, I don't pretend to express an opinion about it further than this— that if it does come about, I shall be glad to see a British Princess Wed a British man. German princelets and " .lairdies" have fattened too long on alliances. Following out the guiding policy of Austria, they have, when in difll-, culties, made or recovered their fortunes by marriage. Therefore it will be satisfactory to ccc the practice once more broken through, so that the former precedent may be strengthened, "Germany; for the Germans" is no doubt an excei-i lent ■cry, but ." Britain for the British" is an equally good one. After all, " there's nae folk like our am fp.lk,"

Qno of the Plantagenet kings—John, if I remember rightly—is said to have on one occasion extorted money from a .Tow by having one of the hitter's teeth drawn daily, until, t<-> save his remaining grinders, ho consented to disburse the Bum demanded. An incident recalling this barbarity is reported in the latest news to hand from the South African diamond fields. A scoundrel there falsely accused a native of stealing diamonds, and as th.c darkey naturally refused to confess to a crime which he had not committed, the white wretch pulled all his teeth out, one after the other, with a paii" of pincers. Nothing appeays to have been done to f hi> perpetrator of this atrocity, which is only one of many almost squally barbarous, reported from the same quarter. Pfbbamy niggers are not of much accourt there, and therefore'are safe "objects for brutality, as the Jews ■were in England in the days of the Plantagenete. The ruffian dentist should

have been punished by having his teeth extracted in like inauuer, aud thereafter being contused in gaol and fod on ship biscuit until he came to a full sense of the euoruiitv of his -conduct. Sigma.