WHAT CAN WE DO WITH OUR BOYS?— CONSCRIPTION.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 10399, 29 June 1895, Page 7

WHAT CAN WE DO WITH OUR BOYS?— CONSCRIPTION.

TO THE BDITOK. Sir, —Ia continuation of my ; proscription, the advantages of which I ' will succinctly detail :— ... 1. To the'individual: Self-conquest is the most valuable of all power to. nian. The greatest enemy a man has, or can possibly hive, is himself. He who can conquer himself can subdue his world ;r,and discipline is the educator. Talent, even genius, accompanied with the highest culture, uncontrolled by discipline, is of small avail in fighting, life's battle; nay, the very we»pdnß furnished by nature- and man, become dangerouH to the possessor :ahd society. Education and ability far above the average had a. spacious home in Oscar Wilde's mind, but discipline had no abiding place, and behold the miserable fiasco. And history teems with the records of defeats of infinitely greater men than he. The first Napoleon had nob met his Moscow, or '■.'■ ..,,■■■-.'.

The wisest, brightest, meanest of mankind, tb.3 great.Lord Bacon, have had to writs: "I do plainly and ingenuously confess that I am guilty of corruption aud do renounce all defence." Could they but- have conquered themselves! Discipline is of greater moment, in fact, to. the massos of people than education merely. The conduct of the'two great revolutions, the Englioh and (first) ■ French, furnish the best "object" leseous of-modern timea.of the value of 'discipline;. The first, controlied into moderation by the trained mind, of the great Crocuvtell, leading to a fair liberty, tke latter Wetting" with blood the pages of history at the instigation of the liberal demagogua Robespierre and.' uudiseiplined liberty runribt.ifalliDginto ultimate despotism. Discipline is the great factor in human welfare: Ifc.has been so from the dawn of time, and wilt be till time. merges into eternity; Cain would not have killed Abel had his mind been under' control, and Cain has beon repeatiug himself ever since. ■ _-.' '■ : Two hours' drill every night of the week for three years is not absorbing tco much of a life which Would otherwise, be spent, at street corners smoking inferior, expectorating freely,, arid using bad language, varied occasionally with assault of a passer-by, so that it be a weak woman or aged man. Drill will further have the considerable physical advantage f of turning the slouching, stooping, hands-in-pocket, debilitated chiiSpttnzee, termed larrikin, into "Man, made in the image of God": a mutter of no light; moment.to a young nation and of much gravity taShe individual. " 2. To the State: Irrespective of the improved morale, thousands of well fed, educated; robust, thoroughly, trained men, argues a virile defence of a people's liberty .- a matter that has acquired an increased importance in the light of the recent Japanese proficiency in atms. The Swiss, surrounded by populous, warlike nations, have preserved their freedom simply because every joung'man is a soldier and, better still, a patriot. Nature baa done much for the country, but mountaiu passes.held by untrained cowards would offer, a poor resistance ; and as a rule a larrikin is a criwUrd. './'>■ If New Zealaud is to be protected during .any war to which the , motherland gets committed, she will. have in a large measure to find her defence from Y^ithin'.. It Is just possible thit Great Britain 'might once again fight the world at arms,as.she has ia theiglorious, past; _bufc she has tb cover a larger surface now. fcnould any temporary disaster befall her, each' oif shoot would require to take np the shield as ifc falls from, the .narenfc hand. This we could do easily if : without delay an acfc somewhat as proposed in my last letter were passed ; during the present session, and pub into immediate and vigorous operation. Such legislation would be of much greater advantage to the coioay than wasting the time of Parliament and dissipating the public funds m tinkering at acts unsuited to present requirements and calculated only to destroy the moral fibre of tbe comniuuity.—l am, &c , . June 27. Walter H. Peabson