RAMBLES THROUGH NEW ZEALAND.

Otago Witness, Issue 1862, 29 July 1887, Page 28

RAMBLES THROUGH NEW ZEALAND.

SOME NOTES BY THE WAY.

By D. Weight, Dunedin.

Our Schools— Local Beading Rooms and Athenaeums.

Remembering that man has a body, soul, and spirit, it gladdens one's heart see eastjand west, north and south, snug farms, comfortable cottages with orchard and flower-pot, and the schoolhouse. New Zealand may well be proud of her scholastic institutions. The poor man's child may receive a liberal education at the hands ,of a well equipped staff of competent teachers, and, if persevering and industrious, may climb to the highest rung of the ladder. Certainly we have a magnificent educational system ; but half a million sterling is a high price to pay for it. As a citizen and ratepayer, however, I should never advocate the reduction of the scale of teachers' salaries, as this would simply mean a corresponding reduction in the calibre of the members of the staff. "Cheap and nasty " often go together. lam one of the old-fashioned people who think education incomplete without the Bible being read in the schools.

Scores of times, too, I have been thankful when far from home to find my way into the reading room and the library. Sometimes these valuable institutions are comparatively humble, internally and externally. In Brunnerton, Kumara, Hokitika, and other towns on the West Coast tney are well patronised. Invercargill has one of the best reading rooms I have seen in the Middle Island. I wish I could speak highly of Dunedin in this matter. Timaru comes well to the front. The building is well lighted, and both the reading room and library are liberally supplied with newspapers, magazines, and books, and the caretaker is a perfect model of what the occupier of such a position should be. Ashburton is pretty well provided, and even, small as it is, Rakaia has its place of resort, but the reading materials are rather scanty. Lawrence has a very decent reading room and library ; the same may be said of Waimate, Stirling, Annwtown, Queenstown, Naseby, Oamaru, uu<i Altai oa, Christchurch has a large free reading room, which is often crowded. The library is all that could be desired, but can only bo used By subscribers. The Wellington accommodation is scarcely equal to what might be expected of the Empire City. Napier has a nice, well-lighted building and a good library. " But the handsomest pile of buildings in New Zealand devoted to this purpose is in Wellesley street, Auokland.