The School Book Question. TO THE EDITOR

Otago Witness, Issue 1936, 2 April 1891, Page 12

The School Book Question. TO THE EDITOR

Sir, — Perhaps the Education Board was right, as reported in the Witness, to take the insulting communications from a Minister and from the Trades and Labour Council mildly ; but it was hardly right or dignified to throw the responsibility of using the books upon the teachers. Seeing there was a threat that the children t would be called out if the board

did not boycott the book objected to, whioh bad been' published in the colony, fairly paid for by the publishers, and found most suitableand necessary by the board, in io doing it must be felt the board hat ihown a want of dignity and self-respect, and not acted up to the occasion, as no public body must be ibfluenoed unduly by a Ministerof a section of the community to the prejudice and injury of others, else representative government is ouly a farce. A good surgeon will not plaster up a rancorous wound wbioh requires probing and drastic measures, but will allow the foul humours vent, otherwise they would fester and the disease would become ohronic and destroy the constitution. Neither can men be left to themselves when they would abuse the great privilege of free education and keep their families from school and sacrifice their interest, and so iDJure the State, not on the altar of honour, or justice, or religion, or of self interest, bub from sheer "cussedness, spite, ignorance, and ill-will, misled by designing men, who live at their expense and crawl into power by flattery and deceit and by putting labourer against employer, a state of affairs which is destroying all enterprise and ruiniug the country. The labourer is the first to feel it. Shame on suoh men and such leaders of the blind. When a man grumbles for nothing he often gets something to grumble at. What about numbers voting themselves £150 for a week's play, »t the expense of the working man and struggling ratepayers. Honeßt, consistent— very. — I am, &c, T. M. Mangapai, Auckland.