The Otago Witness.

Otago Witness, Issue 2273, 23 September 1897, Page 29

The Otago Witness.

WITH WHICH IS INCOQPOHATBD THK SOUTHS H MERCURY. (THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 1897.) THS WEEK.

" Xunquam aliud Datura, aliud supienlia di\it." — Juvenal.

Dean Fitchett writes to the Daily Times appealing for what he calls A Motion a " reopening "by the press For a of the education question in New Trial, its relation to the Bible in schools. Much depends upon what the writer means by " reopening." The columns of the press, so far as we know, are always open in a reasonable degree for the discussion of this question in various way?. Speeches upon it from the political platform, discussions in synods aad other denominational congresses, debates by Bible-in-schools associations — in short, all serious public utterances on the matter receive the fullest and fairest attention and space from the press. Letters, with tbe usual necessary and reasonable restrictions common to correSDoodence on all subjects, are also readily

admitted to publication. Pulpit addresses in condemnation of our education system have been frequently reported In our columns and in tboso of oik contemporArios. Thoro has, therefore, in this sense, boon no closing of the press to dkouseion, and tkero oi\n consequently bo no reopening, or juiy necessity for, such. If, on the other hand, what D3an Fitohett asks for is support in the secular press for ft radical recasting of our education systom on ono or othor Of the linos advocated by the clergy o£ various denominations, thon wo must obviously interpret the word " reopening " to moan somethiivg like reponhinoo and rconutution. That is a very serious demand ; and we ought perhaps to quote tho writer's oxnot words before wo conotude definitely that nuoh is (ho meaning. Tho reopening, the Dean eftyf, is to bo "for tho puryoao of discussing editorially the question whether after all it is necessary to impovorUh our niitionnl.lifo by excluding roli£ton from oduonUon." Unfortunately tho editorial discussion of a given snbji.ct moans the expression of dellnito opinions en that »übjcot — of course without offensive dogmatism or contemptuous disregard of those who may think diil'orently.but still definite opinions — and the pormleilblo exceptions are conlloed to publlo movements or proposals of such diutinot novelty that hesitation in pronouncing etrorgly upon them i» commendabW, and not an indication of weakness or timidity. The question of secular education is not in that category ; aud tho Dean of Dunedin must surely sou that tts v preliminary to yielding what he requtros & seonlar journal must at loHsfc deolnro that a new doubt has beoome editorially entertained as to tho soundness of tho education position afier all. Otherwise tho " reopening " of the question will amount to no more than an offer by newspapers which support tho present t-ystem to find space for a free dif>ou6sion of it by all sides for a specified time. We cannot, in short, feel entirely sure that in appealing for r\ reopening of tho matter editorially ths D«san entertained a clear mental perception of what ho himself meant by tho torro. At any rate we can auure' him and othom whose opinioun in favour of the leaching of religions by the !?(ato we sincerely roupoot that, while tho conductors of publlo journals no moro clofto their eyen and care to now plianon of old questions than they oloho their columns to tho discussion of suoh, tho publlo oxpcotH a newspaper to indicate an opinion Blmultancoukly with, and not nuboequond to, tho "oditorlal diftousulon" of v nUlijoot. And doubUots oven Dean FUohotl himsoli! could hordly discuss a bubjoot unlenn ho had arrived at some conclusion about if. beforehand.

Dean FHohett'fl letter Is noteworthy, In that

it roftkefl no refutation about " The Mind tho f ra»k ftdminftion of patent

of tli() fact*. The Doan io evidently Community." not one of thono w ell- mean-

ing persons who periodically declare, in pathetic disregard of the evidence oC general election after general election, that the bulk of the people ardently desire a return to religious education by the State. " There is no weight of public opinion," he says, "in favour of such return " ; and the candidate who mistakes By nod resolutions or petitions for the Bible Id pcbools for the public will, " usually loses bi3 election." Nothing is lest in the denominational argument by tuch admissions ; 6a the contrary, they lend force to the poßitton of the disputant who makes thorn. Dean Fitchett, however, while mincing nothiDg about the f*cls, has his own way of accounting for tbeio. He argnea that the bulk of the community is against any change, not from reasoned conviction, but because "on this subject the mind of the community is not thoroughly awake." In thio judgment we sincerely believe that tbe majority is wronged. Tbe mistake made by so many objectors to tbe refusal of the State to assume the functions of religious educator, or as an alternative to subsidise denominational schools, is that the majority who. have ao decided are either hostile to religious instruction or indifferent on tbe whole matter. De»» Fitchett favours the latter hypothesis, and appeals for an editorial trumpet-blast to wake the unheeding sleepers. We are convinced, however, that the necessity (as they think) of excluding religion irom the State school course is, to the great I ulk of those who feel compelled to favour it, a most unfortunate — even a calamitous — necessity. It is not at all by accident or default that our system haa become secular ; its secularity is supported by multitudes who realise as fully as the Dean of Danedin does the power of religious teaching in moulding the youthful mind to obedience and reverence, and who deplore equally with him the dissensions which compel the relegation to the home alone of so invaluable an aid to moral training. The Dean himself frankly supplies some of the reasons. " A common policy for the religions bodies on the education question is yet lo seek. What would content Presbyterians would not content Anglicans. What Anglicans might accept would not be accepted by Eoman Oatholic?," &o. There is, he says, no help in ministers of religion, whatever their denomination ; nor in politicians, who " merely reflect the mind of the community." But that is hardly a promising prelude to invoking the aid of the presp. Has not that also a knack of " reflecting the mind of the community 1 "

Mr Ward develops and urges on his plan of operations with a pachyderWorlcin? matous disregard to the good It Up. opinion of men which is

worthy of a better cause. From the first he has determined that whitewash shall be whitewash, no matter who the purveyors of the article may be. The most transparent pretences of belief .in the genuineness of his assumed character of the deserving martyr are eagerly welcomed by him. Quantity, not quality, of the useful household article just mentioned is bis motto. People who from interest, or weak good nature, or sheer incapacity for distinguishing right from wrong are willing to appear at banquets, or carriage-drawing, or brass band affairs, or any other of the numerons cheap entertainments which the plan involves are always at a premium, and seem to be bunted up with singular perspicacity and success. It has evidently been necessary to convey to Messrs Lee Smith and J, F. M. Eraser a delicate hint to tbe effect

that their idoa of currying Mr Ward through on their own baoks— ft sorvioafoj; whiah they sorlously considered themselves tmftloloutly fitted, ami whiob. they wore exceedingly ready, not to nay onper, to povform— was not good enough for the mlncellaneous crowd of othor " supporters " who for reasons of tholr own wanted, to bo in it too. It nppeurd to havo boon recognised that for aomo reason or other tho eomowhat obtrutivoly ptvitoi'ed imprivuUur of thoao gentlemen was not. being found exßOtly overwhelming in Its ©IVoot on tho mind ot tho community, «uid something better wrh felt to bo urgently necose&ry. .Uosidep, had not tho word been pasaed round that Mr Ward wns to bu a Mlnistor again, and why should they lmvo a monopoly of n good thing? llanoo tho mo iloe of somewhat creaky demonstrations now curronts oC which the lutost ii n •' banquot " (ftttondod us üburl) hold to roenact tho canonisation of tbo dUtlnguisbod and honourable martyr. Thoro wkb hardly, wo are glad to observe, tho name open attempt ut; intimidation oC tho Mupromo Court — without whoao flnnl judgtnont, h« yot undelivered, tho onnonieution of tho new «alnt oKnnot, unfortunately, bo doomed comploto -— w wan notloeablo At tho OurncroHs uffair ; but ntitl tho same object, under v moro deoont voll, watt BulllcletMly apparent, Tho evident punio oC Mr Ward and his frlondn ah to what tho immediate future may oonooivnbly hold in store is, let us hopo, QxaggoMUui ; but, in the meantime, it eooma to painfully blind their judgment, otherwise theso poi'Mßtont nttempts to pre-improas the mind of tho judgo— whoever ho mi»y provo to ba— to whom Mr Ward must presently account would not be oarrlcd to so hystorioal a pitch as they aro. The manifestations, ono nnd all, wo must re grot fully add, aro, under tho presont oircumstancea, a vioUtion of propiiety, nnd, from his own point of view, Mr Ward is making a deplorable mesa of it in bartering away his ohanco of tho ultimate real rospeot ot tho community for a premature inntnlmont of the Kpurlous article.

The lion, John M'Konsito madoa Rroatvirtuo in hiu InverflnrglU flpocoh of Klniiicso fitioUlng to Mr Wurrt through TirliiH. thick and thin. Ho utruok

hin bronst in noble appreciation of h\n own unequalled mngruinlmlty and panned for Mio npplauflo, wJiioh doubtlofiu (July camo. Did anyono think that John M'K^nzlo was going to desert Mr W»rd bocauno bo v/u» Iv trouble ? Sec. All Uii» soundu c-xcc-edfngJy fine, and bo no doubfc it would bo iC thoro were nob a few little tliingH under itt) Bbininpf nurfaco to Homowhat discount the 10l ty nobility of the phrases. It would snrprlHo uh very much if either he, or any of those who v/ere colleaguea with him of Mr Ward, were to pluck up courage to openly throw that excellent; man overboard. Mr Ward very plaloly showed by bis speech In Parliament after certain revelations drove him from office how he is capable of d&rving (from behind the privileges of the House) those who openly join in the view of his conduct which it suits him for the' moment to describe as the " Tory " one. The Government prese, including, the paper principally owned by Ministers themselves, may denounce his attempts to re-enter public life at present (as they did) in comparative safety, the press being impersonal and having no ancient family history to be raked up or invented about it. But if a Minister were to openly try the sama thing in his own peraon Mr Ward would be ready for him — and well they alt know it. He wa3 not a colleague of theirs for five or cix years for nothing, and if they can make things unpleasant for him, so can he — knowing more than a thing or two about them — for them. Let us hasten to do the Hon. Mr M'Kenzie the justice to allow that be is probably a willing victim to necessity — a more willing victim, doubtless, than some of his colleagues. la his case there is a special reason for compliance, for in a sense, though not at all in the same sense as Mr Watd'B, he is " su»pect " too — and that with his own party. He probably feels much comfort in Mr Ward's society under the circumstance?, for they are both, though in such widely different ways, politically under a cloud. At lnvercargili we are afraid he was simply one of the fish in Mr Ward's net — let us cay, for his consolation, the biggest fish. As for the rest of the catch, a story of the great claimant trial seems to sum it up. " I don't care a rap," said a critic of the day, " whether he's Oaatro, or whether he's Tich borne, or whether he's Orton ; but -all I can say is as I don't like to ccc a pore matt kep 1 out of his rights."

The Pomahaka, like the poor, we have always with as. The unfortunate Thankless settlers who were made the Vnssals. victims of the notorious | transaction by which the country was saddled with this»precious heritage refuse to be comforted by the official assurance solemnly conveyed to them that all their troubles arise from the way in which the purchase was criticised at - the time. This case of serious deterioration in the soil of an entire district consequent upon political critickm of its ownership is one of the most siDgular natural phenomena ever presented to public notice, and one vrell worthy of exhaustive examination by scientific experts. No opposition, it is clear, should be permitted to exist which deliberately exercises go baleful an influence upon the chemical constituents of the soil. If such evil practices are cot sternly nipped in tbe bud it is obvious that the crops on even such magnificent estates as the conntry has been privileged to acquire at Blind River and the Batger place in Southland may presently be found slowly withering before their owners' eyes under the influence of the parliamentary debates of the session just openicg. Then, again, there is the corresponding phenomenon j of the value of the land (in the estimation of ' those who have to work it) having dropped from several shillings an acre to 9d, all because of a " fool of a magistrate " cot violating bis oath of office in order to keep it officially up to the several shillings. Had Mr Hawkins only decided that 5s an acre rent was & fair valuation, the settlers of Pomahaka would now be happy and prosperous. What with the Opposition and the magistrate together, they find themselves, as one of them expressed it, annually *

oartinj? moroßraJn on to t.heir land tbRB <h§f oavfc ort it, HwtunMely U»§i'§ Urr obvious ronuuly. IF, a« Hie Mtnlslep for Lsunl* co ropofttotlly mk! so oouvlnslDgly ftii^FfP, in 1b tho OppotUlon opeooluti of flev§» ml yonvß rro thab imfe made fch§ soil burrnu Ml) to-«?«y, then ib in bis (Hit Minister*) oleav duty io make r ipeaoh lnm« aolE without rtolay, and po, oC oouwe, Oftnee tha soil of I'oinahaka to Qovv with milk ftiiti honey. .U«t It. m»y bo BftiO, "Thftt, doubilese, will Uo wll right, but how aboafi tlie valuations?" Woll, the value o£ tU« land own olotu-ly b« voatovert by tho cori'oaponding procoB«. It. ct\u bo AlitilHtorinlly Ueolarad to bo worth KB, or £7, or £20 an novo, and tho potthn'H will go homo happy, Mr Scoblo Mnoko^Klo ehoulcl certainly not be permitted to (icHtioy tho agricultural prothiotlvouo»u of a whole riding, nor Mr Hawkins to doiitroy its intrineio vhlup, by holding 1 up tholr hands, as it wero; but iC (hey do to Uic MJnistor should lotaliate by hoUHng; up bin, and pouoo and plenty will doMOond upon tho »ualllug land. For tho juntlilo&Uou o£ which Inloi'oetliig theory we rofov tbo reader to nsveral annual o(Qoi»l reports, in wlttoli tho iioro nubjaot of Pomahnka is porl'oroo nob antlroly ovaded.

Win congratulate the Mlnlitor for Lands upon tho MtoocAstul experiment curried out In tho WiUkato difltrlot with Australian wnUlo trcoi. TliU deiuon«l ration ot their sultabl* Uty to tho soil »nd olitimte ot a largo «roa in Iho north, supported nt it is by tho rcnulti of tho »imulti\neou« txporlmonts of rosiclont; , PotUorp, will probably lmvo n very important bffeot upon ono of our indufltrtou, nnd mny nUo prove to bo an uucwor to tho hitherto unsolved question of the poßßiblo uso of the " putnioo country." No tlino, wo may add, should bo loat in instituting a similar experiment in the south. The wattle, it is woll known, grown luxuriantly in tho coastal districts ot Otngo, though the frost far inland is fatal to it» chances. In Nolson and Marlborough, both of which contain much otharwiao waste lime), it should grow ns well as in AuokUnd. It matures with exttaordin&ry rapidity, and onco established its seedlings ootno up by tho million, »ud nro cosily do»lb with. ItR bark in almost ns good ns any other for tau-ylokiing purpotes ; nnd It la one of tho moat boautlCul of treon. Its cultivation Bhoulu combine pleasure, ease, and proi^ in a remarkable degroe.

Wm aro very glad to aoo that the Kduoation Bonrd in giving attention to the matter of tho proper arrangement of tbe lighting in echools. The Increase of eye troubles among tho young Itt a matter that cannot havo failed to strike the most casual observer of late year*, and the' fact that this change has been (.Imultaneous with th.c great development in the intensity and cotnprehensivcnorn of educational arrangements creates at any rate a suspicion that the circumHtwflCfli bear to each other tbe relation. of c»n»e and effect. . Such, at any rate, is the opinion of a good many medical authorities, and the matter is obviously one of the hsghe*t impoitHHCe. Mr P, B. B'raser'u protest against the basiug of school plans on arracgementa necessitating long " standing out " for' class instruction is also timely. This may be generally admissible in town school?, but in the conntry it if, as Mr Fraser pointß out, quite common for children to have to walk several milea daily to tbe district school, and in fruch cases the less standing that can be done with tbe better. It is very pleasiog to sco that time is being devoted to the consideration of such practical though nnexciting topics, and we hope it is only an earnest of a batter state of things than has existed for a considerable time past.

We consider that the remarks we made last week on the Indian frontier troubles are only enforced by the cablegrams that have since come to hand. The force engaged in the military operations has now been increased to nearly 60,000 men, and as one of the results a disastrous block has taken place on the main strategic railway to Peshawar. Oamels and mules, nrgently needed at the front, have been dnly embarked on the trains, but a l«ck of engines has brought about a deadlock, and the animals are dying on their feet in the railway waggons. That is exactly the class of thing that was almost bound to occur in connection with a eudden demonstration in force on so large a scale, and there should be no haste to indulge in caustic criticism on ■ the comparative failure of the transport arrangements.' • In a few days it will be all right, and a lesson i of immense value will have been learned. 'IE a similar trouble is heard of next time it will then be in order to' select a commissariat officer or two to bang: We still think that the turbulent tribes have done a great service to India and the Empire by compelling the execution of military movements abont the frontier on so large a scale. India cannot be held by military picnicking, and for every life .lost in this campaign we may save a hundred in the next by what the present Btern necessity may teach us.