THE Southland Times PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. Luceo Non Uro. SATURDAY, 2nd DECEMBER, 1893.

Southland Times, Issue 12771, 2 December 1893, Page 2

THE Southland Times PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. Luceo Non Uro. SATURDAY, 2nd DECEMBER, 1893.

It is beyond doubt that the new Par liament owes its complexion mainly to the women of New Zealand. Hr Robert Stout declares that they have fulfilled his prediction inasmuch as they have declared for democracy, that they have supported the education system with all its features untouched,"'and that the direct veto, wherever it has triumphed, has done so through their influence. These statements, although in a sense true, are true only with considerable limitations. The women have no daubt secured the return of many of the Liberal candidates, but it is by no means certain that they have done so through any love of what are called liberal principles. It is nearer to the truth to say that, finding liberal or Government candidates the most willing to pledge themselves to the great object on which they had set their hearts, the majority of the women} promised and gave their to such candidates with little regard to the democratic character of their professions. If the Prohibition question were once out of the way, we believe it would be discovered that the bulk of the female electorate was not in sympathy at least with the extreme liberalism that at present is allowed to dominate tbe colony. And the seeming attachment of the women to the purely secular character of the present education system is to be explained, we believe, in much tbe same way, The question of introducing the religious element has once more been overshadowed by another. The veto by a bare majority has been made to loom so large in the eyes of a compact and somewhat fanatical body that, among a crowd o f other important interests, the Bible-in-Schools question has simply for the time gone out of sight. We look upon this as a great calamity, and one for which the women must be held gravely responsible. On a comparison of the two reforms it would be unreasonable to assign, on any calculation, a place of superior importance to the reform of the liquor traffic ; and of course far more unreasonable to give this a monopoly of consideration. The exclusion of the Bible from the schools is fraught with as much moral mischief and is just as dangerous to the body politic as the dreaded liquor trade—in fact it is a broader and more comprehensive evil. And all this is acknowledged in theory by thousands of those who, with so light a heart, at the recent election left the Bible to its fate. We are quite certain that on a calmer review of the proportion of things this question will yet be allowed its proper place, and that the women will one day be found as enthusiastic about it as they have shown themselves to be on the question of Prohibition. A great deal of satisfaction has been expressed at what is called the safety of our Education system, but the fact is that it can never be sate as a purely secular system; and the demand for the introduction of the religious element, already great, will one day become overwhelming. This question is perennial and is moving all tbe churches, and in the same direction. There is a constant attempt to get rid of it by an abuse of terms. The introduction of the Bible is spoken of as the introduction of denominationalism, but that cannot be called denominationalism which all the denominations with one exception, and that a peculiar one, demand. The Bible is entirely undenominational, and it is tbe Bible, speaking for itself and without note or comment added, that is the thing required. When it is argued that its introduction would break up our national system, we simply point to England and Scotland, to America and New South Wales, where the Bible is read in tbe schools and where no such evil has followed. Seeing that it has so often been the fate of this question to be brushed aside by others more directly political, nothing could be fairer than the demand so often made for a plebiscite, which all would accept as a final settlement, and which we are .quite satisfied would result in an overwhelming majority for the Bible. But although the women have failed us on this memorable occasion we do rot expect to tei the error

repeated. It was in view of their settling. aright this very question, along with some others, that their advent to political life was hailed by many, and faith need not be lost in them on account of tbeir having neglected a single opportunity. We blame far more severely those of their spiritual guides who, in their narrow zeal for a single issue, themselves overlooked and led others to overlook one of equal or higher importance. There can be no doubt that tbe Bible-in-Schools cause has been betrayed by many of its professing friends from whom better things were expected. It is worth while raising another question which was, not wholly, but to a great extent neglected during tbe recent contest, and on which tho female voters probably bestowed very scanty at tention. The liquor question, in the shape of a demand for the repeal of Mr Seddon’s Act of<lB93,"will comeTo the front at the very opening of Parliament. But after that will be brought before tbe House tbe question of the abolition of Party government, which Sir Bobeit Stout has pledged himself to make a main plank in bis platform. His own influence with a large section of the Liberal party and the ability that he will bring to the discussion of this great question make a favourable result probable in the highest degree. But a section of the House, which will include Mr Scddon and Mr Reeves and possibly some amongst those returned as Oppositionists, will certainly offer the most strenuous resistance to the reform, and it is impossib’e to predict what may happen. But it may safely be said that the country will be at the back of Sir Robert Stout and hie followers, and if they should be successful, they will have done more for the cause of good and economical government than has been achieved by any party that ever was in power in the colony. The whole country will breathe more freely when party intrigue and manoeuvring shall have, come to an end, and when Parliament shall be permitted to express the will of tbe people and not that of seven men—perhaps of one man—who may happen to hold the reins of power, with all the accompanying means of terrorising and corrupting their followers. The removal from a Government of the necessity of continually fighting for their existence would be a revolution of incalculable beneficence, which would at once make itself felt throughout the length and breadth of the colony. The press could not set itself a more important task than that of enlightening the people on this great question by means of the literature already existing, so that when the time comes there may be a body of public opinion prepared to support Sir Robert Stout and his party when they put their hands to the wotk that is before them.