The Stratford Evening Post. WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE EGMONT SETTLER. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 1912. A. AND P. SHOWS.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXIV, Issue 76, 22 November 1912, Page 4

The Stratford Evening Post. WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE EGMONT SETTLER. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 1912. A. AND P. SHOWS.

Referring editorially to the very successful gathering which concluded yesterday, the “Hawera' Star” remarks that- “no doubt the 29th annual show of the Egmont Agricultural and Pastoral Association will, as its predecessors have done, lead different minds to different reflections. But probably it will confirm the majority of thoughtful observers in the opinion, that the day for provincial or sub-provincial shows has not yet passed. Perhaps the time will come when each Island will have its Royal Agricultural Show, which will exhibit successively in the various centres; and there may then be no local shows, for the reason that the itinerant Royal Show will serve the whole Island all the time and appear, in turn, iu every large producing centre of the Dominion. But tins change is yet a long way ahead, and in the meantime, local shows serve their respective districts as nothing else could. . . The Egmont Association is therefore, for practical reasons, likely to he one of the very last to tall in with the idea of a Royal Show for the North island, and when the change does come, its district is likely to send the most noteworthy entries to the great, itinerant exhibition. In the meantime the Association might gain much, even within its own jurisdiction, il it led the way in establishing a Standing Annual Commission, whose members would officially visit, the chief shows in other places, to make notes and draw comparisons likely to be of assistance in adding to the attractions and increasing the usefulness of the Hawera Show.” Cer-

taiill\ if duo may judge by the* splendid display of stock ami tho great attendance of visitors our contemporary is perfectly right in affirming that the (day for provincial, or sub-provincial agricultural Shows has not passed so far as Jiawora is concerned, and we do not think it is likely to. The idea ol one annual Royal Show lor each Island, though an excellent one, Irom many standpoints, is very tar from the range of practical possibility and we doubt if any of the many centres which are now strong enough and energetic enough to hold their annual Shows would entertain such, a suggestion for one moment. Hut. useful purpose as the A. and P. Show may serve in Hawera, or in any other district, there is always the feeling that it might be made more useful if one only knew the best way to go to work. Writing at the close of the Canterbury Show, the great South Island A, and P. fixture, the Christchurch “Press” remarked that perhaps the province was apt to estimate the success of its great

agricultural exhibition by the number of visitors that pass through the turnstiles, but as the attendance is the ma : n source of the Association’s revenue the executive cannot afford to regard this factor with indifference. The need of obtaining money is the Association’s first excuse for adding to; its show many of the attractions of a I mere fair, and the duty of providing I suitable entertainment for a ’popular | holiday is the second. This position, | of course, faces every such Association, ) but there is another side to the mat- j ter which the “Press” dealt, with in ! the following terms: “We are inclined to think, however, that with the con-j tinned growth of the annual festival i tho educative value of such a display j of stock and produce is being forced! into the background. It is all very I well for the expert and the enthusiast to say that the show of Border Leicesters is tho best in the Dominion and that the display of draught horses is much better than it was a year ago; but the thousands of town people who go out to Addington know nothing of Border Leicesters or draught horses and are not drawn towards tho land! by the reports of the exports and the enthusiasts. Surely it would be pos- j

sible to provide more illustrations of practical farming operations than arc to be found on the ground under the present arrangements. Of course there is no room within the enclosure for a model farm or even for any number of model buildings, but probably other operations .than shearing could bo shown within a moderate space and made under proper management an incentive to young people to get away from the towns into the country.” In these last remarks A, and P. Associations everywhere should find something to think about and to ponder over. If the educational side of our A. and P. Shows is not making headway, then they fall far short of thentrue purpose. Possibly the “Star’s” suggestion that a Standing Annual Commission he appointed may hear fruit in the right direction.

TRUE EDUCATIOIN.

Speaking at Crewe the other day, Sir William Mather made reference to the social unrest of the past twelve months and expressed the.view that true education was the real panacea for all these discontents. The higher education of the country, the continuation of education beyond the age of childhood, was not progressing and'developing in England so well as it might under the new education system. He was convinced , that notwithstanding all the changes, all the progress, that had been made in the last few years in elementary education methods it was necessary to make still further changes, and find still better methods of teaching, in order to improve the morals, the manners, and the intelligence of the children. The Boy Scout movement had revealed some extraordinary facts. Its hoys seemed to gain more in two years in character, morals, and manners than they gained in eight years as school hoys. There were some objectionable features in the training of Boy Scouts, but there were also some very valuable lessons to he learned from it, lessons which should greatly influence the methods of education.

ULSTER FROM WITHIN. The London correspondent of the “Manchester Guardian” writes: —A correspondent with a long and ultimate knowledge of Ulster writes to me : “You must have noticed that the majority of the leaders of the ‘Ulster revolt are old men p many of them, indeed, are very old men. There is hardly a young man among them, and most of those are active in the movement either for business reasons or because they have been intimidated. There undoubtedly has been a great deal of intimidation, hut despite this the movement remains an old man’s affair. The younger men in Belfast, while they are not eager for Home Buie, are not afraid of it.” The middle class in Belfast (Writes my friend) treat the Ulster “covenant” as a great joke, and are particularly cynical about Sir Edward Carson. Some of them are anxious about the effect of Carsonism on trade, hut generally they call it, in the Ulster phrase, “a square cod!” The dummy rifles and the hoys’ brigade drillings, taken seriously enough by the working class, arc openly scoffed at by the business and professional men. I recently overboard two Belfast men discussing the affair, and as the conversation is typical of Ulster feeling I reproduce it here. “Did yon see Sir Edward said he’d die in the last ditch?” “Ay, it’ll be the last ditch all right. He’ll expect us to die iu the first one!” It may he said that the working class take the movement very seriously, hut that is the habit of the working class. It is hardly likely that in a city where strikes are fairly frequent the working class will he allowed to learn the use of real rifles.