THE Temuka Leader TUESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 1910. THE DECADENCE OF YOUNG NEW ZEALAND.

Temuka Leader, Issue 5920, 11 October 1910, Page 2

THE Temuka Leader TUESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 1910. THE DECADENCE OF YOUNG NEW ZEALAND.

-Mi.' Guodu.ll, the president u[ the Eolith tCanterbury branch oi the A.T r.ducalioiml Institute, Just Saturday delivered an address which has evoked a good deal oi discussion. in it he set forth his estimate of the youth of to-day, alhnniag that they are interior, intellectually, morally and physically, to the earlier pioneers. Probably he is partly rigid ; at any rate the present generation would recluire to be abnormal, in many respects if the charge laid against them were other than true. When we say this, we are conceding a great fleal, but a moment's rclleetiou will prove that, owing to the pioneers being practically a picked lot, (.and we lay emphasis on this) in the dower of their youth, with every fibre of their nature braced to the work of carving a homo out of the wilderness ; with their subsequent isolation from all inlluences of civilisation which lend towards effemination, it could not well be otherwise than that they formed a picked band of giants and giantesses—-in fact, a selected sample of the best that Great Britain and Ireland could produce. While Mi > scuts to have been Mr floodall’s idaiiri-, prnposllion. a certain laxity i , hi, mode of cNgVcsdon I■■ responsible fur M'■ impression that a com- : ari-on was nkn made be! ween I hi’ \ ,I f 1 1 r.f Iwo or (hive decade- ami and Ihc Muillis a.f 10-day. and b is lim e i 1i.,( ue cross swords wilh him.

Tin, ( wc arc a dcradcnl and degeneratin'..;' rare is being hurled at us wilh .somewhat monotonous frequency. Ihe

charge comes not so often as the full muon, but certainly somewhat, often,cr than Halley's comet, and it behoves us to look it squarely in the I lace and submit it to the closest examination of which wo are capable. The charge is pretty definite, and states that young New Zealanders are not the compeers of their fathers, physically, intellectually, or morally ; in tills comparison fathers do not moan pioneers, but the youths of, say, twenty or thirty years ago. Here it is necessary to draw attention to our vague and somewhat inadequate means of measuring different es that relate to matters physical,'" intellectual, or moral. If we dcf sire to ascertain the weight of .an article, or its le.gth, we apply standards of measurement, the pound or the yard ; but wo have no measurements of such a kind by moans of which we may test intellectual ability, moral worth, or physical soundness. If the science of anthropometrical measurement were in use in every school and had been so in use for thirty years, the question of physique could bo easily determined. Our law courts in a rough way are an indication of the morality of a eounI ry, and the feats of prowess in games or occupations requiring endurance arc an approximate tost of the degree of a nation’s physical fitness. •' ! o also the results of scholastic examinations afford us_ a measure of the intellectual 'standard of our people. But the schoolmaster, especially if he be n man of long experience and mature judgment, a man whoso sens; of perspective is properly corrected for the error due to age, and ,ve should say also -a father of a .family, is a very suitable person to give r? a good opinion on the ■development of our youth on the points before im.nt:on'*d. Here, by the way, let us say (hat Mr GoodalL is a c unparalively young man, whoso experience has been neither varied nor (xtersive, and who, though married, has never had the training of any chicks of his own. Thus under tbe circumstances perhaps too great an importance has been attached to his words. Now let us sec what measure of truth there is in Mr Good-all’s statement's. On the question' of physique and physical fitness, our youth, wo mihesitatingly stale, are not degenerating. Our footballers, our cyclists, our hookey players,- and our rowers are proof to the contrary. Actual chests, height, biceps, and other measurements show that physically wo are holding onr own. We. have nothing to do here with Foster Eraser’s criticism of the Australians. Onr Point of contention is that young Now Zealanders are as hardy, and capable of sustained endurance as any youth that ever were suckled since first New Zealand was settled. Most people, after a moment’s reflection,

will, we feel sure, agree with us. Are we a deeadeni raee intellectually ? We do not think wc are. The standard of. the work attained, ago for age. from the child of five to the graduate of the University, is ns high ns, and in very many eases higher than, that attained in any other country in the world. We wonder if Mr Goodall is aware that there is no other Fnglish speaking people in the world that buy more literature of a good and high kind than the people of New Zealand. Onr authority is the. record of sales of the booksellers of the-. Dominion. The eornparison, of course, is made not absolutely, but on a population basis Whv, our illustrated weekly papers with their interesting literary and scientific matter, apart merely from news, are rend in almost every honseho’d of the Dominion. On this point -we must refuse to , accept Mr Good- | all’s sweeping generalisation. On the point of morals, where do we stand ? The question is not easy to answer, because we do not quite, understand Mr GopdalTs point of -view. Was his m|jnd wholly filled with schoolroom mdrals, or did he have a mental picture of commercial morality ; or was ho confusing religion with morality when ho asserted that morally wc are making the easy descent to A vermis ? Now he must *nt take schoolroom morality too seriously. Boys ever have been boys, who will copy and fib if there is no corrective, and they can escape either the righteous wrath of the teacher, or it may lie the argumeritnni ad hominom, applied in the shape of the teacher’s strap. It is the teacher's duty to remember that- his is the' glorious work of shaping the moral nature ol the child, ann the teacher

must not forget, that on this point he has the support always of the whole community. The teacher sometimes may be downcast, but if that bo so and if he has not chosen a wrong vocation, let him, lay in a store of health, and where moral suasion fails, give the youngsters a good sound strapping. Thus wore those hardy pioneers built up in morality : at least the Scotch section of them was.. Our law courts do not support Mr Goodall’s contention that the youth of our country arc worse than their fathers were.

The question raised by Mr Goodall us to the morality displayed by master to servant and by servant to master opens a wide field. Wo would prefer the views of the leading men of the labourers’ and of the employers' unions to those of Mr Goodall. Shortly, however, we have no. doubt that both master and servant are pretty faithfully served. “He, who gives big measure shall receive big measure” is a truth that holds good both of money and of service. Finally, let ns repeat that Mr Goodall must not lie taken too seriously. We recommend him to study Ihe transition of child-training that has gone on in America, due in fact to causes not dissimilar to our own. The New Zealand boy is his hide-

pendent father’s son, and we .should be, exceedingly sorry to have our schoolmasters confuse the terms, respect, and servility. 'Lot honesty, obedience, and truthfulness bo expre-s----e I in terms consistent with a free-dom-loving and independent people. This very same - quo't ion which has been raised by Mr Coodall has been discussed from time immemorial, and if it had been true that we had degenerated when firs! it was alleged wo had, we should have been a race of pigmies now.

NEW LICENSING BILL.

Bills are being poured wholesale; into Parliament now, when there is 'cry little chance of passing them. Amongst these is a new Licensing Bill, which in our opinion the Government -have no intention of passing. The object in view is to keep this Bill dangling before the electors until text c'eciion. then go to the country on it. and thus secure Ihe full supi ort of the prohibition party. Ihe i>.;n i-.IU- ilcsiu-nai 1 for that, as

it is trivatl.V in favour of (lie prohibition parly. (ArcorclinL l- to t.-ho synopsis of it whirh we luiva aeon,

only two issues are to be put before the electors. The question of reduction or local option will not appear ■ on the voting paper. The elector will only vote for or against nation- : al prohibition,but his vote will count for local option if national prohibition fails. Fifty-live per cent, of Ihu doctors will carry national prohibition or local option, and thus a great advantage has been given to the prohibitionists. The law at present is that TO votes cast in favour of the liquor traffic are equal to GUI votes cast against it. This is to be altered if the new Bill passes so that 15 anti-prohibitionists will be equal to 55 prohibitionists. This comes very near the bare majority, and will greatly improve the position of prohibitionists. If national prohibition is carried, the, trade will get fouryears to put their house in order, and where local option is carried, twelve months are given. This-means .that national prohibition cannot court; into force for four years after it is carried, and meantime, an election will take place, and the electors will i e given an opportunity of restoring licenses. In this, however, the prohibitionists and their opponents will change places, for 45 prohibition votes will be equal to 55 liquor votes. If national license is carried no liquor can -be imported or manufactmierl in the country. The whole country must go completely dry. The present race of barmaids, if they wish te continue in the business, must register, and any of them who does that can- serve behind a bar, but no now barmaids .will be allowed to be employed. The wife or daughter of a hotelkeeper may, however, be. employer]. The present race of barmaids, .therefore will have a monopolv created- Tor them, and can demand any wages they like. These are the salient points of the Rill, and our o’ inion is that it is very much is favour of prohibition. We do notanticipate that national prohibition will Ire earned for many years, but (here can be no doubt that tbe change from GO per cent, to 55 per cent, will enable prohibitionists to carry local option in several places.