THB ANNIVERSARY

Star (Christchurch), Issue 2416, 17 December 1875, Page 2

THB ANNIVERSARY

The history of tho Australasian Colonies, is tho history of the most rapid development of pormanonfc prosperity that is known to modern times, It is so muoh fche fashion in tho Colonios to seizo ovory occasion for enlarging on this subjoot fchafc it has become wearisome. As ovory spocios of idea has boen pressed into fche sorvice of laudation, and worn absolutely threadbare, no one thinks of paying muoh attention when the familiar sounds greet thoir ears. Besides, men in the Colonios take the riso and progress of their adoptod country as a matter of oourso. If thoy take credit to themselves (hat thoir individual success has beon muoh due to thoir industry and frugality, thoy look upon ifc as not afc all wouderf ul that thoy have practised self-denial in a country whero tho temptations to extravagance have beon small. Thoy also roaliso that industry and frugality would havo boen nothing with* out opportunities. This everyone admits is fche peculiar advantage of countries of large undeveloped resources. But if colonists of

sense look upon their own advancement in life as by no means so muoh to their credit aa the unreflecting imagine, tbey are not a bit mora oarried away by the oondition of the political, municipal, and sooial institutions that flourish amongst them. These they did not invent. Everyone is well aware thafc they are the produot of centuries of reflection and experiment elsewhere. No one thinks it afc all wonderful fchafc countries whioh begin life almost in the second half of the nineteenth century, should be orderly and well governed. The history of the Colonies is nevertheless a most useful lesion to older countries. These have to provide for large seotions of their populations, wbioh are miserable, starving, and oriminal. Now that everyone knows how much matters of course in new countries are material prosperity and good Government, there is no further exouse for looking upon the sooial problem asthe insoluble one of the day. Aa before observed, Colonists are never tired of alluding to their suocess, publio and private. These things, however, never strike the observer so forcibly as on the holiday occasions, whioh happily for the majority of the people are frequent. The crowds of pleasure seekers are large, they are well dressed and good humoured. They have evidently money to spare for enjoyment, and their orderly conduct is very notioeable, There are excursions by sea and land, which repay their spirited projectors j sports and theatres offer their attractions, and do not appeal in vain. Businesa is oast to the winds, and pleasure is oourted in countless different ways. Last and not least, poverty and crime are oonspiouous by their absence. This sketch applies specially to yesterday's celebra tion of the twenty-fifth birthday of this Province. Those who looked upon the first day of its life, have seen the development of the last quarter of a century ; otherwise the contrast between the two days must havo amazed them. On the first they stood in a morass, probably wondering at their own folly in determining to build a City on its quivering soil. On the second, they see tbat City stretching for miles on every side, pour* ing out its thousands of well-to-do oitiseus to commemorate that first dreary occasion by a " sunshine holiday." When a third day oomes to mark the progress of another quarter century, what will it show to those of us who will be here to eee'P Measuring the future by the past, the sight will be marvellous, At a steadier rato of progress, it cannot but bo good to see.