An Episcopal Visitor's Impressions.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 5273, 1 June 1895, Page 7

An Episcopal Visitor's Impressions.

When the Bishop of Salisbury visited New . Zealand a few months ago, he proved himself an acute observer, "and displayed an eagerness that was almost boyish to acquire information concerning this country and its institutions. That ho was industrious in recording hia impressions of the people and their ways is proved by a long letter from his pen, which appeared in the Salisbury Diocesan Gazette of April last. Thi3 letter, which iB dated from Nelson, was written when Dr Wordsworth had been four weeks in New Zealand, of which time he mentions he had spent three days with the Hon C. C. Bowen, "at his pretty country placf. of Middleton, in the township of Riccarton, some four miles from Christchurch— a delightfully Eaglish household." In tbese circumstance*! tbe opinions set forth have all the advantages aud disadvantages of " first impressions " promptly recorded. Tho Bishop himself remarks on this, but prefers to state hia opinions, even though they should afterwards have tobe modified. A'large section of the lotter iB devoted to geography, topogrnphy, and natural history, i a which almost the only retnarka of the nature of personal "impressions" are the statements that the s.a. Penguin is "a clean little boat," and that between Lyttelton and Wellington there ia "a | beautiful but rather desolate coast." The remarks on the physical features of New Zealand, and on the flora and fauna peculiar to thiß country are marked by i exactness — the writer having Bhown great care ia the compilation of faots of interest from author! tativo works. A -great capacity for taking P?inß 13 evident in the Bishop'a work. In this connection, it ia only just to say that neither Bishop Wordsworth nor his printer mado the ludicrous mistake ascribed to them by a London correspondent' of calling .Otago "Octago." The 'naine of the southern district is correctly given in the Bishop's letter, andthe correspondent had either not seen the Diocesan Gazette, or bas drawn upon his imagination in order to "get off" a rather watery joke.

Coming to Bishop Wordsworth's social and political impressions, we find more Bvidenee of the exercise of independent observation and reflection. Ho remarks very justly ofthe people of this country :— •One cannot help being struck by the wide diffusion of intelligence and selfreßpeofc, as well as respect for others, enabling you to hold a reasonable conversion with anyone you meet, and to be certain that you will be met with kindliness and courtesy. I have never travelled in a country where people seem so ready to look at different aides of a question, Bven if they happen to have a strong impulse or decided conviction in a special direotion. This and another New Zealand oharaoteristio, love of personal criticism, ia due, I take it, to the old provincial system, which was oply abolished in 1876. This familiarised everyone with the process of law-making, and introduced a habit of personality in debate, which arose Horn the outfide familiarity with everyone Inevitable in a small community, and from the obvious clashing of interests in a lociety where everyone was almost obliged to b© to eome es.tfi.at ambitious, or at least enterpriising and aggressive. Tho sa_umption, which seems to be general, thab Bveryone knows and can judge of the motives of everyone else is sometimes amusing and sometimes provoking. At the' same time T do not think there is much real bitterness or very serious imputation of unworthy motives, even whon tho interests of the old settlera and the labouring classes are brought into conflict __ they certainly aro now." Finding en passant, some consolation in the fact that "the Irish element" is not such a disturbing factor in politics as he had expected, our visitor goea on to remark on recent experimental legislation in this

sountry.

Womanhood suffrage, Dr Wordsworth thinks, will not he eo dangerous in New Zealand as it would prove In England, because our " women are mostly domestic and contented," and their voteß are calculated to counteract those of "men of no substance." There is here a rather back-handed compliment to the women of England, based on an imperfect knowledge of New Zealand womankind. As for the good Bishop's deductions re- \ garding the neutralisation of the votes of j " men of no subßtance," he must have forgotten that the women of no substance are at least equal in number to the I men ; indeed, from the expressed longings of certain women's societies in the direction of " economic independence," it saems clear that the feminine voters will be opposed to the interests of men of substance. On the whole, he considers that "the change was not called for," bub if women " make the best übo " of the franchise, it may be- " turned from a danger into a safeguard." That is another way, we suppose, of saying that the best use it can be put to iB the support of " men of substance" for Parliament; but if we are correct in our surmise, the experience of last general election is decidedly against the "safeguard" theory. The Bishop makes reference to our licensing legislation, but " cannot venture to pronounce " on the results of the local option law. He finds it difficult to account for the strength of the prohibitionist parly, as "there iB little visible evidence of drinking, much less of drunkenness." Though beer and cider are " fairly oheap," he found the price of wine "prohibitive," and spirits also dear. He thus speculates on the future and indioates the direction that our liquor legislation shonld take :—" It is possible that publio opinion against the nse of liquor will gradually grow so strong in New Zealand that a general prohibition of its sale will be accepted as only a slight hardship, If I were aiming myself at legislation I should direct it against the sale of liquor at bars, and towards the compulsory treatment of habitual drunkards, and not attempt anything further at present, leaving the habits of the people to develop the reat of a reasonable, custom. I should also (I think) take off the duties on Australian wines, whioh are cheap and good in their own conntry, but are sold at twico or three times their valne in this colony, if sold at all." The women's vote, he supposes, "iB likely to be favourable to the prohibitionist views," but this is hardly borne out by facta. Of all the women's political organisations, few, if any, place prohibition on tbeir list of reforms, while the women's organ at Wellington is distinctly opposed to prohibition, and holds views similar to those of the Bishop himself.

Like a good Christian, ihe Bishop bas nothing to aay against our labour legislation; but, being a sound Conservative, he has grave apprehensions is to the results of our land policy. He ipecially notices the tendency to abolish freehold tenure, and the compulsory Wtrinption of privatelyownod lands by

the Government. Assuming quite gratuitoualy that the latter is "legislation in favour of one class and to the disadvantage \ of another," he soes aa ita outcome a long and dismal vista of evils, culminating in the unsettling of public confidence and the driving of capital out of the country ! Theso phrases have quite a familiar ring, and somehow leave the impression that our visitor is simply repeating opinions which he doubtless heard very frequently expressed during his sojourn here. He has, however, the fairness to put the oppoeito side of the case, but tentatively, and not aa hia own view:— "The first settlers in a country have an undu9 advantage," he writes, "in regard to tbe distribution of land, and the Government is not strong enough to grasp the situation. In fact until the union of the provinces in 1876 government was necessarily weak and uneven. The time will come when the

interests clustering round the tenure of land are so many and so complicated that it will be impossible to disturb them with out a revolution. It is better therefore (it may be argued) to do whatever is necessary in the way of un settlement fairly Boon in the history of the colony — in the interest even of the landowners themselves. Let them learn that they must improve their estates snd settle them voluntarily in the manner most suitable for the general good, or, if they are unable or unwilling to do so, let them surrender them to the State, on fai? terms, and give it an opportunity to redistribute thom to the beßt advantage. The force of thiß argument iB much more evident when the sheep runs hava passed into the hands of companies, and when no owner is resident, but only a manager — as is the casa in one large district which I visited." It is true that thia policy.. is against the creation of a " landed gantry," a class that the Bishop dce3 not doubt ia " desirable" in New Zealand. But he altogether failß to perceive that in praying that we may be blessed with , a landed gentry he advocates claes legislation of the narrowest description. His aspirations, indeed, are ail in the direction of an aristocratic class, with a " class " Church and "class" education, which seem to constitute tho Conservative summwn bonum. As against his hasty assumption that tfae Land for Settlements Aot is opposed to the interests of the landed class, it iB curiously instructive to remember thatthe chief Conservative complaint with regard to the working of that measure iB that it favours the " landed gentry" by giving them top price3 for their cumbersome estates, at the cost bf the general community. Though we have criticised Bishop Wordsworth's letter somewhat freely, we must confess that his observations on New Zealand affairs are in general more just and correct than those of the average "globe-trotter," and in nearly every sentence thoy reveal the mind of a careful observer, an acute thinker and a conscientious Christian gentleman.