CURRENT TOPICS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 6231, 14 September 1898, Page 3

CURRENT TOPICS.

A few weeks ago we rethe Persian ferred to the supposed connecbailwat. tion between the Kaiser's coming visit to the Holy Land and the trans-Persian railway. Once more this great scheme has been attracting attention, but it is no longer associated with the movements of the Kaiser. The earliest proposal sprang from a British company, but very little support was forthcoming because the Suez Canal was to a great extent In British hands, and a Persian railway would considerably affect the volume of • trade passing through to the Red Sea. The latest proposal is a Russian one. Count Vladimir Kapnist, nephew" of the Russian Ambassador at Vienna, backed by an international syndicate, has submitted to the Sultan an application for a concession for a railway starting at Tripoli Harbour (Syria), and ending at Koweyt (Persian Gulf). The

line will touch the Euphrates near Deir, traversing the stream at Hit, and continuing between this river and the Tigris to Kurna, where both rivers meet. Thence the 'ine will run to Basra, and will have its terminus in the Persian Gulf. A cross line is also proposed from the Persian frontier at Khanekin to Bagdad, Kerbela, and Nedjef. The through. line will shorten the journey to Bombay by five days, assuming a speed of sixty kilometres an hour. It is pointed out that this is the first concession that Russia has ever asked from the Porte, and for that reason it may receive favourable consideration. Lord Salisbury, for the reasons already mentioned, has consistently refused to countenance the several' similar applications from British subjects. Yet, for the same reasons again, no country. • can; "tie Snore keenly interested in the hew project than Britain. If there is anything in the " sphere of influence " doctrine, there is a very grave encroachment on British rights contemplated in the Russian application. Northern Persia is admittadly undev Russian influence, but Southern Persia, through which it is proposed to run the railway, has always been controlled by Britain. British gunboats are constantly cruising along the coast, and at frequent intervals British bluejackets have to be landed to quell risings of the native chiefs. When the last mail left London no protest against the granting of the Russian application had been entered by the Government, and it was generally predicted that a Persian, complication was a probability in the near future.

Some important business primary was transacted at a meeting education-, of the Wellington Educational Institute last Satur.day evening. The Institute had under con-{ sideration the question of making pro-; vision for technical education in primaiy! schools, the substitution of class for individual passes, and the qualification for the D. certificate on the matriculation examination. All these points are of the greatest interest, not only to teachers, but also to all who have the efficiency of our educational system at heart. With regard to the standard passes, we believe that the change proposed would be a good one. At the present time the necessity for obtaining individual passes in some subjects has the result of inducing teachers to spend most of their time and energy on those subjects to the neglect ot others. Moreover, under the present system undue .pressure must be brought to bear on dull children in order to bring them up to the required standard. A change would probably be welcomed by most teachers, as it ivould relieve them from considerable anxiety, without, we believe, lowering the general standard of their work.. The recommendation that teachers should not be permitted to qualify by the matriculation examination for the D. certificate ,will probably not be received with so much favour. It is the opinion of some competent authorities that the standard required for matriculation is, on the whole, too low; but this need not prevent the Education Department demanding a higher percentage of marks from the candidates for certificates. The question | of technical education is one of greater in- ', terest and importance, and we congratulate I the Institute on its resolve to deal with it. In our opinion, there is no question of the wisdom of giving children technical instruction in school hours. It has been found by actual experience that considerably better woi-k is done in a much shorter time in literary subjects where children find occasional relief during the day in manual and technical work. Even if this were not so, we should still believe "it desirable that technical instruction should be afforded in { the primary schools. Our present system J of education is, we believe, thoroughly good so far as it goes. It provides very wide opportunities for children of literary ability, but it makes no provision for children whose attainments are of a different character. The proportion who possess literary ability is by no means large, and the majority of the children have to trust to chance for the discovery and training of their special powers. For these reasons we are glad to find that the question is to be brought prominently before the public by the Wellington Institute.