THE WAIRARAPA STANDARD SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 1876.

Wairarapa Standard, Volume 6, Issue 506, 25 November 1876, Page 2

THE WAIRARAPA STANDARD SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 1876.

Whatsvbb may the result of the inquiry which is now taking place at Dunedin, arising out of the escape of the girl from the Industrial School with a chain attached to her leg, no one shall persuade us that such treatment was justifiable under any conceivable circumstances, and still less so in the case of a girl only ten years old. The absence of that true kindness at home, which causes, in the majority of instances, children to be sent to reformatories, renders im presence at such institutions not the less, but all the more necessary. Kindness, combined with firmness, and not severity and cruelty, are the most effctive means for securing good results even in the case of old and hardened criminals, and must necessarily be much more so where mere children are concerned. This has been proved to be the case in innumerable instances which could be given if we had space. One must suffice, which occurred in the Hettray establishment in France. That establishment grew out of the compassion of two gentlemen of high rank and fortune, who were moved to essay what could be done for the rescue of unfortunate, condemned, and vagabond boys, to save them if possible from destruction, and give them the power of obtaining an honest living. We do not intend to describe this institution, as our object her* is only to refer to the discipline had recourse to, and to its results. At Mettray, and a number of other sinular establishments, there were no whips, nor blows, nor chains, and yet tiie discipline proved eminently effective. Light penalties which affected the mind) ■ad which were designed to operate upon the self-respect of the offender, and to affect his character and standing, were found much more effectual than any corporal punishments. Among the rewards given at this establishment, and those—extraordinary as it may seem—most coveted and deemed most honorable, wen tickets of favor. They entitled the possessor to obtain some mitigation of punishment for an offending companion by bearing it himself. In one case, •» the strong solicitation of the pares tea very unmanageable boy had been reestrsd into the institution. Silence was always strictly enforced at meal WfrJNifc >wwm t altar repeated ad-

monitins, persisted in violating this rule, when a monitor took him by the collar in order to remove him from the table I The boy instantly picked up his knife and stabbed the monitor with it. Now, what was done in this case ? He was sentenced to seclusion and short commons for a few months. After being some time confined, the boys solicited his release; the boy who had been wounded among the rest, and who had a right to claim a favor. After repeated refusals the master at length consented, but only on the strict condition that the boy who had been wounded should take his place, and serve the time which remained to complete the sentence. This being agreed to, the wounded boy took the place of the criminal, who was appointed to the duty of attending on him. The confined boy finished the time for which the criminal had been sentenced. In the meantime the culprit, witnessing the magmmanity of the boy he had injured, and the kind and forgiving conduct of the whole school towards him, was so deeply affected by it, that it appeared to have worked an entire reformation of character, and he was known ever after as one of the best boys in the school N nmerous other instances could be given to show the power of kindness over the worst of characters, but this one must suffice. Chaining little girls by the legs to ftieir bedsteads is not calculated to reform them but to render them incorrigible. ' Whatever may be the evidence given at the inquiry of this we have no manner of doubt For a sadly neglected child, as this little culprit must have been, far other treatment should have been had recourse to. Your unmanageable boys and girls are not so much evidences of their own viciousness as of the viciousness of the system and treatment to which they have been subjected. Their very unmanageableness may be taken as a proof of strength of character, which only requires to be rightly directed to bring forth, in the majority of cases, good fruit, if only sufficient time is allowed for the purpose. “ Bad workmen blame their toolsand this adage is capable of a more extended application and wider significance than are usually attached to it. The unmanageableness of children in nine cases out of ten, is the fault rather of the management than of those who are subjected to it, and it is that of the two which stands most in need of reformation. The subject thus incidentally opened up, that of the reform of our reformatories, has long engaged the earnest thoughts and active interest of some of the best men in Europe and America, and like the kindred subject of the management of Lunatic Asylums, has caused more humane and enlightened views to prevail than were formerly in vogue. But, hitherto, unfortunately, it has not been the ease here. Whether this is owing to the fact that society in this young colony is too much engrossed in the pursuit of wealth; to the circumstance that there is no class here not under the necessity to earn by daily toil their daily bread, or to the aim of the public press being rather to mirror and express than to lead and enlighten opinion, we will not undertake to determine. Certain it is that in no civilized country could an incident have occurred like that to which we have been referring without exciting more public attention than it appears to have done here. Decidedly one of the best numbers Hansard that has been issued this year is No. 37 of Nov. 21st, which brings down the reports of the debates to Oct. 26th. Why a month should intervene between the delivery of the speeches and their official publication is explained by the fact that the session had been in the meantime prorogued. Seeing, however, that the debates were on the most important questions, if the public are to be put to the cost of their publication, means should have been taken to publish them as soon after they took place as possible. We have much pleasure in directing the attention of all persons who take any interest in political questions and in public affairs to this No. of Hansard. It contains reports of several interesting discussions on a variety of topics, including the Waste Lands, Public Works, Noxious Animals, Disqualifications, and Oivil List Bills. It contains also reports of the best speeches that were made during the session by Sir George Grey and Mr Rees in defence of the Provincial system, when the Abolition Permissive BiU of the forwas under discussion. To some of these debates we shall take occasion again to refer ; but we trust in the meantime those of our readers who Have the opportunity will procure a copy of this No. 37 of Hansard in order that they may peruse the speeches on the Waste Lands, Noxious Animals, and Abolition Permissive Bills at their leisure.

The whole of the speeches on the waste lands and colonisation are more particularly interesting, while those relating to the habits of stoats and weasels, and the suppression of the rabbit nuisance are not much less so. According to Colonel Whitmore stoats and weasels would prove a greater nuisance than the rabbits by the destruction of the birds and poultry they would occasion. He pointed out that the birds that had been imported performed the useful function of destroying insects. He said on one occasion he opened the crop of a cock pheasant, when the crickets were in the grass in every direction, and he found in it no less than 260 crickets. Grasshoppers were also a very great nuisance in the country, but the wild turkeys, pheasants, and other imported birds made short work of them. Some parts of the country had also been subjected to the plague of caterpillars, which were a most horrible nuisance. In the part of the country where he lived it was not one year in three that they could get the grass cropped off the paddocks in consequence of the ravages of caterpillars, and there was no limitation to the increase of these noxious insects except such as might be found in the native and imported birds, which stoats and weasels would destroy. On the other hand Mr Waterhouse and other members endeavored to shew that those animals would prove very destructive to the rabbits, and the Council seemed to be Of opinion that sheep were to be preferred to birds, and weasels to rabbits, as eventually the Noxious Animals Prohibition Bill was thrown out on a division by a majority of three, eleven voting for and thirteen against it.