The Wairarapa Daily. TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 1879.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 2, Issue 76, 4 February 1879, Page 2

The Wairarapa Daily. TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 1879.

In. our last issue wc briefly inferred to the agitation now growing in various parts of the colony in favor of Bible reading in public schools. If mere Bible reading would satisfy everybody, the practical difficulty would not. perliapa, be insurmountable ; but any one who knows the zeal with which certain denominations display in the religious education of the young, will be disposed to regard the present movement as niKcly the thin end of the wedge. Even supposing that this were not the case, and the State conceded the point of Bible reading, should the State declare what Bible should bo road—the Catholic Bible, the Protestant Bible, or the Jewish Bible 1 In the principal centres of population separate schools may be established for different denominations, but in nine out of every ten schools in the colony such distinctions cannot be made, and the Protestant, the Catholic, ami the Jew are found side by side in the same class. We therefore consider that if the subject of religion be introduced into our public schools at all, it should only be presented in the most general terms. We would like to see children trained to respect all religions. By being so taught they would be. more likely to fulfil the obligations imposed upon them by that particular denomination in which their parents are bringing them up. It has been estimated that the total population of the world is 129-1 millions. Of that number 483 millions are Buddists, 139 millions Hindoos, 103 millions ilrdiommedans, and 1 !)8 other religions, •thus making a total c f 9523 millions, and leaving „uly 371 millions of Christians. Does any child attending our public schools know anything at all of the religion to which more than one-third of the total population of the globe are attached 1 And yet, if children are really to be educated, such knowledge ought not to be withheld. The one link that may bo said to be common to all religions is the belief in a Supreme Being, and it is only logical to assume that a period in the world's history will arrive when there will be a supreme religion acknowledged among all nations, peoples, and languages; but such a consummation will Le sooner reached by inspiring the children cf the world, who will one • day become its rulers, with a spirit of universal tolerance, respect, and and l;r .thcrly love. We do not fear that young people being taught to respect the religions of others will lose any" regard for their own—quite the contrary ! Wo believe that there is more danger to be apprehended by keeping back from children truths which they afterwards find out for themselves. In the Episcopal Church young people, for instance, arc taught to pray lor all Jews, Turks, and Infidels. In their after life if they happen to read the biography of such a Jew as Sir Moses Montifiorc they will come irresistibly to the conclusion that they have far more need to pray for themselves, Even the student of the life of Mahommet will confess a strong feeling of admiration and rofpect for the prophet of the contemned Turk. We arc disposed also to believe that as many infidels can be found inside Churches as out of them, In conclusion we would express our belief that before it is safe to introduce Bible reading 111 our schools it i:; desirable that the jealousies and bitterness which divide denominations among us should be banished. While we hold that children in home lessens and in Sunday school teaching should receive that instruction necessary to attach them to some particular form of religion, wo believe that the teaching of our public schools, if it touches upon religion at all', should be universal and impartial.

Knill & Co. have to arrive five of Huston & Proctor's well-known engines, A second Cavtorton resident is iilwut, it is said, to take out an Auctioneer's License.

Mr R, J, Duncan's great sale of Reclaimed Land at W.lington takes place this day.

Messrs J. H, Bcthune & Co. soil on the 20ili ins't. the Wainuioinata Station, suLdividccl'into twenty small farms. The harvesting on one of the largest farms in the district, Mr Murray's, of To Ore Ore, v;a3 finished on Saturday last. On Saturday next Messrs lorns & Fergusson liokl an extensive sale at Messrs K. and J. Kibblewhito'a homestead, on the Upper Plain. The Greytown saw mill advertises in a contemporary—: Wanted a Circular Man.' The advertiser will have to look'round to get a perfect specimen. On Thursday and Friday next the down coach from Masterton will leave at na.ni., in order to catch the train which leaves Fcatliorston at half-past 8 for the Unit Eaces. The Assessment Courts for the Comity of Wairarapa West are fixed as follows': -Featherston, February 17th; Greytown, February 18th ; Carterton, Feb, 19th; Masterton,Feb. ISth, The Guardian reports that ut petition is n circulation asking the Government to ippoint Mr P. F. Tancred a J.P. Carerton is a little weak in J.P.'s, and alhough Mr Tancied would make ail effident Justice, there are other settlers in lie district with perhaps stronger claims

■ .IkotteK-firb tit Papiiivai Still- aohthiucii to ti: •Ji'fTJoty. Jt has destroyed a |r'6a't portioii of t>io traiv.vy ybclbngirig to Messrs 'ferry and Baiuios ivlilli". estimate their loss up to the present at £4OO. ' ' As will he seen by an advertisement in another column, a meeting of those interested in the formation, of a G.ood.Tc-mplar lodge in Masterton will bo held on Friday. next at 8 o'clock, for the purpose of instituting the lodge. According to (hoTimarii Herald,'.a very destructive potato pest has made its appearance in that locality. It is a small white worm, half an inch long, which cats into the tubers, causing them to rot in the field. Some two' or throe acres of potatoes have been destroyed in this way. Master 6. Shannon, a son of Mr. Shannon, of Messrs. Thompson,ShannonandCo mot with rather a serious accident on Friday night, It appears that he was crossing the street, when a horse knocked him down, the result being that one of his legs was broken. Under the care of Dr Diver the lad is.progressing favorably.

On Sunday last Carterton and Tavatahi were tho centre of a cordon of lire, and were fully enveloped by clouds of smoke. From the Belvidero road to a mile above Kay's Hotel there were live large fires burning, and at all other points of the compass, far and near, other conflagrations were raging. The wind was heavy and variable, seldom continuing in any one quarter for any length of time. No buildings were destroyed,'though many were in imminent danger. A great deal of fencing, grass, and timber was consumed. The fire engine of the Masterton Brigade is still at (Stewart's mill, as the danger there is not yet over, The Times reports a cad occurrence at tho Taila. About cloven o'clock on Saturday night, a kerosene lamp exploded in tho house of Mr McKcimc, shoemaker. The flames spread with great rapidity, and in tho confusion that ensued one poor little girl, of five years, was overlooked, and she was burned to death. The other children, seven in number, were fortunately rescued. The house and all its contents were entirely consumed. The charred remains of the poor child were found yesterday morning. The house was insured, but the contents were not covered by the policy. An inquest will be hold to-day. Tho occurrence has elicited a great deal of sympathy for Mr McKeiizie and his family.

We sincerely regret, mites the Guardian, to have to record another disastrous fire by which the dwelling of Mr Philip Goodin, an old settler, residing on Parker's line, was utterly destroyed on Friday last. It seems that there were only children in the house at the time, Goodin and 'his wife being away when the fire broke out. The eldest girl, about thirteen years of nge was the first to discover it, and made a brave attempt to save some of the furniture. She was, however, unsuccessful, beyond securing a couple of blankets, and pillows, and every atom in the build-' ing was consumed. The loss is a most serious one to Goodin, who it :i most hard-, working and industrious man. A subscription list was started for him on the day of the fire, which Mr Lister-Kayo most liberally headed with £lO, and other contributions have been freely promised, The premises were insured for a small amount, but thero was nothing on ill contents.

We understand that Mr Phara;;yn (Chairman of West County) has succeeded in milking arrangements with ilia Government, by which the whole control of the expenditure of the £SOOO for opening Hie Mangoano Mock is landed over to the County, with full power to expend it as they find Lest. The County Engineer having reported, after examining the first line, that if would be impossible to construct tlm road as surveyed, authority lias been obtained from the Chairman to make any necessary deviations, though the effect will be to upset the whole of the sectional survey. It will perhaps be remembered that it was proposed to sell this block last year; the sale was only stopped by the protest of the East County Council. This is most fortunrte, as the difficulty of aLcring tlio lino of road after the sale would have been enormous. Mr Paneti lias been engaged as assistant-engineer, with special charge of tlio works in this Block, and lias instructions to proceed at once, so as to get the first section as soon as possible. It is hoped that the formation of these roads will lead to the sale of the land, 20 per cent, of the proceeds of which will be received by the County, and enable it to carry on further works. The expenditure of this money cannot fail to be immediately beneficial to Masterton. This may be considered as tlio result of the West County at last doing his duty, as there is no doubt that otherwise the amount would have remained "on the estimates." To those who are inclined to sneer at County Councils as useless bodies, the prosecution of such works as this afford the best answer, and if they persevere in the active manner in which both .Comities have begun, members will have the satisfaction of feeling that their time is well spent, and that their services will in the end be appreciated. The annual meeting of the Wellington Teachers Association, says the New Jsealander, was held in the Sydney-street School, on Saturday morning, Ist inst. Mr Mowbray/ the president, occupied.the chair. The minutes of the last meeting having been read and confirmed, Mr Holme:-!, the Treasurer, read the report and balance sheet of the past year. The total expenditure for the period amounted to £l4 l'ls, and the income of the Association exceeded the expenditure, leaving a balance in the hands of the Treasurer. The report was adopted unanimously. The ofncors for 'the ensuing year were elected as followsMr Young, president; Mr Holmes, treasurer; and Mr Watson, secretary. It was decided that the Standing Committee should consist of the head-masters'of the City Schools, and the first assistant-masters. Notice was given of a motion to memorialise the Board against handing over the "salaries of teachers to the local Committees. It was resolved that this motion bo discussed at the next monthly meeting, and it was agreed to invite a full attendance of members. It was also resolved that one of the head-teachers bo requested to read a paper at each meeting, on some subject relating to " School Management and tho art of Teaching," for the benefit of the junior members of the profession, and for discussion thereon.' Considerable conversation took place on this motion, and it was generally admitted that, while the Association had .been instrumental in improving the position of teachers, both in town and country, and in doing much for education generally, but little attention had been paid to the mutual improvement and instruction of members in the theory and' practice of the profession. The .general opinion of the meeting was, that all teachers should be admitted,to hear the papers, and the discussion thereon, whether members of the Association ornot. - . . '' /'

> Tho. MRMet'bii&i'oiigir C.pliHcli insists •this evening!:' .. • '

. A vefy respectable ; fiigists bffice ior liialoahdfemale Servants have b'ebn opened : at'Mastertoh in Bridge-Street nearly opposite tlie Presbyterian ■ ,/ The Wellington- moiitlily prico • current considers {hat'the recent sale of Wellington pvoperty-by T..K,.McDonald, & Cp., indicates a decline of from 20 to 2a per cent in the value of land in the Empire City.

Dr Wallis M.H.R ,'the political presbyterian preacher is making a'tour. ; He passed through the Wairarapa yesterday cvgrthmhuk» route for Napier.

It is said that, the Wellington liaces are pretty much in the hands of bookmakers ivho will be iible to regulate tho .winners ivith tolerable certainty.. 1 Three dogs have been already, captured by .the Inspector of Nuisances for the Masterton Borough, and consigned to the dungeon in the rear of the Town Hall.

The barman of Christ-church are organising a picnic. We presume they will exhilarate themselves on new milk. A single cork-screw would be fatal to such a turn out. We shall hear next of a barmaids picnic; What a lively and lovely combination such a gathering would make. ThoKovW. P. Brown will preach the. anniversary Service in the Presbyterian Church Masterton on Sunday next. On the following Tuesday there will be a Service, after which the Rev Mr Paterson will Lecture on travels in France Germany Switzerland or North Italy. The Black Bridge having been reported as being in a dangerous state, the Chairman of County West has instructed the Engineer to examine it en route from Wellington, and take such action in conjunction with the Chairman of .the Tara-' tahi Highway Board, as he may find necessary, so that no doubt something will be done to it in the course of a few days.

A meeting of- the Masterton Choral Society's committee was held last night, Messrs J. G. Rockel, (Treasurer), Bagge, Clayson, and Girdlestone, being present. It was resolved .to give a miscellaneous concert on Thursday March Gth in order to raise funds to meet existing liabilities, Mr Hales, Hon Secretary, sent a note apologising for his inability to attend the meeting.

Great complaints have lately been made by contractors for County works, of the delay in obtaining payments. We are informed on tlio best authority that this is in no way the fault of the County authorities, the Chairmen of both having done cyerytliing in their power to secure prompt payment. The explanation of the matter is that' these contracts are • for works under special votes, 'which the County have been authorised to have executed, but the Government insists on only making the payments on vouchers signed by the County Chairman showing the work to have been performed. A number of these voucher:; have been sent in indue form, and it is'only on complaints having been mado by the contractor that it has been discovered that through some neglect in the Treasury the necessary cheques have not been sent to them. There is evidently something very wrong in this department when such errors can occur. The Chairmen of the of the Counties are' now in Wellington and will see that the error i 3 rectified, and will also wc understand urge upon the .Government the importance of putting tliem in a position to pay Contractors direct, so tlir.t in future we may safely conclude there will bo no grounds for such complaints being made.