The Week in Review.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XLVII, Issue 26, 26 June 1912, Page 1

The Week in Review.

The Nigger and the Chicken. GTT MERIUAN niggers have at last 4 | come into their own. Holding the votes necessary to decide the issue of the Presidential election, the .negro delegates were feasted on chicken and champagne and regaled •with costly cigars. Dressed in frock coats of irreproachable fit and style, with patent-leather boots and gorgeous ties, they strutted from one hotel to the other, realising to the full the responsibilities of their position as the chosen people appointed to express the will of the great American nation. Accusations of bribery—and they were frequent—• left Jiastus unperturbed. W'ith the coveted breast of Che fowlhouse chicken in his inside, and the choicest vintages of France coursing through his veins, ue felt as he had never felt before, mot even on that great day when onr coloured “brudder” Johnson pounded the white man's hope into a jelly. The •whole incident is a glowing tribute to the triumph of democracy and the many advantages of an elected President over an hereditary monarchy. J* Mrs. Asquith and the Suffragette, To go to gaol amid the plaudits of your fellow workers “in the cause” has in it a touch of martyrdom. But to have your ears boxed by an angry woman savours too mirch ol the naughty child business to carry with it suggestion of the martyr's palm. The suffragette who attempted to tear off Mr. Asquith’s epaulettes at a dinner party was dealt with by Mrs. Asquith, who promptly boxed her ears. To gs> to a dinner party thirsting for fame, to look forward to large headlines in the paper, to see in anticipation the martyrdom of gaol and starvation strikes, to feel a thrilling devwtion to the cause, and thee to have one’s ears boxed like a naughty child, and to reap ridicule instead of fame—this must have made the suffragette feel how much easier it is to deal with .tyrant man than with unfeeling woman. A great stroke for the sacred cause of the emancipation of womanhood was turned into a farce by a woman defending the dignity of her ■spouse. If the women were left to fight the matter out amongst themselves the woman suffrage movement would become (both amusing and instructive.

Capping Ceremonies. livery year we have the same complaint about the behaviour of students the capping ceremony. Learned and. venerable men tell us about the many advantages of education, how the future of democracy rests iu the hands of educated men, and how the great University of New Zealand is looked up to by the .people, and we get carefully prepared perorations on the great future that is .before us. The advance of man, the progress of the rape, the magnificent heritage that we are laying up for posterity, equality of opportunity, public duty, are all discoursed on for the bene, fit of the students. And the irreverent ‘’undergrad.” us ho is usually called, cares for none of these things. The most carefully rounded period is interrupted by remarks that have little or nothing to do with the progress of the race. Was it not the learned and sedate Matthew Arnold who confessed to an tilmost irrcsistfble desire to escape when he found himself amongst people gathered together to -discuss the advance of

social science? The average student seems to share the feelings of that eminent child of light. The Advantage of Latin. The question arises whether capping day is the fit and proper occasion for speeches on education. Degrees are conferred at some universities without any speeches, except, perhaps, one in Latin by the public orator. It might be a good plan to insist that all speecheson capping day should be in Latin. It would tend -to brevity. But if the authorities insist on making capping day an occasion for the display of oratory it behoves the students to show due rejspeet for the speakers. Witty interruptions are always welcome, but vulgar interjections partake of the nature of bad manners. Many people like to hear the ■speeches on capping day. They should be allowed to do so without having to put up with loud noises and unseemly horse play. It anight be possible to arrange for the students to be admitted to the conferring of degrees after the speeches are over. J» & The Best Speech. It was James Bussell Lowell who said that the severest test of oratory was haying to address young people anxious to be off for a holiday. Not one man an a thousand could hold the attention of students who have finished their year’s work and are in merry mood at the -prospect -of the vacation. A speech on such an occasion ought to be brief and witty. As Lowell put it, the .speech ought to consist of the tilings we wish we had said, and which -we only think of when we are in the cab going home. We are glad to hear the views of men i-o eminent as 'the t-ltief Justice on all questions affecting education or social firegress. Everybody must regret that the students did mot show more respect to one holding -the position of -Chan■ceTlor of the University. But it is not a little, unfair to both the general public and to the speaker himself that he should be expected to make a serious speech on such an occasion as the conferring of degrees? The proposal to give up -the capping ceremony will seem to many people a little drastic. The capping ceremony might be used for the sole purpose of conferring degrees, and some other occasion might be found for the delivery of speeches on matters affecting education and the influence and needs of a university. J* J* Education Experts. The Education Commission has been chiefly remarkable for the extraordinary divergence of opinion expressed by those called upon to give evidence. One headmaster said that he strongly advocated the teaching of sexual physiology, while another - said that he regarded such teaching as a positive danger to young people. Another master strongly advocated the teaching of Latin, while another said that he had a very poor opinion of its educative value. It was the same with nature study, with agriculture, with manual training, and in fact with almost every subject that came up for discussion. If one teacher of experience recommended 'a subject, another of equal experience was found <to condemn it. It was like a famous trial. The newspapers of the day said that the trial was likely to prove expensive by reason of the large amount of expert evidence to be called, ten dorters

having been retained to prove that the drug in question was a deadly poison, and a similar number to prove that it was quite harmless. Montagu Williams ascribed his failure in the Lamson case to the fact that his client had not had sufficient money to call expert evidence to combat the expert evidence called by the Crown. J* The Social Shades. When Tennyson wrote the line “A city clerk, but gently born and bred,” he roused the ire of more than one city clerk who strongly objected to the “but.” In a similar way Mr. Justice Edwards has drawn down on his head a protest anent his remarks about higher class boardinghouses. The Judge is reported to have said: “Imagine a man off the wharf going into the Glenalvon or any such boardinghouse and saying ‘Well, missus, I want dinner.’” If that state of affairs prevailed, the Hon. Mr. Bryce, or some high duke, for instance, might be sitting alongside the man from the wharf, or the Chief Justice might have a wharf labourer on one side and a coal lumper on the other. Doubtless his Honour was only poking gentle fun at our democracy. If the wharf labourer had retired from wharf labouring, and had amassed a fortune at company promoting, or land deals, or any other form of honest toil, he would be as welcome at Glenalvon as a duke or a Chief Justice. 'ln the select circles that patronise skating rinks the badge and hall-mark of social standing is a. white collar. Amongst some people the boiled shirt is the passport to the inner circles of social exclusiveness. The great charm of democracy lies in the fact that equality of opportunity is given -to all to rise from the ranks of the workers and pursue the more honourable callings that enable one to live like the lilies of the field. The lowest callings minister to man’s needs, the highest trade on his misfortunes. The lawyer makes money out of our mistakes, the doctor out of our diseases, the clergyman out of our sins. je The Bank of New Zealand. Tire annual report of the Bank of New Zealand showed that this institution continues to flourish, and it is now on such a thoroughly sound 'footing that it eould meet almost any form of financial stringency. The reserve fund now stands at .£1,209,000, as contrasted with £81,300 six years ago. The chairman stated that there had been a strong demand for advances, and the bank while adopting a safe and conservative policy, had responded reasonably to the call. Special stress was laid on the necessity for settling the land, aaid approval was ex-

pressed -of a policy of borrowing money within reasonable limits for this purpore. The future outlook for the Dominion was described as extremely promising, as wool, frozen meat, and dairy produce

were all commanding good prices. The prosperity of the bank is good evidence of the prosperity of the whole of New Zealand as it is to a large extent a national institution, and it is gratifying to learn that while there are indications of severe commercial depression In other parts of the world, the Dominion shows signs of a continuance of the prosperity which it has now enjoyed for so m my years.

Taxation and Representation. We have gone so far on the path of true democracy that rt seems strange to find England only just waking up to the advantage of the principle of one man one vote. This may be described as the cardinal principle of democracy. The opinion of one man is quite as good as the opinion of any other man. There is no valid reason why the franchise should be restricted in any way. At present we restrict the franchise to those over 21 years of age, but when we have advance'! further along the road of reform we sh ill in all probability be able to remove this somewhat arbitrary restriction. For those under the age of 21 have quite as much claim to .representation as their ciders. It is an axiom of all sound government 'that there shall be no taxation without representation. Many boys ami girls are earning their own living an I paying through the customs large contributions to the revenue. The taxes colleeted from minors must be considerable, yet no provision is made for allowing these minors to exercise the vote. We thus transgress one of the cardinal principles of true democracy. Every litl'e phi Id who buys a pennyworth of imported sweets pays something towards the taxes. They may tie little children weak, nor torn to any high estate, but why should they be taxed without representation? J* Extension of the Franchise. Future ages will doubtless wonder at the conception of democracy which denies representation to a large section of the community, and that section the most helpless. We cannot urge the favourite argument that children have not yet come to years of discretion. For the one plank on which democracy rests is that no person is entitled to extra voting power on account of real or fancied superior intelligence. England has a - knowle.dged this by the proposal to disfranchise the universities. Nor can it be said that children are not as fully quail-

Bed as Their elders to exercise the Tran chise. with intelligence. The vote is given to many elderly people who never enjoyed the advantages .of our system of free, secular and compulsory education. The modern child, thanks to our syllabus, is an authority on all the ’ologies under the sun. He knows much more than his parents, and yet we allow the parent to have a vote while the-youngster is de-" nied the right to say which candidate he thinks best qualified to advance the best interests of the Dominion. It might oe urged that children would vote for candidates who promised to reduce the duty on toys and lollies to the exclusion of other weightier matters, but it is not quite certain that their ciders are not sometimes actuated by similar motives. dS Votes for All. That much good would follow an extension of the franchise to all who pay taxes, irrespective of age, cannot be gainsaid. Children have interests that call for some sort of consideration at the hands of our representatives. The more serious-minded youngsters might with advantage form a prohibition party to forbid the sale of .sweets. When we realise that the sum annually wasted in lollies would provide boots and shoes for every child in the Dominion, we can see at once the urgent need that exists for some kind of legislation. Yet as long as the children are denied representation we cannot expet our legislators to deal with the mailer. Even a Tory like Mr Bonar law recognises the injustice of limiting the franchise, an din a recent speech he pointed out- that if babies had votes their wants would be better provided for an,l Mr Lloy .1 < leorge WOttld come to light with a bill to provide old age pensions for babies. Unemployed and unemployable, what class has better claims on tile charity of the State. X'ow that England has caught us up in the matter of democratic legislation it. behoves ns to advance still further along the road of reform and see that all who contribute to the revenue are allowed a share in the government of the country. ■-* •_< Fivers for Babies. Australia has already done vomolhlng by taking oteps for the introduction of a bill to provide for .1 gife of £5 to every baby born in the < 'ommonwealth. This is to be given irrespective of any considerations of the social position of the parents, or their wealth, or the particular ehureh in which they may have been married. Indeed, the gift will be given to those who have never been to church at all. This is a strange contrast to our own system of old a«e pensions. We decline to grant a pension unless the applicant can prove that he has made no provision for old age. and that he has not got any children able and willing t„ provide f.,.- him. We make an applicant answer a lot „f questions bet.ire we grant him the pension. The Australian scheme gives .without askin-v questmns at all. T is ,„ore truly demoeratm way. as i; avoids all .lass dishmtmns and pays to rich and poor The Norwich Commnuion Cast. Ihe Judicial Committee of the House of Lords has unanimously dismissed with costs fanon Thompson's appeal in the Norwich Communion case. Three years ago Canon Thompson refused to administer the Communion to a parishioner who had married his deceased wife's sister. Every Court has decided that the Galion was not ju-tilied in his action. The decision of the Courts are in aeeord with eommonsense. As long an the law allows such marriages it cannot lie argued that the contracting parties are not legally married. The < hur.-ii of England is a State church, and every person has a claim on her services. To say that people legally marri. J according to the law of England are outside th.- pale of the national ehureh is to say that the Church is not national. Of course, a ■lillirulty crops up from the fact that the Traver Book still forbids sUeli marriages, ami the civil law in at variance with the ci'cle-siastieal law. But (he lOmmonseuse of the nation will be on the side of the decision of the Privy Coumil. Individual* may bold any vie.ws they like on the marrntge question, and the free ehiirchc»- are at liberty to rcfuoc member•hip on any grounds they please. Bui for a national church tr» refuse to reCognise the law of the laud is to create an impossible sitmition. If the Church Wfehos to oppoce Mie lawn vi the State

it ought to separate from the State. As long as it remains a State Church it must admit the validity of marriage contracted according to the law of the land. Tbe Trisb Senate. The House of Commons, with a strange .nconsisteney, has refused to agree to an amendment in the Home Rule Bill to establish a single chamber Government in Ireland. The Opposition supported the amendment on the ground that the proposed Senate will be only a sham, and ’■'ill not be required. Mr Asquith has never tired of exposing the uselessness of the House of Lords, and one would have supposed that he would have been only too glad to have given to the distressed isle the many advantages which he has always claimed for a single chamber. If the Senate is to be merely a sham, it teems needless to put the country to the cost and inconvenience of an Upper House. There seems no doubt that the Senate will be merely a drag on the wheels of democracy unless it can be shorn of all power' like the House of lairds. If it opposes the will of the people it will have to go, and it might as well go first as last. If it merely echoes the will of the Lower House, it eau serve no really useful end, and will be merely an ornament. Tn any ease the decision to have a Senate is not in keeping with the professed policy of the great Liberal partv. The Public and Prices. At a meeting of the Provincial Executive of the Auckland Farmers’ Union the question.was discussed of the need that existed for the public generally, and farmers particularly, having some say in the awards of the Arbitration Court. 'Chose, who favoured the proposal that tile public ought to be represented at sittings of the Court pointed out that the increase of wages awarded came out of the pockets of the public, and not but’ of the pockets of the employers. In the majority of cases this is undoubtedly true, ’lhe worker gets an increase, the employer raises the price of his goods, often with an ample margin to cover him against all contingencies, and the retailer raises his price, with/ a little, added to pay him for the trouble of revising his price list. Biit .it is hard to see how the general public could be represented. That vague entity known as the public, is generally expected to pay and look pleasant on all and every occasion. A coal strike may leave the"householder without, fires, a transport strike may leave paterfamilias without his favourite brand of tobacco or his most cherished magazines, but he is not supposed to do anything more active in the matter than writing to the paper about labour troubles in general. The day may come when the long-suffering public may form a scab union of its own. and then the strike agitator will find that he has hit up against something a little more active than the submissive workers who are under the heel of the federation. The public may be a bit of an ass, but when an ass kicks it take- a .good rider to hold on. dt Tbe Father of Auckland. The death of Sir John Logan Campbell will be felt throughout the Dominion aS a national loss, but in Auckland tbe loss will also be felt as a personal one. For he endeared himself to all Aucklanders by the unfailing interest, he took in all that pertained to the welfare of the city and province. His generosity was unbounded. The magnificent gift of Cornwall Park is the best known of his benefactions, but it was by no means the only cne. He was equally generous in his private charities. Sir John tilled every public post, and filled them with distinction. He was identified with the first mercantile business established in Auckland. The history of his life is the histor of the eity. Words cannot add to his fame, nor could words be found adequate to describe the affection and esteem in Which lie was universally Ireld. We can otrly say of him what Dean Stanley said of Charles Kingsley: “The torch has fallen from his hand’. It is for us, for you, to hand it down undimmed to the generations yet to come.”