LORD ONSLOW ON HIGHER EDUCATION.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 2305, 18 December 1889, Page 2

LORD ONSLOW ON HIGHER EDUCATION.

(PRn rnnss AosooiAnov. ]

Dubtedin, Dsoember 17

Lord On»low m hie epecoh at the presentation of prizes to tho Girls' High School, which took place m tbe Exhibition Oonourt Hall, said :— -I >hiuk that it is more than evorncc~B*Rry horo for women, ia the wori» of Ovid, cirefully to acquire the belleslettres and fine arta, whioh give p lish to our maonerfi, and which substitute culture for barbarism ; and for this reason : That m New Zealand every man 1b engaged la doing work for him ■ self. He is engsgad ia business, or m oommoroo, or m agriculture, auj but little t'mo or leisure is left to him for the oo.lt vatlon of what we call letters. I know there is an opinion generally m tho O\)lo >lea that every man ought to work ; that the whole Colony ought to oonslit of working bees. Now although that Is a very excellent doctrine, I am not who ly efn'isfiod that a 'e'surod oUbi Ib an onmix^d evil to a oomm julty, and I do not look with that fear that some people do on what I venture to think la growing np m Now Zealand, aa elsewhere io. An«tralasls, a oUso of meo whi will bave saffi. olent money to live on without working ; in/1 I venture to say that if auoh a oUbb grows up.lt wi 1 be far beltpr for them, thsy will p-cqalre gruater Important, and they will do greater work for tbalr fellow oreatatMo, if they devote thamselvea to the pat»on»go of the arts and Boleuoea In New Zoalnnd, ratber than taking home their monsy, after >h j have done what Is commonly called ''made thelc pile" to become an i: fioicaimul nnit In the greal crowd >f London Booieiy. (Applause.) Every woman has her appointed plaoo m the groat strootoro of society. Every girl has before her certain appointed dutica to perform, and In order that she may fil" that place m society, In order that bHo may be able discreetly to perform that duty, we seek to give her what we call the higher education of wom^n. We endeavour, an for as lies n our power, to fit h(<r for her <areer io her fut-.»ro lifo, that wo rnny make her, a» far as humtm po Hibiliioß may, as Kingsley hap truly naid : A perfeoi woman nobly planned To warn, to comfort and command j And yet, a spirit, still and bright, With something of an angel light.