"A GREEKLESS LAND."

Auckland Star, Volume XXXVI, Issue 34, 9 February 1905, Page 3

"A GREEKLESS LAND."

(By Telegraph.—Own Correspondent.* CHRISTCHLTRCH, this day. In the local morning papers Professor Hashim reiterates his charge that Xew Zealand is a "Greekless land." In reply to the Hon. W. P. Reeves' letter in the London Times,' , he says: "Mr Eeeves says that a good rough test of the effectiveness of education in a language is the number of men over thirty who retain a serviceable knowledge of that language, and he goes on to affirm that in his experience the proportion of such men is as large in New Zealand as in England. So far as I have been, able to ascertain from others. Mr Reeves' experience is unique, but, granting his statement to be correct, he could scarcely have dameed New Zealand for a Greekless hold more effectnalry. His argument may do very well for English readers who don't know any better, and I suppose Mr Reeves has been away sa long that he has forgotten the facts, but New Zealanders know that far and away the great majority of the men over thirty in New Zealand who have a serviceable knowledge of Greek were never taught their Greek in New Zealand- His test therefore tells heavily against himself. Ton might as well argue that England is a great corn producing country because, two-third 3of her wheat is imported."