Wednesday, December 15, 1875.

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume IV, Issue 341, 15 December 1875, Page 3

Wednesday, December 15, 1875.

According to our promise made in last issue, we offer a few remarks on the neatly printed pamphlet, published in Dunedin by. Messrs Ferguson and Mitchell,, and entitled The Saving's Bank in the School, being an account of an economic experiment, at Ghent adapted to suit New Zealand.. The author, whoever he may be, appears to have been struck by an. article in MaeMillan's Magazine, contributed by Mr T, G. Fitch, of Loil don, one of Her Majesty’s Inspectors of Schools. It appears that in. Ghent,. the schools are under the supervision of a Communal Council, which Council does not dispense with voluntary aid. Borne seven years a Mr Laurent instituted a plan by which we should imagine the minds of the children were warped into a desire to save money: even a centime at. a time, we are told, was taken, and yet the result does not appear to us to be gigantic, for at the end of seven years, 15,000 adults and children of all ages, have saved on an average only £1 9s, 2d. each. Education is a grave subject, and one which requires much thought. Unlike many of our contemporaries, we cannot accept a theory as gospel for no other reason than that it is conceived in Belgium and advocated by one of Her Majesty’s Inspectors of Schools. For our own part we should like, before giving an opinion, to follow some of these saving youths into mature life, when it appears to us that if the anticipations of the author of this adaptation were realised we should have a race of usurers, from whose minds every sentiment of generosity would- be banished. Saving money would be the business of life, and our bankruptcy, courts would bef ull. Personally, we can but hope that before such a generation is ■ matured we shall have removed to happier climes. We had hardly expected' a pamphlet o! this nature to emanate from Dunedin, as we thought the inhabitants of that city hailed from a

country where the science of parsimony is carried to the verge of decency: it may, however, remain for Dunedin to perfect the science. We cannot say that we have gleaned much information from the perusal of this pamphlet —perhaps there is not much to glean—and for the present deem, it advisable to allow the Belgians to carry out the experiment, and should any benefit accrue future generations may possibly avail themselves of the experience thus gained.