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Press, Volume LV, Issue 16417, 10 January 1919, Page 6

Xtm- that Dr. Siegfried, of the French Mission, is with us once more it is interesting to turn over the leaves of his book, "La Democratic en f

Nonvelie Zelande," published in Paris in 1904, to note what were the impressions he found on the occasion of his previous visit. The first thing that strikes one is the thorough mant nor in which Dr. Siegfried carried out his investigations. He dealt with the geography and history of New Zealand, its politics and political parties, the laws dealing with labour land, and immigration, the finances of the country, its religious and social life, the prohibition and feminist movements, Now Zealand and Australian Federation, New Zealand and Imperialism, and various other subjects. He made few mistakesj and showed a grasp of the country and its institutions which is really marvellous considering that the writer is a foreigner ar.d that his stay in the country was very limited. But Dr. Siegfried is evidently a most industrious student and the list of books, etc., dealing with New Zealand which he consulted is sufficient to show how painstaking was his search for the most accurate information.

Of most immediate interest to our readers, perhaps, will be some of the remarks which Dr. Siegfriod made regarding the principal towns of New Zealand as they appeared to him on. liis previous tour. Auckland captivated him, as it does most visitors by its beauty, especially its suburbs. We fancy he now finds many changes in the town. Then it had no electric tramway-, and seemed to him decidedly "provincial." The people struck him as pre-eminently Englishj and ho pictures the very English-looking boys in their caps and the veritable John Bull walking down Queen street a gentleman in a frock coat, a flower in his button-hole, and a bell-topper, which "if not in the latest fashion has none the less pretensions to the most perfect correctness." He noticed the devotion of the Aucklanders to sports and games, and observed also that although no longer the capital it was a place of great commercial activity.

In contrast with Auckland, Christcliurcli, and Dunedin, Dr. Siegfried found Wellington not at all Englishlooking. It was a purely colonial town, built of wooden houses with red roofs. There were only two or three stone buildings, which the residents pointed out with pride. Finally, it was a town "without Character, and without elegance, whose recent origin was too painfully apparent, and which by its colonial. Australian, semiAmerican aspect recalled none of the other Now Zealand centres." In the matter of buildings, at any rate, there have been many changes in Wellington since the early 90's.

heedless to say, Chistchurch and Canterbury struck Dr. Siegfried fifteen or sixteen years ago as they strike General Pau to-day as being pre-eminently English. "Are not the names themselves very English?" he asks, and he adds emphatically that Christchurch is the most English town in New Zealand. He sketches the foundation of the province as a Church of English settlement, and says it -is only necessary to count the places of worship to perceive that Christchurch is "un centre ties religieux"—a "terrible place for churches," as it was put to Dr. Siegfried by a New Zealander, who was "evidently not overfilled with enthusiasm by this superabundance of steeples." Dr. Siegfried recounts some of the sects which came under his notice, remarking that even the "Pantheistic and Monistic movement, which one would not expect to find in such company,'' had taken upon itself an ecclesiastical form, under the name "more philosophic than Christian, *Our Father's Church'."

Speaking generally, this acute and at the same time urbane critic is decidedly complimentary to Christchurch. Each country, he reminds us, has its artistic and literary centre, or rather in each county, a certain town prides itself) on being the capital of Letters and Arts —the refuge of science and culture. "Boston pretends to be the Athens of the United States, Toronto the Boston of Canada. To keep the proportions, and remembering that wo are dealing with a small theatre, we shall say that Christchurch aspires to bo the Toronto of New Zealand." If, he adds, the educational, literary, and artistic institutions of Christchurch are not so numerous as the churches, they nevertheless cut a good figure. "The schools of Christchurch are excollont, and Canterbury College is a very good colonial university. Close by the university, the Museum, the Art Gallery, the Public Library, not to speak of innumerable 'institutes' or clubs, are establishments of which they are very fjroud in the little town."

One other phenomenon struck our visitor, which indeed has often puzzled those who live in Christchurch. The founders of Canterbury, he says, wore ".old-fashioned Englishmen, very conservative, bold in action, but cautious in • thought, who considered tradition at all times and in all places as the best of guides." He goes on to say: "They would bo without doubt very much astonished to-day to see that their descendants, while preserving thoir respect for the outward forms of the past, havo become a very daring people. Christchurch possesses, in fact, a staff of reformers who aro not afraid of trytag any experiment." Ho especially recalls the fact that the movement for women's franchise had its origin in Christchurch.

We need not follow Dr. Siegfried in his description of the Scottish characteristics of Dunedin. One of tho most delicately written chapters in the book is thattfcentitled "Le Snobismo dans .la Societe Neo-Zelandaise," in which he very gently satirises our weakness for people with titles. He rather troats it as part of our whole-souled loyalty and patriotism, to which he pays unstinted tribute. No reasonable person can take offence at criticism which is so obviously honest and good-natured, and we will even venture to add, is, on the whole, so just. Wo hope that Dr. Siegfried will give the public, in another book, the- benefit of tlio impression he has formed on .his present tour, and that ho will be GQually candid and outspoken.