LAWS, EDUCATION AND SPORT.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 502, 8 May 1909, Page 12

LAWS, EDUCATION AND SPORT.

VIEWS; OF MR. W. ,Wt TANNER.. In his speech at tho social to Mr.' W. W. Tanner at Christckurch on May 4,' Sir Joseph AYard; said that a n>an like, Mr. iaimer was not going- to bo out of publio lifo in this country, for ©vor • > ' '. J f r s T» nnel '> >n replying, said; that ho wished the young people of tho country; were aware of the condition of tho country twenty years ago, for they 1 would then, bo; ablo ■to judgo better of ; tho valuo of .tho efforts of tho men .who had, during tho last two decades, . controlled tho : affairs of State. At tho present time ho should say that Labour was less represented tlian before, but ho was not saying .that it should bo represented to the exclusion of, other sections of l tho community. All sections of, tho oomniunity had » right to representation, but how far thoy were , represented was a matter for the peoplo to judge. A footing; having boon once obtained by Labour/ what was now wanted was moderation and vigilance and patience, and,; with moderation, common sense. } It could never be supposed that tho ! legislative machine oould bo captured in tlio interests of - Labour,' for tho legislative 'machine. should never bo captured in tho interests of anybody except tho general public. It would bo a national calamity for any Government to be at tho mercy of any section of . the pnblic, and compelled to do the bidding of that particular section.' Ho had no sympathy whatever with-those Whose idoas'.of political 1 progress : consisted of nothing but a hard,. strenuous, and continuous. courso of galloping. , It was some-, times possible to get over tho ground quito as easily,? and, more safely, by,, a steady pace than bv always keeping the legislative mackino working at its hardest. It was necessary that ovory section, which wished' to_. bo ; represented. and to, havo its influence in tJio legislature of . tie' country, should keep itself woll informed regarding the currant of human affairs, and ho thought that it. wns a great pity that ,tbe study, of modern history and tJio sooial conditions of tlio countrjF in which wo lived wore not included in tho schools' curriculum. (Applause.) At present hundreds of pupils wore leaving school without real acquirements. They know a good deal more about Julius Caesar than about John Ballanco, What did thoy lmow of such mon as Sir George Groy and' Sir John M'Kcnzio? Even the nanio of Mr. Soddon to ■ thenv simply meant a strong personality which had smco .disappeared, and tho bulk of them could givo a better account of sport during the last three years than of tho doings of the legislature. The State needed thinking, capable citizens now as mucFi as'it did at any poriod of its -liistory, Ho was not antagonistic to sport, but ho thought; that sport and amusomonttook up far too much of tho spare time of tho peoplo who, in the course of a fow more years, woro going to-bo the electors, and so the rulers of this Dominion,