NOTES OF THE DAY.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1779, 18 June 1913, Page 6

NOTES OF THE DAY.

• Some people profess to believe that the Bible-in-Schools League is only a clerical movement in which the general public take very little inbercst; but the actual facts point unmistakably in the opposite direction. Both sides have held great meetings in Auckland and Wellington, and more recently the Roman Catholic Bishop df Auckland (Dr. iCleary) addressed a gathering which filled tho Dunedin Garrison Hall, one of the largest buildings in the city, holding over 2000 peoplo. The latest demonstration took place on Friday last, when the Anglican Dean of Dunedin (Dr. Fitchett) replied to Dr. Cleary in the same building, which was crowded in all parts, manv people being unable to obtain admission. The Dean's speech, of which a lengthy report was published in the Otago Daily Times, was a decidedly able and vigorous utterance, and, judging by the frequent applause, ho seems to have carried his audience with him from first to last. Dn. Fitchett's references to the position of tho school teachers and the text book were of special interest in view of tho prominence which this aspect of the question has been receiving lately We publish in another column an extract from this portion of his speech, which is well worthy of careful attention. Tho keen interest which is being shown throughout the colony in tho controversy makes it evident that the (jovernment and Parliament will have to face the question, and as we have already stated, it is difficult to see how the demand for a referendum can be refused.

The methods of some of the Opposition journals just now are really too transparently thin for anything. In connection with the vacancy for the Grey scat, for instance, one paper has'been noisily issuing challenges to the Government to treat the result of the contest for the scat as a test of the popularity _of the Reform Party. Already it has harped on this string several times, making pretence to believe that the contest for this seat will be a* fair test of party strength. Could anything be more futile than such silly vapourings in face of the facts 1 Everyone knows that for over twenty years the West Coast electorates have been the greatest stronghold of the Continuous Ministry, and the Groy seat itself had been hold by Sir Arthur Guinness at the time of his death for nearly thirty years. At the last election, Sir Arthur Guinkbss had a majority of some 1100 votes over his opponent, the Labour-Socialist candidate, while the Reform Party did not have a candidate at all. It is true that since the general election the wave of feeling which swept the country in favour ot. Reform has grown in strength as tho result of the shabby trickery, with which the Continuous Ministry sought to cling to office; and that feeling has been still further fortified by the success with which the Massey Government on its accession to office overcame the difficulties placed in its way and conducted the affairs of the country. But to pretend that the contest for the Grey seat will afford a fair test of the popularity of the respective parties throughout the • Dominion is more dishonest than we would have, expected even from the more i reckless and unscrupulous of ,the i anti-Reform press. It would bo juot 1 aa reasonable to argup?,-in the event

)f the Government running a candidate for the scat —that as no votes tor Reform were polled at the last ilection there, every vote cast on the ore-sent occasion may be taken to indicate an increase of Ilcform strength in the electorate. There las been a considerable revulsion of feeling on the Went Coast against :he so-called. "Libera}" party. Sill \rtjiuk GuinkkhHj liimKclf, only a few clays before lilts death, had paid i high tribute to tlie honesty and [airness <jf the Markky (Government. Hut in a triangular contest hucli as that now in prospect, ami in u community wlicre imch extremes of feeling exist, ami where jwrsonal partisanship has boeii so important an Section factor in the past, it is useless to attempt to forecast the result. On present appearances the Labour-Socialist candidate would •eeni to have a good fighting chance. Presumably, if lie should win the election, it would indicate; according to the argument of our antjlteform friends, that the country is in favour of a Labour Government. It now seems certain that the Australian Libcrata will have a majority of. one in the Icdcral House of Representatives. In view of this fact it ia understood that Mn. Fihiier will tender his resignation to the Governor-General without any unnecessary "delay, and advise him to send for' Mn. Cook, the Leader of the Opposition. In thus promptly and frankly accepting the verdict of the country, Mr. I'ishek will set a good example. Hie straightforward course of action provides a very striking contrast to the unedifyinfj attempts of the New "Jcaland "Liberals" recently tc retain office by all sorts of political trickery after the electors nad decided in favour of a change. Not long ago the M'Gowen Ministry in New South Wales showed a similar unwillingness to relinquish office when it was plain to everyone that they could not carry on the business of the country in a reasonable manner. Their action -gave rise to a series of deplorablo .incidents which brought discredit on Parliamentary government. Mn. Fisher, however has decided upon a more dignified line of action, preferring to resign immediately the results are knowr instead of waiting for his opponents to thrust him out of office. It remains to bo seen whothcr Mr. Coon will be able to _ carry on with ee narrow a majority. He will, oi course, form his Ministry, meet Parliament, and await the development of events. A deadlock between the two Houses must inevitablj arise sooner or later. Then will come the double dissolution and anothei appeal to the people.

To-day is the anniversary of the battle of Waterloo, which was fought on June 18, 1815, and marked the final overthrow of Napoleon. Waterloo was one of the decisive battles of history, and, notwithstanding the diversity of opinion that mav exist regarding the details of the fighting, there is no doubt that the British Army covered itself with glory. The Duke of Wellington admitted that for a time the result trembled in the balance, and when asked to give a description of the battle, he said:—"We pounded, and they pounded, and we pounded hardest." "The final overthrow of Napoleon," writes Professor Pollard, "to which Great Britain had contributed more by its efforts in the Spanish Peninsular War (1808-1814) than at ' the crowning mercy of Waterloo, confirmed its conquests in India and'its control of tho trade routes of the world." The centenary of Waterloo will take place in 1915, two years from now, and it is not likely that the occasion will be allowed to pass without some fitting commemoration in which the whole Empire will be able to join.