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Dunstan Times, Issue 1295, 24 December 1886, Page 3

In the curriculum laid down by the Go* wernment for the education of the rising; .generation, a very great deal of time devoted to the study of what is called (save the mark) History, and by the same token te Geography, and the Lord save us, Arithsnetic. From the fact of the Government inspections of the schools in this neighborhood only just having preceded |the school 'examination, and these latter only Jjust having passed, the voryjdepths of the whole •system have been laid bare, and some ■points on which we bad doubts have been •made as clear to us as mnd. We ads •visedly say mud, as the subject is a very ■dirty one, ■‘ShS hold that any system that 'Contains faults andjflaws in michji markeddegree is a dirty and corrupt one. For •Instance, in the first place we refer to History, and ask of what use is the knowledge of how, when, and where the various Kings and ■Queens of England came to the throne ; or of what interest to-day is the War of the Rosea, as against She want of •information of tbV'ea'rly history of the •Colonies the same may be said of Geography. and of Arithmetic. As to this •latter, in ' an examination that took place a short time ago, a question was asked—to put it shortly—how many square yards of . fencing are there in a paddock of a defined •areal Now, what in the name of common •sense is the utility of such a question, such "dike, and a cramming with the history of ancient Britain as compared with a knowledge of modern Britain and its Colonies - -and dependencies is veritable rubbish; and again, what attention is paid to the morals -and manners of the children 1 It may be answered that these are home du ies. To •the existing inane, baneful, and demoralising system is public attention being drawn. The ‘ Australasian,’ in an article •on the Victorian Education Report dwells strongly on the point, and the " Bruce Herald "in ahte issue, says : - But it must be recollected that such a proportion of the * lives of boys and girls is spent at school that "the influences which there surround them are far more likely to ifbct the formation •of habits than are the associations of home. And it is a fact that colonial boys and girls •are, as a rule, most annoyingly rude, and bhey are almost totally wantmg in reepest ’to their elders, superiors, and even their •own parents. Itiejus't this sort of thing which developes into Urribinism, and just want of restraint and education in the common courtesies and refinements of life which leads on to such brutal outrages as that for which nine young men are now under senfence of death in New South Wales. The State has assumed the responsibility of edu■cation i it ought to frame some regulation 11 fo prevent the children of its charge becoming larrikins. , The latest return from White’s Reef is ■260 ounces retorted gold from 186 tons of atone. With th's issue appears our customary Xmas Supplement, and with it we wish our friends and supporters A Merry Xmas •and A Happy New, Year. To the various entertainments provided (or the amusement of the people and announced in other columns we have pleasure in drawing special attention; ■ We are requested to draw attention to the fact that Jonations of fl >wera and evergreens for the decoration of the Episcopalian Church, Clyde are solicited; as a'so the assistance of willing hands to decorate the church for the coming season. -The first wool of the - season passed thront hj Clyde this wees, being a load from lit. Pisa Station. A detacament of the Flying Brigade of the Salvation Army are now on a raid through this part of the country, We have received no official information of their ( coming, but they may be expected now daily. Mr Don, the Chinese missionary, arrived in Clyde during the past week, remaining | ■ some three hours. He afterwards passed j on to Alexandra, from whence as his head j quarters ho visited all the all-lying districts- . Mr Don is journeying through, the country | on foot, - by that means is able, to visit 1 Chinese in the most out of the way Idcali- 1 ties.

It' is well that property-;owners should' bear in, m|nd that the property tqx .was due.apd payable da Tuea.l»y laat,_ aud that where it' is under Lls it was payable in one tuin..- . 'J j • A writer in tha Temuka “ Leader ” says it k stated, on very good autho'rity, that since Hall’s-conviction he has written a letter to bis wife aakiqg her to remain faithful to him', and not for.a divorce,as he expects to, be released from gaol in two or three years.;'' He says that his nncle is-bound to get into power very shortly, and that when he he will sot him ; free again. "When free he will have no' means of subsistence unless his wife will remain faithful to him, and support him out of hep income.. Oo these grounds he asks her. not to seek a divorce hut to remain faithful until he returns to heri There is another going it's rounds, which is veiy peculiar. It is tfavelling in company wih 'he one just told and both are supposed to have escaped over the wall Of-tho gaol. It is stated tbit when the gaol -authorities " were returning to Mrs. Hall some rings and jewellery belonging t> Hall, and for .which he hod no use in his new abode, phe noticed that a ring was conspicuous by its absence. She enquired What had become of this ring and was told that Hall had ordered it to he given to Miss Houston.' Of course these , stories may not bn true, but they are going the rounds. ' ’ • • • .. A Special Meeting of the Vincent County Council was held on W.ednesdav last, when it was resolved to rescind the motion passed at a special meeting re the Cbaiiman’s honorarium, aud it was afterwards resolved that the honorarium for the current year be £125, it- was alto decided’ to prosecute tho informations against Mr C. T. Marie for interfering with the road running past his coal lease. The death of tho Marquis ot. Ailesbury raises tp the peerage one of, perhaps, the most extraordinary specimens of hereditary rank that even recent days have seen (writes the London correspondent of the Liverpool Post). Lord Savernake, who now becomes the Marquis of Ai’esbnry distinguished himself a few years ago by -constantly appearing in public as a costermonger, -He wore the usual stiff cloth, cutaway flash coat, with rather large pearl buttons; tho tight corduroy breeches, with .bell buttons the gaudy gipsy handkerchief, and the small peaked cap in which the well known London character disports, and he also drove a small cart of the coster type. Among his other idiosyncrasies was his marriage, when he selected as the future merchioneas one ot the young labies whonf cv/-J I enin Hollingshead used, produce in the burlesques of the Gaiety Theatre. We understand that but of 204 candidates for the Junior civil-service examination three High School boys gained the first places in the following order : Anghs S. M. Poison, Peter Herons, and J. E. Stevens ; and that in'the isenior civil service examination Poison stood fifth.—Daily Times. Wa (Dttnstax Times) learn that of five candidates sent up for the same examination from the Clyde School four gained* tha honor. Christmas Seivicea are advertised to be held in S. Michael’s Church as follows Carol Service this evening at 8 o’clock ; on Christmas morning: Morning Prayer and Holy Communion at 11 o’clock. The Government have decided to prosecute Mr M’Hugh, editor of the Sligo Champion, on account of a speech delivered at a Land League meeting, inciting Irish tenants to boycotting and to the committal of agrarian outrages. Messrs Dillon, O’Brien, Harris, and O’Sheehy, prominent Land' League supporters, have been arrested at Loughles, while engaged in pre iding over the collection of rents. They were brought up on the 17th inst charged with obstruct " ing the proper’ payment of rents, • and remanded, bail being accepted. The money collected by the prisoners from tenants for payment of rents has been seized by the police. MrM’Hugh, of the Sligo Champion, has been released from custody. The plan of the campaign adopted by the norent agitators has been proclaimed an illegal conspiracy, and those partaking in it liable to prosecution. Messrs Dillon, O’Brien, Harris, and O’Shea, who were brought up at Loughrea chrrged with obstructing the properpayment of rent, will not be further proceeded against at that place, bat instead, the defendants, together with Messrs Redmond and O’Reilly, will be brought up to Dublin, charged with conspiracy. Messrs Dilion and O’Brien, while ont driving, were thrown from their conveyances, and Mr Dillon’s injuries are of so serious a nature as to confine him to bed. We have received from Mr B. Naylor, the Clyde agent for Mill, Dick, and Co.’s Almanac, a copy of that very useful peri odical for 1887. With each suocseiling number of late years we have noticed an increasing improvement, and tbit for the coming year is no exception to the rale, it containing a large amount of useful information, covering in all 372 pages, besides a Goldfields and General Otago Directory of some 224 panes. The opening pages are devoted to a sketch of the. life of the late Major Sir J. L. 0. Richardson,third Superintendent of Otago. Frequently, and when least expected, we find an acknowledgment of the free issue ot this journal. The last occasion was by the Mayor of Wellington in his’ address to his Council on his return from attending the Municipal Jubilee in Sydney. In speaking of the Public Libraries of Sydney and Melbourne he said :—“ The Melbourne public library was for reference only. They had a splendid building there, with library, art gallery and museum all in one, and IH ■ with the electric light. He Was very much amused when he asked what New Zealand papers thay kept, to find only tho ’.New Zealand Herald’ and ’‘Lyttelton Times.’ These were, of course, representative papers have a right to be there, but the only others are the * Dunstan Times ’ and ‘ Grey River Argils no Wellington• or^Dunedin (sapors at all: Another injustice to thesb two cities ! Wellington, of course, puts up with it in a Christian-like manner,’but be wondered ’ at Dunedin allowing herself ;to be slighted in that way,”