The Evening Star. TUESDAY, MARCH 30, 1875.

Evening Star, Issue 3774, 30 March 1875, Page 2

The Evening Star. TUESDAY, MARCH 30, 1875.

For certain purposes the ancient blunderbuss is a far superior weapon to the HenriMartini rifle. If the person using the weapon is a very indifferent shot, and it is desirable that he should bit something, no matter what, then it is evident that the blunderbuss may enable him to do this, when the more accurate and delicate instrument would prove a total failure. For while the ball from the rifle would go straight in one direction and one only, the charge from the blunderbuss might go anywhere and hit anything— it would be impossible to say what In short, the blunderbuss, if it has uo other merit, has this one—it scatters tremendously. Much of the same kind of praise might justly he awarded to an article which, appeared in the columns of euc of our contemporaries a day or tw'o ago. In the article retorted to the writer endeavors to show that the new scholarship regulations of the IS'ew Zealand i niversity are to be very effective n improving the educational institutions of the Colony, In order to do this he first attacks the o’d regulations, a; d endeavors to show, with considerab e vigor, if with no great success, tut evidently quite to his own satisfaction, that want of success on the part of the candidates at these examinations is a thing to be proud' of. In fact, according to this writer, “ the effect of the scholarship examinations has b«en purely mischievous-so mischievous that v.o i.tuestly congrucuia'x* those schools aud schi 01-ljoys which achieved the honorable distinction of not winning scholarships ; and we congratulate sti.J more those schools and school-boys which never attempted to win scholarships.” The writer then goes on !,o speak in most glowing terms of what is going to be accomplished by the scholarships of the University in the future through the influence of some unknown cause, possibly, as he suggests, the change which has been made in the name of the governing body. This is, of course, as if one should meet a friend avid address him in some such terms as these “My dear fellow, you have been a most

awful nss hitherto, but as you have been taking Walker’s Vinegar Ritters there is every reason to believe that you will in future show yourself to be as wise as Bolomom, at the very least.” The ‘ Daily 'limes’ blunderbuss does scatter—a Utt’e, at all events. But it has anodier merit: it will bhooc round the conn r, at least round one corner. When the writer bad finished hie article it appears that he became aware that what he had already written was, on the whole, a pretty satisfactory defence of a gentleman whom the ‘ Times ’ had taken very considerable pains to abuse and vilify. Accordingly, it was found neiessary to qualify what had been said. The University examination had done one go d thing—the writer puts it thus ;—“ ttven the miserable examinations which have been held hitherto have been sufficient to expose the worthlessness of our higher school education.” Without laying any particular stress on the very considerable want of principle shown by a paper which can thus blow hot and cold almost in one breath to serve some unknown purpose, we would mtrelv say that it would be hardly possible to imagine ■ more complete contradiction than that which exists between .hi« statement and that contained in the former quotation. If it was an honorable distinction to fail in the examinations, how could these examinations by any possibility “expose the worthlessness of our higher school education,” unless a large proportion of the young men from the High School and the University had succeeded in passing them ? The long and short of the matter is that the writer has produced an article about a thing that he understands only very imperfectly, and being apparently little troubled by such a small matter as the distinction between fairness and unfairness, he has tried to make his prejudices do duty as facts.

Ihe article in question comes out quite strong on the subject of cramming. A high authority has said “ Words are the counters of wise men, and the money of fools,” As long as this word “cramming” was used to mean the process of storing a child’s mind with certain formula or facts, no attempt being made to cause him to understand the meaning or hearing o these, the word was useful, and conveyed a certain meaning which no other word could convey; but since this vocable has come to be generally used by the people in the second part of the adage above quoted, and applied to processes never included under it by th< .so who original ly invented it, it is as Todhuntkr calls it ‘an absurd aud unmeaning word.” But though the value of the counter has thus been altogether altered, it is still looked upon by the persons alluded to as retaining its old significance, and consequently as deserving of all reprobation. Our contemporary appears to mean by the expression “cramming,” special preparation ! or a competitive examination, Though, as we have intimated this is anythin*: but the true meaning of the term, we arc quite content to use the word in this seme. But then w r e shall have to say that, of all kinds whatsoever of discipline for giving young people liberal mental culture, “cramming” is the very best. All the authorities of the"highest hnglish, Scotch. Irish, German, French, and American educational institutions think so. At all of these institutions success at competitive examina lions is held up as the object and end to be aimed at by their students, ihe highest honors which these institutions can give an invariably conferred on those who most distinguish themselves in the examinations, and we have been informed by graduates of distinction that irom the time that a likely young man enters Cambridge, bis attention is directed by his tutors, by the College au ' thorities by the * tenor, of the University regulations, and by the to; o of feeling prevalent in the place, to the competitive examinations. which will give or refuse him a good place in the classical or the mathematical iripos. But it may be said that, though this is true with regard to Universities, it is not true of good public schools. To any such statement we must also give a fl it denial: from one end of England to the other there is not to he found a single good school where success at competitive examinations - notably at the University local examinations—is not considered both as the object and the test of all the work done in the school. Day by day these competitive examinations are coming to fie looked upon with more and more confidence as the only means of testing the amount of education which students have received, and as the only safe guides to ho followed by those educationists who really wish to give theb pupils a sound training that ia to say, the general feeling everywhere, is that the best education that cau ba j.-iven to a boy is involved in the process of thoroughly preparing him to compete at a ti.st-class competitive examination. This is rot to bo done, as the ‘ Times ’ suggests, in some sort of uondesc ipfc way', by entirely ignoring the examination, aud traveling along tome educational road which, as far as wo can see, loads nowhere, hut rather by keeping it steadily in view, diverging neither to the right hand nor the left, but always moving directly towards it.

The Provincial Council has been sum moned to meet at noon on Monday, May 3

We understand that Mr C. de V. Tesche maker just before leav.ng for England re signed his seat as M.P.C. for Moeraki.

A reward of LSO has been offered by the police for the conviction of the murderer in the Arrow town infanticide case.

The last number of the ‘Australian Israelite,’ published in Melbourne, contains an article headed, “How, when, and whore did the pr.seut marriage ceremony originate ?” °

Wo read of some good gold getting at Roxburgh. A party known as Earlaw’s has for a long time past been making as much as H5 cer nun per week, and iho other day a thin share sold for L 420.

Yesterday the Customs officials at tho Port presented Mr William Mills, who for years was connected wish the Department in Duuedi:-, end is now proceeding to England, with a field-glass and a travelling case. Information has reached us through the police that a man num-d l hiiip Smith, a ferryman, was accidentally drown d on Tuesday night, in the Waitaki. The body had not been found up to a late Lour last evening.

Messrs W. Cumiuo, of Horseshoe Bush, P. K, M'Cuugban, of 'estw:od station Mataura, P. Oakden, of T-ipni Downs, i’! Wayu-, of Akatore, and C. J. Wilson, ef Shag Point, have been appointed to the commission of the peace ■ aud letters of naturalisation issued in favor of B. P. ytohr Dunedin ’

lire -hearers’ Association carry over to next season a credit balance of L 8 odd, and lad nieht el. ctedas President, Air Robert Mahon ■ So, rotary, Mr W. Ash ; Treasurer, Mr u’ Pcyn'ddji, and Committee Miasra <T Wright; 0. Frederick ; G. Robinson' D*. VNebster, and Peter Sinclair. 1 bore will shortly be issued “ A digest of the law and practice of the Resident Magistrate’s and District Courts, with that of the Supreme Court on Appeals, and other proceedings connected with (hose Courts; containing all the important decisions in England (under the County Courts Act since 1846), m Victoria (under the County* Courts Atatutos), in New .South Wales (under the District Courts Acts), aud in by Mr G. B. Barton. 5

actual am cun i, of the collection at the 1 rlncess Theatre on Sunday evening was 1.80 Ila Id—threepenny ;vnd sixpenny pieces representing 750 of those present. A general mistake has been made about the extent to Tvnich the Provincial Government subsidises contributions to the Benevolent institution's funds. >'ome years ago they received 2to 1 ; but for some time past the grant has been only pound for pound.

Owing to tho holidays but very little has been done at the Immigration Barracks during tho past week. On Saturday the immigrants by the Dallam Tower were open for engagoment, and the following hirings r ro 6 eeQ fiffeotvd rhtee ploughmen at L 52 per year, one female servant at L3O per year, two at L 33, and two at 140, all found.

At the annual sale of yearlings from the Victorian studs of Messrs Philips, Bowler, hvana. and Simson tho prices ranged from 65 to 625 guineas. The last mentioned was given by Mr Piigate for a bay colt,by the Marquis, out of Nuncia (imported). Captain Hutchison purchased, for seventy guineas, a bay colt by (..diver Twist, out of Gelatine. A mesfc successful surgical operation has been performed by Drs. Sorley and Cole, in removing the disfigurement known as bare-lip.’’ The little patient—a babe a few months old—was born with this peculiarity as well as with fissured hard and soft palate a circumstance that rendered the case more complicated. When the child was three months old the necessary means were adopted for dosing the lip, and the cure has been moat successfully accomplished. The medical gentlemen named have not thought it desirable to operate on the fissured palate until the child reaches the age of ten or twelve years, when they propose, if opportunity is afforded, to close that also.

The following items are from to-day’s ‘ Bruce Herald ’ By the recent death of four ladies iu Balclutha neighborhood, no fewer than twenty-seven very you. - 'g children have been left motherless. —Mr Barr, C.E., arrived iu Tokomairiro y.isterday, and this morning will commence a survey of a branch line to the Tokomairiro coalfield, as ordered by the Provincial Council at its last sitting.—The survey of the line of railway from Balolutha to Gatlin’s River will be commenced in a few days —Sir John Richardson has cli-posed of his present residence and estate—SVillowmead, Puerua. Mr Robert Maokay, at present residing at the Manse, Puerua, is the purchaser, and the price is reported to be 1,7 an acre. The property extends to 700 acres, 200 of which are high and ridgy, and which brings the price of the remaining 500 acres up to about LlO an acre, bir John has ri solved to leave Puerua, aud for the future to reside with his daughter in Invercargill,

The action of the General Government, in reference to the Forbury Railway is upheld by the ‘ Lyttelton Times,’ which says :—“ It is no doubt a hard case for ihe Company, but the hardehio is due to their own acts. They represented to the public that the railway would bo open iu time for this year’s race meeting, and the public, attracted by the prospect of early revenue, agreed to support the enterprise. But before making any representations, the Company should have made certain of its own powers. The duty of the Government is clear. They cannot allow anything to go on iu the country in direct violation of the law. They have, no discretionary power, but must simply follow the law laid down for their guidance. In 'bis case, perhaps, no evil result would follow if they departed from the ine of strict duty. The Com, any may be sabdy looked to for performing everything that is required of them. Compliance with their request would even secure to the (Government some solid benefits in the revenue they would derive from the Company’s operations. But neither the certainty of future good faith, nor the profit that is ia store for the countrv or for individuals, should induce the Government to waive the performance of thoir duty. The sanitary argument is the only one employed ;/y the company that :ooks unanswerable on paper. But to those who know the circumstances, it requires no reply, for it ia really untenable. As Duuedin has been fairly healthy without the railway, it may be inferred that its citizens can go on for a little longer without the ‘sniff of the briny ’ provided by considerate directors for the benefit of their health. In this first instance of private railway-making, the importance of establishing a precedent cannot be overlooked.”

, _ We , have received from Mr Braithwaite the London Journal’ for January, and ‘Bow Bells for February,

To-morrow being the anniversary of the Province of Taranaki, Sunday hnurs will be observed at all stations in that Province. A messenger will leave Opunaki for Stoney River at 10.30 a.m. to-morrow, returning at 5 p.m. same day.