Our Wellington Letter

Feilding Star, Volume XI, Issue 133, 3 May 1890, Page 2

Our Wellington Letter

IfBOM OT7B QWS OO*KBBPONDBHrT.") Wrutnoton, May 1. Tour readers will doubtless remember my having some months ago drawn attention in one of my weekly letters to the fact that the young people of to-day are having their constitutions ruined by too n^uch home-work being given to them, and therefore rendering it necessary to sit up late at night to dispose of the extra work. An abler pen than mine— to wit, that of the editor of the Evening Post — has now taken up the cudgels on behalf of young New Zealand, and in a strong leader a few evenings ago he called the i attention of the law makers of the country to the fact that numbers of children may be met with in every street who are compelled to wear glasses on account of having to study under gaslight when they should be in beds recuperating their exhausted nerves. We must all admit that it is a grand thing that rich and poor alike are now enabled to receive a sound education, but it seems to me that the hobby is being ridden to death. Teachers are expected to have so many passes at each examination, or else the Board want to know the reason why. The result is that the children are put on a stiff diet, night and day, of an unwholesome food called • " Cram," which has the effect of making our young people of to-day putty -faced, weak-eyed, bundles of misery. Let us raise the age at which it is compulsory to send the children to school, and let thai abomination " home-work" be done away with altogether, and then we shall have a heartier and more robust lot of youngsters growing up for the battle of life. A gentleman residing on Thprndon Quay had rather an. unpleasant experience a day or two ago whilst cleaning a rabbit which had been purchased for the* purpose of refreshing the inner man. The animal had a very noticeable puffinesß about one of its legs, and on the swelling being punctured clean water spurted out for a considerable distance. On closer examination it was also found in a cavity in the leg were a number of small white eggs which, on being examined at the Stock Department, indicated that the rabbit had suffered from bladder fluke. It is heedless to say that the ''inner man" did not need that kind of refreshment. Our vegetarian friends should score on this point. Now-a-days, when the speeling fraternity are as common as La Grippe,' it behoves the unwary to be on their guard against "the ways that are dark," in which that reptile called the " spieler " is such an adept. At the Hutt Hack Races last Saturday these gentry were in large numbers, and believing in the old time adage " Unity is strength" they kept well together, and appeared to be driving a " roaring trade." Though there were several members of the " foorce " on the spot, nothing seemed to trouble them except the totalisator dividends, in which one at least seemed to take a great interest. -As the day waned and the evening approached, .the last race was run, and among those anxious to get their " divi " was an old man, who pushed along in the orowd with his tickets held high above bis head. But alas ! the vulture was on the look out for his prey, and before the old man could, realise what had happened the precious tickets were snatched out of his fingers, and he was left to mourn whilst another received the reward of his investment. A vain appeal was made to the totalisator agent not to pay out on the tickets, but as they could not be identified the old gentleman wap compelled to retire to his home a sadder if not a wiser man. 44 What shall we do with our Boys " is a question that has puzzled more than one brain since the sitting of the Sweating Commission commenced. One answer to the problem is : " Give them to the ' girls, of course." Doubtless that part of. the business will be fulfilled in good time, but before they are given to the girls, or rather, as is the fashion, the girls- are given to them, it is necessary to have a little "nest egg" to start the battle of life with, and that is the difficulty that has to be surmounted. Most of the witnesses who gaye evidence before the Sweating Commission complained that there was too large a proportion of boys employed ; but to the query ol the Chairman as what to do with the surplus boys, no reliable scheme was suggested. The New Zealand Times of this morning has a leader upon the' subject, in which it calls upon the Government, and also on the trades and lstbour unions, to face the difficulty at once, and move in the direction of providing such employment as will keep the bone and sinew of young New Zealand with us, and not compel them to leave our shores in search of brighter fields. :