The Globe. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 28, 1877.

Globe, Volume VIII, Issue 861, 28 March 1877, Page 2

The Globe. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 28, 1877.

Mr. Woolcombe, the Resident Magistrate of Timaru, seems to entertain but a poor opinion of our far-famed system of education. The other day, at Timaru, a man named George Cullen, charged with stealing a chisel, at once admitted having possession of the article, but explained that his little girl had found it in the grass, and had taken it home with her. Whereupon the magistrate is reported by the local papers to have said “ that accused had acted very wrongly in not trying to find out where the child had got the chisel. His opinion was, that as morality was not taught to children in school, it was the duty of parents to do so.” We are not prepared to say that this gratuitous outburst on the part of Mr Woolcombe is an absolute libel upon the mode in which educational matters are conducted at the present moment in Canterbury, Perhaps, to a certain extent, and in individual instances, mere book learning, to the exclusion of moral teaching, is, here and there, to be found ; but is left in a great measure to the public to take advantage of the facilities afforded by the Act of procuring religious instruction in school. Special provisions are made for the purpose of enabling clergymen of any denomination to attend at certain stated periods and impart religious instructions to those children whose parents are willing that they should be so taught. Of late, we believe, there has been considerable falling-oft' in the number of these visitations, owing mainly to the little encouragement clergymen have received in the matter. And it is much to be regretted ; as, in a large number of cases, parents —especially among the poorer classes —are so circumstanced as to preclude their being able to devote much time and attention to that all-important branch which, of necessity, a secular and undenominational system of education must throw upon their hands. Yet, we are confident that there are no grounds for this sweeping assertion made by the Timaru Magistrate, the import of which, besides, must necessarily have less force in a small community like Timaru than in more populated centres. It is one of the first duties of life to inculcate in young people’s miuds those necessary elements of morality upon which the success of their future must be mainly based, and we are not aware that, in Canterbury, parents neglect their duties in that respect more than in other English communities. As to the valuable piece of legal advice given to George Cullen with reference to his obligations towards the owner of the chisel, whom, the magistrate said, he (should have endeavoured to discover, everybody knows how different the ,»iactive is from the theory. Legal jurisprudence is full of those beautiful saws, one of which is that “every Knglishman is supposed to know the law,” Another, far more charitable in ivs adaptability, and one which should (.ertauly be feund mere congenial by

Mr. Woolcombe in its practical application, is that “ every man is presumed to be innocent until found guilty.” And, in this Tirnaru case, we certailny think that both Cullen and his child might have the prima facie benefit of the doubt.

Thebe was a nice little hubbub at the last sitting of the City Council, when our energetic friend Mr. Hobbs tried his hand, once more, at Latin quotations. And it was all “under the rose,” and should not have been paraded forth before the world at large by the wicked morning journals, which sometimes “ want to know, you know,” a great deal too much. Councillor Hobbs had gained his point, and the Council had resolved to poll the city and feel the ratepaying pulse with regard to the great Town Hall citm Morten controversy. In an unguarded moment, borne on the wings of the elation with which Mr. Hobbs’s mind was naturally full, he leant over to his civic brethren and, with a wink, remarked —sub rosa, mind ! —that the Council’s solicitor would have it that, as the ratepayers’ meeting had been informally called, subsequent proceedings wsre illegal. Then “ all the fat went into the fire” in a moment. No, neither the Mayor, nor Mr. Nathan either, would accept the horticultural statement, “ cum grano salis !” Sub rosa, indeed ! Mr Nathan would speak; yes, and he thought it fearfully and wonderfully strange that so important a piece of information had not reached them sooner. And his Worship echoed the remark, stating at the same time that this was the first he had beard of it. To the poll, however, will the ratepayers have to go, and a greasy one seemingly have these bewildering municipal proceedings made it. Should Mr. Hobbs’s darling project yet come to pass, he will, in truth, be enabled to add to his favorite vocabulary, and in good conscience exclaim: Civis Bomaims sum !

Next Saturday will be the last day on which names of persons desirous of becoming possessed of the electoral franchise, for the present year, can be received by the officials whose duties are to assist in the formation of the voters’ lists. In 1875, the Legislature passed an Act —the Registration of Electors Act—relieving ratepayers of personal trouble in the matter. One of its provisions is, that, on the last day in the month of March in every year, the clerk of every governing body shall compile an alphabetical list of all those persons, being males of twenty-one years or upwards, ivho shall have paid their rates during the year, in respect of rateable property situate in the electoral district. From this list, which is sent to the Registration Officer, the electoral roll is partly made up. But any person, not having paid any rates during the period mentioned, and being possessed of property—let it be household, freehold, or leasehold—of an annual value to let of at least £lO, can still secure the privilege, by complying with the provisions of the Registration of Electors Act, 1866. This is done, as has often been pointed out before, by sending a written application to the Registration officer of the district, previous to the 31st of March, and declared before an elector or a Justice of the Peace, stating the necessary qualifications. Almost every almanac contains the needed form of application which requires but little trouble to copy. 8o it is seen that it is entirely people’s own fault if, possessing the necessary qualifications, they do not get their names placed upon the roll. Surely the inconvenience attached to the two processes is but trifling.