“THE MERE POLITICIAN.”

Globe, Volume XXIV, Issue 2616, 25 August 1882, Page 2

“THE MERE POLITICIAN.”

The Rev. De. Roseby, who took a somewhat prominent part in the late ceremony of presenting diplomas to the students of the Otago University who, daring the past year, had obtained degrees in the New Zealand University, holds somewhat peculiar views in some respects. Referring to university work* he declared that there is no wealth of whose preservation we should be so conservative as the intelligence of the people, “It is not the soldier,” ho pursued, “it is not any king or kaiser, it is not the mere politician, it is hardly even the prophet, that is the coming man. It is the observer of nature. It is the philosopher. It is * the wise who think.’ ” Now this is all very well to a certain length, but it is carried somewhat too far. The Rev. Dr. Roseby gives us to understand that the work of a man who patiently observes the habits of an earth worm is superior to that of a “ mere politician,” because such work supplies and revises the work on which the man of business, the son of toil, and the legislator stands. It is philosophical, and consequently far above all other things, excepting only godliness. But surely the study of mental phenomena is also philosophical in the highest degree. The work of a statesman is not all rule of thumb. His insight into the laws that govern the human mind should be deep: he should be acquainted with political economy in its various branches, and what he should contribute to the general fund of knowledge to be drawn on by futurity, should be as useful as that handed down by the observer of nature. It is nonsense to talk of a “ mere politician,” and what is more, it is a bad sign to see a man occupying a prominent position giving utterance to such a statement on an important occasion. If a gentleman of Dr. Roseby’s standing holds such views, what are we to expect from the rank and file ? One of the principal misfortunes in this country is that the constituencies are not careful enough about the men that they send up to Wellington to manage their affairs. “It is a mere politician we are sending,” they say at election time. To this, to a large extent, may be attributed the low tone of our House of Representatives. If constituencies would recognise that tho highest intelligence, integrity, experience, and knowledge, both philosophical and general, are required to make a first-rate politician, the quality of our House would soon improve.