CORRESPONDENCE.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 6, Issue 291, 24 July 1865, Page 2

CORRESPONDENCE.

We shall always feel pleasure in affording space for the free discussion of all subjects affecting the prosperity and progress of the province and colony, not endorsing any opinions expressed in this portion of our columns, and always reserving to ourselves the right to curtail any expression wanting in courtesy on the part of the writer. *,• All communications must be accompanied by the name and address of the writer in confidence, and as a guarantee of good faith.

[To the Editor of the Hawke’s Bay Times.]

SIE, —How much you dwellers on that charming slip of earth the Ahuririhave to congratulate yourselves upon , it appears to me, my good Sir, that you don’t exactly know. 'Everything there is as it should not he, and nothing is there done ivhich ought to he done. What more do you want ? I have observed with infinite satisfaction that your authorities are all men of great renown; that your chief magistrates and leading men are men of exemplary life; and that all those amongst you who are deserving of distinction never get it. This is indeed a charming state of things, because it is clear that your rulers and wise men are impartial in their management of the trust which is placed in their hands by the people ; for, say they, ivith most astonishing wisdom, a “good conscience is its own reward ” ; and, therefore, those who do what theg ought to do require no other encouragement; whereas, on the other hand, those who don’t do what they ought to do — but, on the contrary, persist in doing the other thing—ought to be openly and materially rewarded, so as to counterbalance that one-sided condition of things which must necessarily result from the good men having each in himself his reward, and the bad men having none at all. Thus you see, my friend, that at one stroke and with surpassing logic is attained such a happy perfection in this matter of the recoynition of merit, that it is not to be wondered at that a blind aud stiff-necked people sometimes make complaints and grumble. For instance, as one of your elders was good enough to explain to me, if a man of insignificant standing commits an offence against sobrietg, decorum, or decency, you punish that man with stripes, but if one who hath good parts and is of standing amongst you doeth the like evil, you let him go his way without rebuke ; because it is clearly quite right that if a man be of so poor estate as to have no friends, he deserves to be punished ,• but if, peradventure, he of many friends falls from the path, then you touch him not, as he must have much counterbalancing good in his nature to be able to find men to speak well of him. I see also with admiring wonder that amongst your public servants it is not thought fit that any man should distinguish himself so as to create astonishment in the minds of men, for it has been proved by long practice and much study that if proper men filled proper places in your service, the work, whatever it is, would certainly be done—a catastrophe the realisation of which your righteous Government look upon with great horror and much virtuous indignation. I heard a man one day say that it was a pity the roads and other public works were not better avid more economically carried out, to which one replied, who appeared to be in authority, “ that those who wish such absurdities to be committed had better not stop here, because they won’t see them done.” Truly a very proper observation ; and J hope that the misguided person who made such an ill-judged remark as to lead to so well-timed a rebuke, felt himself sufficiently answered. When, therefore, my esteemed friend , I find added to alt this category of great wisdom and much virtue in your public affairs, that the people themselves shew great discernment in the choice of their representatives in the Council, and that nine out of ten of these distinguished persons axe chosen on account of the impossibility of their doing anything either good or bad, I was not in the ieasv asvoTttsneaf w itiscwcr vnae is point of fact, and in conformity with this prudent arrangement of the electors, nothing was ever yet known to be done by the men of their choice when in Council assembled, for, as a very shrewd person remarked to me upon the subject, (f all of ’em were very wise

why you see they might possibly do too much ” ’ with which admirable view of the matter 1 entirely concur, for too muck of a thing is manifestly objectionable, whether it be of that which is good or of that which is bad, r Hhus you see , my friend/ that upon the whole the condition of things amongst you appears to be highly encouraging and very gratifying, and I am not in the least surprised to find that, as there always will be some foolish and dissatisfied people in the world, there are some amongst you who don't look upon these important matters in the same light as I do, and raising what your chief magistrate calls a 41 factions opposition" to them* are for ever and ever finding fault, as if everything ought to be as it is not, and nothing ought to be as it is. I shall upon a future day let you know the result of some very interesting conversations which I have lately held with the natives upon the matter of the war, and the general condition of Denmark.—l am, yours sc.. The Little Man in Black.