UNIVERSITY EDUCATION.

Hawke's Bay Weekly Times, Volume 1, Issue 38, 16 September 1867, Page 227

UNIVERSITY EDUCATION.

> ; '(Fr6jfi tHe-y ew Ti|jß .sußjeot, of' education , for New Z«Md youth has lafely prominently bfefdrg'tne \EegislatHre-ahd 'the : ■There semmto bya general* desiire Wthe'jia'rt 'of 1 some oftheumembers oft the: General ’Assembly,, this session, to devote, a portion; oft the . Colony’s income to the: foundation .of scholarships ,in)British Universities for.:the sons of Zealand colonists; One.argument pjit forth by the advocates oft'such a ' plan is, that it is of great- impqrtaiicejthat the future, legislators of this 'country ,should' be well educated.' We may : take this for granted, but we do not also admit that ( it ? is4he : duty of the Colony to arrange and carry out a scheme to secure' such an>object. There is-probably much.more cogency in'another as the'members of Parliament are here elected by universal suffrage, and as those'members will be the reflex Of the opinions of those who elect them, the first step is to educate the electors, and make them capable of exercising a sound judgment as to what the country requires-, and in-the choice:of men to carry on, the work of; legislature. And in. addition to this 1 being the natural order, of things, there is also the feet that those who. aspire to be members oj- Parliament.belong, to the wealthy classes.; that they are therer fore able to afford ‘a good .education 5 to their children; and that they must of necessity attend to the education of their sons; but the"bulk df-the electors, being poor men, can ; less afford-to give even' an ordinary common school edneatibn to their and are too ioften -Very, indifferent about the matter.,, . ,«, . „ And ,we .do not, think it. desirable on other grounds that tlie flowqr of New ieadand youth shonU' be sent out ! oft the bountry to 5 receive their education'. 5 If they are’tb'malce tlus'country their home; ' and not merely’a in life’s journey; a spot where they can; im a' feW 'years, heap -together enough riches-to. [enable themto spend : the remainder of, their lives- in. comfortable independency in England, -.or: Italy, , or,. Prance; then it is much better that their education should be carried on and completed here, and, that their early and ‘yonthful associations should : be'" with New Zealand;-

. Again, -our supply of.- the • candidates for admission to a. University will, for. some years to come; necessarily ;be small. ; It will be only in some instances that New Zealand colonists can.afford,to dispense.with'the services of their, sous until• thpy are fvro,or thm-ahd-tWenty ; ykrs.6f age, and, be, at the some time.' able, to devote the large,’ sums that would -be annually required for their maintenanceand education; Theexpenses' of -a'University career: af Oxford ior. Cambridge! cannot be reckoned at much less;than£2oo a year, exclusive pf.vacation time,.if a young-man mpst.keep up anything like appearances,? and a University year is . a very short ,one/. It is. palpable,, then, ,we think, that ‘only" a few/sons/of the very richest of 1 oufi colonists would/ aspire ! to' a University career,' and they would be -very wfell’ able to afford the expense of it without asking for a portion of the expense to be paid by tlie nation,; for itliis is cm At Oxford,- Cambridge, or Dublin, University ipcTzes, scholarships,. and fellowships-r-except in, the cases of those where the observance .of certain .preferences have been enjoined by’the he open to a New-Zealand youth equally vvith orie born in . Great Britain or-: Ireland; if, therefore, honqur is required, that. honour- can' ;be. obtained now,by one who ran earn it by acquitting himself suitably ,ai the examinations. ‘At however, we ,are inclined .to, think that 1 there are now'in this’cquniry themeans.of giying such a scientific,: classical, ’and' mathematical education, as s would‘ be at f least equal to that required for an 'ordinary degree; among the oi polloi at-either- of the ; twO great'English Universities. The lack is not; that - of- men: qualified to teach, so-jnuch as of-youths .remaining- long enough .at school to be •, taug(it. ; If those who require an advanced education, will place,themselves under instructors we-have among, us, and will pay for that education a fair ' and ’proper price, it can be had.' Let the equivalent,paymeats to those made at the better class or at-Harrow,- or Rugby, be paid-'here, from £IOO to £l5O a year,- for each pupil, -and l a high - class education: will be given. ■'? But-from the necessities of our position as a Colony at present, the education of a, youth is checked just attiie agewhen lie would most profit byitlie instruction.;, , , : But wealthy. men in. New Zcpdnd ran also follo\V a plan' which ‘ has ; been "very, ’successfully adopted/in-England, that of founding a proprietary school; such'as those at Cheltenham, Marlborough, and many! Other places, where thei best 'education can he received. This is entirely- within: theirreach, and- thpy needpot, go,pegging; of, the , Go-vernment-according to-the approved New Zealand assistanra to their children by founding 'valuable scholarships to a'British or Irish University; l Atlsuch a' school the'sons of shareholders would receive the very bdst ediication at-fixed rates;': It could .be divided into j unior and senior branches, .and ■ e.Veryrequirement of the. shareholderscould, be met.; They could allow their sons to remain, as, . long, as they; chose;, special masters would be !got for- special,sillyepts; the elder pupils .not’.hs .kepi' r baek ',hy 'the. younger .scholars';' and a systeih of scholarships, or prizes' of gold and silver‘medals; ahd 1 books!, could be given l to those, who, ; in' open’competition for them, proved themseLves ’ in-advance! of- their fellow pupils. The great success of these schools at home is-weU!kriown“ and if a sufficient number of persons in either island, desirous, of. payihg ’for d'lugh c&M education to insure the success of such’a 'school;thei ‘‘objectf ’is* most’, easy of accomplishment; 1! - * -