NEWS AND NOTES.

Hokitika Guardian, 10 June 1929, Page 8

NEWS AND NOTES.

‘.CYNICISM IN THE SCHOOLS. “Tins is Hob a secular country. True we have a lot of cynicism. It is true ilso that whereas before the war only the old men were cynics, cynicism has now .spread down to the younger people, as far as the adolescents. But or Cod’s sake, let us keep cynicism nit of the schools. ll' education is to be secularised let it not lie done by the teachers. Politicians may do it if-they like, for they are cynical enough. The spiritual sentiments df the people of this country may be hidden and smothered, but deep down they are there. Do not let us snatch from the children what is sometimes the only opportunity they have of being taught Christianity.” Airs Manning, Vice-President of the N.U..T. PROTECTION JOKE. “About a century and a-lialf ago to-bacco-culture was practised very profitably in England, and bade fair to become one of the great industries of that country. Bub thereupon the Government of George HI. made a law absolutely prohibiting the growing of tobacco anywhere in the United Kingdom. Why? Because, so they said, the existence of tobacco-liclds was ruinous to the wheat-fields making the grain unfit for human tood. That however, was a fine example of what is scientifically known as ‘spoofing.’ The real reason was that the more tobacco there was grown at home, the less tariff revenue there would he for the Treasury from tobacco imported from abroad. Therefore, to ‘safeguard’ the revenue, tobacco-culture was forbidden. !n the name of Adam Smith —wisdom I”L-North American Review. THE HAUNTS OF GENIUS. “There is nowhere in the land any homo so remote so humble, that it may not contain the power of mind and heart and conscience to which nations yield and history submits its processes Nature pays no tribute to aristocracy subscribes to no creed or caste, renders fealty to no monarch or master of any name or kind. Genius is no snob. It does not run after titles or seek by preference the high circles of society. It affects humble company as well as great. It pays no special tribute to universities or learned societies or conventional standards of greatness • •lit serenely chooses its own comrades its own haunts, its own cradle even and its own life of adventure and of training.”—The late President V. ilson.

YouTH ANI) ITS OUTLOOK

“If youth-.atain.v particular hour in the world’s history lives through its ulnstic years in a unique environment., iif it passesthrough overwhelmingly oweiTul experiences, il it suffers volcanic upheaval of the very soil of lite, and if earthquake brings the buildings that have stood, for centuries crashing down in ruin, then the youth of that • eneration may, be expected to have attitudes and an outlook drastically unlike those df the previous gener-ation.”—-Mr Basil Mathews.