The Nelson Evening Mail. MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 1874.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume IX, Issue 314, 21 September 1874, Page 2

The Nelson Evening Mail. MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 1874.

In our fourth page we publish to-day a letter addressed by Mr Simmons, the Head-master of tbe Nelson College, to tbe Otago Daily Times, and an article by the editor commenting upon it. The remarks referred to by Mr Simmons, which had appeared in a former issue of tbe Times, had escaped our notice, or we certainly should have called attention to them, and pointed out tbeir fallacy, and we are exceedingly glad, for the sake of our chief educational establishment, tbat the cudgels have been taken up in its behalf by so able a champion. The idea of claiming the first place for Otago in educational matters in the face of the statistics quoted by Mr Simmons is too absurd, and the editor's defence, wben bis statements are challenged, redounds to the credit of Nelson College, as compared with other high class educational institutions, more perhaps than he intended it to do. It simply amounts to tbis, that in Otago a larger expenditure is devoted to education than in any otl er province, tbat Canterbury in this respect is close in its rear, and that Nelson is behind both, whereas the result is tbat out of the twenty-nine University scholarships awarded within the last three years, Nelson has carried off fourteen, or within a very small fraction of one-half, Canterbury tweive, aad Otago but three. The superiority of the education given at our College is thus made manifest; tbat it ia generally recognised, is shown Jjy tbe fact that boys from all parts of New Zealand ' are to be found in its class rooms, whjje itjs a w,ellrkoown fact that more families ; than one have mf.de this town their permanent abode ,ia order that the younger branches may avail themselves of tbe opportunity of pursuing thefr studies uuder moro advantageous cir- , cumstances than are to be found io any otber province in the colony. In somf

things Nelson is undoubtedly backward, but io all tbat pertains to education she occupies a prominent position, of which neither Otago nor Canterbury with all their lavish expenditure have yet been able to deprive her.