New Zealand Times (PUBLISHED DAILY.) SATURDAY, APRIL 21, 1877.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 5016, 21 April 1877, Page 2

New Zealand Times (PUBLISHED DAILY.) SATURDAY, APRIL 21, 1877.

A few days since a telegram appeared in our columns, announcing that the Governors of Canterbury College “were about to apply to the Colonial Government for a landed estate to enable them to establish a Girls’ High School.” Knowing that there was in Canterbury a College already endowed very richly out of lands, which in all justice and equity really were the property of the colony ; knowing also that the designation “College” is very loosely used, we “wanted to know,” and therefore we asked the natural question, if this said Canterbury College was the samo richly endowed establishment? Our contemporary tho Lyttelton Times takes up its parable, which, as usual, is not a very ingenuous or lucid parable, and tells ns that wc have asked “ a silly question.” Well, wc can afford to leave it to the public of tho colons' whether it is silly or not to try to ascertain whether an institution which is now coming to tho Government in forma pauperis for the means to establish a High School for Girls, is tho same institution which is already endowed to the extent of £BOOO or £IO,OOO i It seems that the school in question was, in the words of our contemporary, “established” by the late Provincial Executive of Canterbury ; that is to say, tho persons who are desirous of educating their danghtersliighly at the expense of the colony found for this purpose, as they did forso many others,aconvcnientinachinery in the form of the Provincial Government. But unluckily, and unlike other cases, the “establishment” was not endowed with lands ; and in this forlorn state the Governors of the rich College took it over. This was a serious hitch in the little arrangement, and this it is which the Governors are by audacious mendicancy now trying to make good at tho expense, wo repeat, “ of other people.” Lot not our contemporary mistake us: We do not “insinuate” this at all. Wo openly charge this greedy body with endeavoring to get a most particular and unfair advantage to themselves at the expense of the colony. Our contemporary charges ns with a want of ingenuousness, and as usual those who ding such a charge at others are not remarkable for the possession of that eminent virtue. It protends to misunderstand tho plain question already mentionedbyus respecting the identity of the institution which is about to put round tlxe hat; it also protends to believe that onr remarks as to the spoon-fed grammar schools, falsely called “ Colleges,” were applied to the “Canterbury College,”properly so called. And then it proceeds, after tho approved fashion of tho celebrated Circumlocution Office in dealing with persons who “ want to know,”to give ns along and irrelevant account of what tlxe Canterbury College really is, axxd is doing for its money. Thu sum of the story is, in brief, somewhat as follows: —That tlxe College is an efficient teaching body ; that it has never had less than fifty-five students, and has had as maixy as ninety—that is, that the xxxxmber has diminished by nearly one-half ; furthermore, that it is strict ixx its oxamiixatioixs, and that it has a vast deal, to do with the money it already possesses, but will be glad to get more. Thus, c.g., it already has an agricultural school, a model farm, a school of technical science, and a museum to support out of its means ; and it xvill be also glad if tho Governxnent will add a school of mines axxd endow it with the nxeans of support. Now, an “ingonoxxs” stranger reading all this would probably say, “ What a wonderful appetite for science these Canterbury colonists have, to be sure.” Alas, appearances arc delusive. Wo are quite at a loss to recoxxcilo oxxr contemporary’s tale with ono significant fact. Quito lately MV. Severn, tho scientific loctux’ex - , whose lectures were crowded in Wellington, and were so extremely xvell received in Dunedin by all classes that lie was obliged to extend his course beyond the original programme, could not get an audiexice in Christchurch! In scieutiGc Canterbury, oxxly think of that. All that oxxr coixtomporary states may be going on in the College ; but wo still suspect that it is a case like Sidney Smith and tho “Dearly Beloved Rogers.” Wo believe still, .as wo have repeatedly said before, that the whole affair just amounts to a wicked and premature waste of tho public means to gratify tho vanity and greed of a small section of the people of a small part of the colony. Our contemporary denies that the present endowment is so much as £IO,OOO, and says it has been estimated at £6OOO or £9OOO

only. Well, wo will be moderate, and take it at the middle term, say £BOOO. One would think a single district of New Zealand might get on pretty comfortably upon that without asking for moro when we state that the University of Melbourne, representing the whole colony of Victoria, lias never had more than £9OOO per annum of public endowment. Wo said that the school sought to be endowed would necessarily be a school for the rich, and in reply is pin forward tho eternal and thoroughly dishonest plea in all these eases: —• “ Tho object of seeking to endow it is to allow the fees to bo lixed on such a scale that the school may bo brought within tho roach of persons of moderate moans.” It is absolutely impossible, in the first place, that any but people of means could afford to leave their daughters long enough in attendance to got any good, and in the next place tho people who are trying to found it would not allow any scheme of education to bo adopted except one which would benefit a special claps. In the genuine narrow spirit of provincialism, our contemporary tells ns that every rood of tho land handed over to the College “is in Canterbury !” As if it matters one whit where it is, or as if it were one whit the less for that reason justly and truly the colonial land, which tho system of provincialism enabled them to seize, to waste as they are doing. It goes on naively to tells ns ; —“ If we in this district choose out of our own estate to make duo provision for tho education of our sons and daughters, we shall not; ask the consent of anybody else.” And again, “Wo fail to see why wo should not out of our property endow a girls’ school.” To which we reply that we fail to see it too, and we have not the least objection to make ; but with this proviso, that for tho word “ estate ” in the first place, and tho word “ property ” in the second, you substitute “pockets.” But until you allow this yon will certainly be perforce obliged to 11 ask somebody else,” and we shall, as xve before said, take care that the somebody else shall know the facts and merits of the case.

The whole affair is a striking exemplification of the pernicious effects of the system of pampering and spoon-feeding which provincialism originated and supported. The special objects aimed at were not at all, or very imperfectly, attained; all spontaneousness and vitality of self-help were blighted and paralysed, while tho capacious and ever expanding maw of private greed which the public estate was sacrificed to satiate absolutely “grew by what it fed on.” It remains unsatiated and insatiable.