ORMOND.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume II, Issue 126, 24 January 1874, Page 2

ORMOND.

(from A CORRESPONDENT.) January 21. A beautiful shower of rain fell here last Saturday. “ Loud rolled the dreadful thunder: the rain a deluge poured,” mid the thirsty country was mightily refreshed. The face of Nature got a comforting wash, and we shall be able to carry on for a few more weeks without serious inconvenience. The land is regularly done brown this summer, but yve have not as yet felt the want of rain very severely. Harvesting operations are best carried on during dry weather, and with one or two exceptions the complaints under this heading are few mid far between. But why complain at all ? It is not many weeks since the cry, loud and deep, went up to the heavens, and was echoed from one side of the valley to the other praying for dry weather, and failing that, at any rate less mud on the road. The Britisher, however, is remarkable amongst the sons of men for complaining; summer or winter, from the North Pole to the Torrid zone, John goes up and down grumbling about, the weather. Nothing in the way of hail, rain, or sunshine, seems, according to him, to be the right thing at the right time and place. I cannot, although a farmer, and by that token deeply interested in the signs of the heavens, altogether sympathize with this unmitigated grumbling. Nature’s arrangements are well timed and ordered, depend upon it; hear what Bob Burns thought about the matter, and he a farmer too:—

“ 0 Nature, a’ thy shows and forms To feeling pensive hearts liae charms, Whether the summer kindly warms, Wi’ life and light. Or winter howls in gusty storms The lang dark night.” “0 ' bother the weather,” says the unpoetical and sweltering Jones. “ Let’s hear the news !” Good for you Jones, my boy, and here goes. The news is no news after all. “ But no news is good newsand it was remarked some time shortly after the creation of the world, and consequently we may conclude some little time before the discovery of these Islands, that “there is nothing new under the sun which view of matters would go to show that things in general, even at that early hour were getting stale. The Ormond School Committee are likely to get a school built of a reasonable size at a reasonable price, after having been long cornered by the tremendous estimates sent in by the competing carpenters ; so that there is a chance of getting the youngsters under some sort of tutelary arrangement before long. It is, after all, rather an alarming misfortune to this country that the great Education question —about which all sorts and conditions of men in and out of Parliament, and the Press, continual do cry —should be productive of more noise than wool, as the dark one is recorded to have Remarked about the shearing of his pigs. A meagre sum of money is by diverse means, and a great dear of bother and loss of time at last got together, and a poor half finished, almost uninhabitable kind of house is put up, which for the want of a better has to do duty and is called a “ school.” How about the master? If the accommodation for the scholars is that poor, for the want of money, what sort of lodging are we likely to offer to the teachers ? But, though indifferent “We give them all we can no more, Though poor the offering be.”

And unfortunately for our children, that offering is altogether too poor to induce educated gentlemen to undertake the forlorn hope of driving knowledge into youthful heads. Considering the immense responsibilities of the school-master’s oflice, and the great influence he has in forming the tastes opinions, and conduct of his pupils, and the consequent effects upon the welfare of society at large, that gentleman is not at present placed fairly in the social scale, and we must not, therefore, be surprised if he occasionally “ kicks the beam.” This particular kind of laborer is most worthy of his hire. Then let him have it, with good wishes and at a respectable rate. The Church of i England members by no

means agree with Mr. Root’s opinion, that one building would bo quite enough for themselves and the Presbyterians to worship in. The two sects are, let us hope, going direct to heaven, but by different roads, and they each require a separate coach. Otherwise there is no telling which of the two might get to the journey’s end first. Which consideration may give rise to a very alarming reflection in the minds of the orthodox of either side. Thu Church people helped the Presbyterians the other day in the mutter of their chapel, upon the same charitable principle that they would help any other lame neighbours over a stile, but without committing themselves to any devout sympathy with their creed. Your remarks upon the wasted energies of the Road Board, and the misuse by them of the ratepayers’ money upon the main roods in this district are good and to the |>oint. But that body, like most young people, is proud of its dignity, and. as in the ease of the celebrated cock with two tails, it so glories in its superabundant plumage that it is not likely to be guided by very sound maxims of prudence.

The late prosecutions under the head of grass stealing, h ive given general satisfaction bel‘e, and it is to be hoped that the culprits wilt be severely punished. The farmers have difficulties enough to contend with in the ordinary course of their business. Without being plundered by a set of lazy rascals too idle to work for an honest living. We devoutly hope that out of this particular evil to an individual may come the lasting good to the community of the final extinction of these petty thieves and their “fences.” 'I hut reminds me that unless the Waerenga-u-liika “ Hotel,” aw it is culled, is not conducted upon a more Orderly principle, steps will betaken Io shut it up altogether. It is at present a disgrace to the district.