Rangitikei Advocate. FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 1907. SECOND EDITION. EDITORIAL NOTES

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XXXI, Issue 8735, 8 February 1907, Page 2

Rangitikei Advocate. FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 1907. SECOND EDITION. EDITORIAL NOTES

Theke are some persons in the colony who do not regard even the debates recorded in Hansard as a very serious contribution to the wisdom of the world, but surely no one except tho editor of the J?eilding paper could regard the debates at a j veil known boys’ school in England !

as valuable evidence “ revealing the ch-Tis of conceit to which 'the socallbd upper classes at Home will descend.” The boys at Marlbprotfffb College, wo gather frqm ah editorial in the Stan, Solemnly debated the qnestkfe “ That in the opinion of this Ilouso the lower classes are suffering from over education.” Mr Williams (note the Mr) in proposing tho motion, said that the lower classes were not educated so as to fulfil (heir function in life, 'Th’e result was tha t ft poor man, finding himself useless in the country, went up to town. This was a serious blow to the country gentry, and serious to the man himself. Discussing the domestic servants of tho day, h’e said that their main characteristic was their ridiculous effrontery to their master's. Servants ought to bo kept

in their proper place, as they were in the good old times, and the best way to effect this was to limit the education of the lower classes. Mr Day was of opinion that the lower classes were educated unsuitably. Unless the lower classes rose to a sense of their, responsibilities the country would go to the dogs. Mr Bell regarded Socialism as the great danger to the lower classes. There was a good deal more of this kind of fooling and our contemporary concentrates his censure in the words “It would be hard to imagine more insufferable ponCdit than is contained in this brief summary, and one can well understand why ‘ educated prigs ’ are more disliked even than ‘ignorant boors.” Lack of humour, we fear, is as incurable as baldness, and we can only offer our sympathy to the unfortunate sufferer, it may cheer him .to know that many other great men have been unable to see a \ J Washington had so little senj,, of humour that he could not even tali a lie, while Napoleon and the Kaiser are examples of men who, like tho Feilding editor, have taken themselves too seriously.

We are glad to see that Mr Keir j Harclio in England Watson 5 in Australia have made a strong protest against the attempt to restrict the independence of Labour members in the discharge of their Parliamentary duties. At the meeting of the National Congress of Trades Unionists in England, and at a conference of the Labour Party in (■ Australia, it was proposed that j Labour members should be bound to e vote according to the directions of the i party caucus. Such a provision . could hoi; fail to subvert the funda--5 | mental principle of our system of rof present,Voive government. The view ' hold hitherto has been that the 3 electors should chose a man in whose general opinions and personal f ability they had confidence and should ; leave him a free hand to deal with questions of legislation and adminisj Nation as they arose. Under this system the country h.as secured the j, services of many of its ablest men 3 m Parliament and has given free I play to that private judgment in i special cases without which the ■ greatest talents would be of no avail. I This liberty has existed to a con--1 siderablo extent in the Labour ’ up to the present time, and wc fee.' * rare that the interests of the Labor ’ ’vtriy or of any other party cannot 01 ! ■'!•■ furthered by the imposition of which will tend to exclude •. i b... b,ub -.moot all men of ability ! bboromee.