Te Aroha AND Ohinemuri News AND UPPER THAMES ADVOCATE. SATURDAY, MAY 31, 1890.

Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 476, 31 May 1890, Page 2

Te Aroha AND Ohinemuri News AND UPPER THAMES ADVOCATE.

SATURDAY, MAY 31, 1890.

1 '} '• * This above all—to thine own self bo trus„ And it must follow as the night the day ' Thou canat not then be false to - any man,* Shakespeakk.

Ay a time when there is so much talk about retrenchment,' the question of effecting a saving in the education vote deserves serious consideration. We now specially refer to the heavy expenditure of public funds on secondary education. We have previously dealt with the subject in these columns, but in vievv of the. public meeting to be held in To A roll a this 'evening, to discuss matters of importance in view of the next, election, wc again" direct attention to the mnlter, as one deserving attention. We are aware that ihere are ■ humy people who differ very widely with us on this subject, and who consider that instead of curl ailing expenditure on secondary educalion, ihnt the object aimed at should he rather the making high schools accessible and free to all, as the primary schools now are. Such a proposition may sound very nice, and he all very well as a theory, hut every thinking sol tier must well know it is utterly impracticable ; and ‘hat whilst retrenchment nujst he enforced in all other departments that of Education cannot long escape. Meantime, with respect to this matter of education all taxpayers are contributing for the education of children in the high schools whose parejits, a 6 a rule, are well able to hear the cost of the higher education of their offspring them-elves. The. groat object to he aimed at in regard to education by the State, is surely to give an opportunity to every child to acquire free of charge pi amount of learning that will he essential to their success in life ; ami not to provide special advantages, at the expense of the taxpayers as'a whole, for the 1 children of parent? in good positions in the centres of population, and who seek to train their children to some profession at the expense of the country. The cost of teaching pupils at these establishments is, relatively speaking, enormously high. The subject is one that might he publicly discussed with advantage. The plain fact is that the present system of education is altogether too extravagant, its expense is quite beyond the means of the Colony ; and a reform of a radical character will have to be made. There is a limit beyond which taxation becomes intolerable The enormous endowments of higher education should be cdlonialised and devoted to the purposes of maintaining primary education, except such of them as may I e required to support one nniveisily for the Colony ; and let a thoroughly efficient system of scholarships be provided in connection with tlii primary schools. Speaking of our present educational system as a whole, we repeat it is such as the Colony is not warranted in attempting to maintain on the present extravagant scale. And as a matter of fact it is not the peopie of small means who are interested in maintaining the educational system on the present extravagant lines, but those who are well able to .pay for the education of their children. But few parents of limited means can afford t o send their children to school sufficiently long to benefit by the provision made for secondary education, It is only in a few exceptional instances such are likely to benefit of the privilege; and that beipg the case, it were surely much easier and much less costly to pro vide for such exceptions, than to keep up the present expensive system, mainly for the benefit of those who are well aide to pay for the education of their children. Higher education is a luxury, primary edneation is a necessity... A