CURRENT TOPICS

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 84, 18 July 1910, Page 4

CURRENT TOPICS

IMPERIAL EXCHANGE. This is an age of interchange and travel, and since man has learned to fly, the earth promises to become even "smaller" than formerly. 'People travel all across the earth to witness a horse race, and

teams of sporting men eat up tremendous distances to play football matches, earn rifle shooting, trophies, and to whirl a cricket bat. And it all has the excellent effect of educating fte people wlio see other lands, and of demonstrat-

ing, especially to insulars, that there] are other worlds and other brains and: other brawn besides their own. Quite, a number of years ago there was a sug- | gestion that it might have an excellent! effect on education generally if there was an exchange of teachers throughout the Empire. Thus the teacher from a London school might find himself in the wilds of Taranaki, the Taranaki teacher might go to Scotland, the Scottish teacher °to Canada, the Canadian teacher to Africa, and so on. The idea, which seemed excellent, if it could be worked, was not carried out, but it is noticed that there is again a suggestion to this 1 end. No two countries, and no two colonies, have a uniform' system of edu- ; cation. Even internal uniformity is mad, for it places every brain in the same category, and insists on trying to get J results that are pea-like iu their similarity. If an Imperial scheme of exchange were established, it would necessarily follow that the English teacher who came here would have to conform to the conditions existing here. Thai is to say, he (but probably she) would have to unteach herself, and to fall into a new groove. Although teachers oi individuality must have great influence on children; whatever system of instruction is followed, it does not follow that any improvements made in the teachers would be transplanted. The utility of the exchange of teachers would lie in the knowledge they would gain of distant countries. For instance, the British teacher who put in a year or two in New Zealand would necessarily become a better instructor on fallings colonial if he, or she, were allowed to be. In all the colonies, and also in Britain, the majority of teachers in primary schools are unmarried women. Only the minority of these teachers undertake teaching as a lifelong occupation. The majority, of course, and quite naturally, are teachers only as long as they are single. It would be obviously unfair to exchange men only, because men only do not represent teaching widely enough, and even men do not always remain at the teaching profession all their lives, for the "plums" are too few and the life too arduous, whatever folk may think of the long list of holidays in the year. Unless exchanged teachers were bound by articles to return to the place from whence they came, it is quite uncertain that they would return to their homes. One remembers so well the New Zea-

land teachers who went to South Africa, j Few of them came back, and, as far as is remembered, the few who did return did not return to teach, so their expanded education was of no service to the youngsters of this Dominion. THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. During the year that the heaviest onslaught was made on the Legrislative Council, the Councillors . were most calm. ■ The Chamber was made morei beautiful and comfortable, there were some new appointments, and the New. Zealand "lords" continued to carry on: their more or less useful functions. When Parliament House was burnt,] there was no hesitation about supplying] a chamber for the Council in the tem-j porary Parliament House that has done; duty ever since. The Council, which assures the people that it is their faithful | servant, refuses to obliterate itself, andj there is no immediate prosnect, even with Mr, W. G. Russell's Bill, that its! constitution will be materially altered.i The New Zealand Parliament, Hike the Parliaments of nearly all the colonies,' has. for pattern, the Parliament of' Britain. The possibility is, therefore,] that when the power of the Lords is weakened by popular demand, the New. Zealand imitation of that august cham-, ber will also be deprived of some of its rights. It is undeniable that the Legis-j lative Council has its uses, and that] many men who have done excellent service for their country have been reward-.;

Ed with a seat, but it is also quite cer-l tain that not all the men now in the Council could win a seat in the Lower| House by an election. Perhaps the peo-| pie do not know what is good for them,] for they have before to-day rejected for; the Lower House men who have subseouently become great ornaments to the Government. The Attorney-General, l one of the most brilliant men in Par-: liament. was rejected of the people, but' is nowadays the Minister —apart from' the Premier—of whom the people hear most. Mr. Russell's Bill, therefore, if it passed and the whole of the Legislative! Council went out of office and had to be elected to get back, would possiblyi deprive the country of the help of borne men wHiose value the people apparently, do not understand. Members of the Lower House have for the past decade.' been very keen on either reforming the. Legislative Council out of existence, or, on making it elective. In the history of New Zealand nolitics. we believe there' is no record of any Legislative Council-: lor bringing down a Bill for the reforma-l tion of "the other place," the lessening of its members, or the cutting off of any of its privileges. The Legislative Council is probably not bothering its aged'head one whit about Mr. Russell's Bill, for on the whole it is one of the most serenely contented gatherings in Christendom. i

BISHOP NET,TOA\ T . | Even-one who knows Bishop Ncli/jan, either nersonallv or by repute, will be sony that he. has been obliged to resign his high office on account ot illhealth. New Zealand is particularly fortunate in its bishops, all of whom are strong men, whose opinions are not

only valuable to the Church and Church ! members, but to the people at large.' Dr. Neligan is remarkable, in that he is not only a staunch and sturdy churchman, but "a leading citizen. For seven years he has been a power in the Auck-, land diocese, and in the Dominion, for! lie. has a habit of terse comment on pre- j vailing topics and has never failed to ' "call a spade a spade." If he has ueen grieved at any social evils, he has never hesitated to express the strongest views on the subject. He has trodden on many] "corns," but he has retained the respect, of the offended sections, because, ho .is a. "fighting parson" and unafraid. Dr. Neligan hates cant, humbug, and the mere expression of goodness. He has put his shoulder to the wheel in; many social enterprises; he has thor-j oughly "learnt" the people," and knows as well as most men that the good in humanity overbalances the bad, that enthusiastic work and deeds are more than words, and personal help more useful than advice. The Bishop has become one of Auckland's institutions, for he is not apart from the people, but of them, understanding and full of wise counsel and ready assistance. It is especially hard to fill the place of a man like Dr. Neligan, for his successor must necessarily be handicapped by lack of knowledge. The people who know and understand the Bishop will hope that he mav vet be able to do good work in ■ England, and that he will recover from the illness which unfortunately makes it necessary for him to resign.