The Daily News. THURSDAY, APRIL 9, 1914. OUR SHORTCOMINGS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 267, 9 April 1914, Page 4

The Daily News. THURSDAY, APRIL 9, 1914. OUR SHORTCOMINGS.

The Rev. Mr. Burton, whom the town unfortunately is about to lose, cam he eandid as well as complimentary. At the send-off on Monday evening lie got home a piquant thrust or two. "Not Plymouth," he observed, "is not a specially intellectual place." It depends upon the definition of the word "intellectual" and of the point of view. A man may have considerabe knowledge and understanding, and not exhibit the qualities to other than his intimate acquaintances. He may not belong to what is known as the "upper" class; he may sven wear dungarees and never bave seen the inside of a secondary school in his life. He may not even enter the portals of a church, and yet bs a diligent student of the Scriptures and possess deep religious convictions. Again, a man may npfc be steeped in tha classics, but still be "intellectual" in tliat he has an assimilating, well-stored and alert mind. This"knowledgaUle" type of man the town has in plenty. Wc have, it is true, no philosophical, astronomical or eclectic societies, but that does not necessarily mean that we as a community are deficient in the higher mental and aesthetic attributes. That the people are not wholly sordid and mundane i» > shown by the care bestowed upsn the beautification of the town. Nature has been specially bountiful to Xcw Plymouth, but its people have materially aided Nature. Of course it is possible for a man be a l»ver of Nature and stiJl not be an "intellectual," but. the true, botanist is certainly to be placed in that category. We luive our Polynesian Society, the members of which are engaged in wlunblc "intellectual" work; we have even our Brotherhood Society, whoso activities are sarcly "intellectual." Perhaps Mr. Burton had in mind tliu calibre of our public men. If so. it was really unkind of him to say the place was not "specially intellectual." Anyhow, are we not served in this respect as we deserve to be? But the reverend gentleman proceoded to immediately apply the sugar-coating to the pill. "New Plymouth,"-he proceeded, "if not rich in material prosperity was rich in affection, which was worth a great deal more than gold." This fin tterni" remark is calculated to make N'evr Plymouth blush, and will cause it to hold

the rcr. gentleman in firm or embrace than ever. The heart, wo are assured by ;i high authority, must always triumph over miixl, and what mattor, therefore, if we are not specially endowed: "intellectually" so long as we have the inestimable quality of affection in such a superlative degree? We can, after this, even bo told, without protesting wildly, that we are slow, and "not very go-ahead," secure aa we are in the fooling that there's a good time coming when all our.potentialities—the harbor, the back country, the oil, the iron sand, and all the. rest of them—materialise, and the town bounds into its rightful position anion" the important centres of the Dominion. But Mr. Burton falls into one small error. He says that the town is "'poor in material wealth." This is not so. No town of the same size in Xew Zealand has a greater share of, this world's goods. The trouble is, ss j another divine remarked not long age. | the owners sit upon them as tightly at passible, ami in consequence neither tliey nor the town reap the full benefit from the enjoyment of the riches. Many of these same owners are the worst enemicn ot the town and the. greatest barriers to its development. These lugubrious gentlemen go about preaching blue ruin for the place, and the thought never foi a moment enters their prejudiced heads to take the lead in any progressive movement or assist through their Well-iillod purses. If they were a litUki more optimistic, confident and fnirei-

mimlud, if I )h'y possessed taitli, publio s|iiiit aml selflessness. New Plymouth would be a vastly different town to-day, • i.ml Mr. ISnrt.Mis charge of its not bein:,' very hd ahead would be without jnstificn 1 ion. There is another element ill tin- place that tends to keep back things. Thai is (in- distrustful, quarre!wonii- faction wiliHi cannot bear to see a movement initiated for t!u; benefit, of tintown «il hunt putting in it s "back water oar. In nothing is this move evident than in connection with the rvil industry. Anywhere else all .sections would he pulling strongly together, an-l, with the same opportunities, would have achieved nnt|iialilied success long' ere (his. Here one is confronted with the unedifymg spectacle of one section pull- '»« against the other. Is it any wonder, therefore, that outsiders hesitate to come ill and assist in the industry's do-

velopment! It is a very great pity that there is not more unity, more co-opera-tion, more charity and more faith among many of our people. Mr. Burton lias, on the whole, let us down lightly; lie might have applied the lash more strenuously, and tho chastisement, coming from such a disinterested quarter, would probably have been as beneficial as it certainly would have been wholesome.