BRITISH IGNORANCE.

Taranaki Daily News, 11 February 1916, Page 6

BRITISH IGNORANCE.

To the Editor. Sn, —i tiling "Homester's'' contention is very near the mark when lie says that honors are equally divided between the Homeland and the colonies of Australasia. If you travelled through New Zealand you could only find a small percentage of the people that could tell you what shire of Scotland the town of Kiliorglin is in, also what street in London do they hold l'liek Fair in, or what part of Wales the town of Chairewcen is in. In fact, V most glaring case of ignorance is that of a Stratford man (a classical scholar), who admitted to me that lie did not knowthat England and Ireland were separated from each other by water. I think, Mr. Editor, that Mr. Balfour's speech was not far of the mark. We have only to recall the giving of the Dreadnought. What a howl went up from end to end of the country about the woeful waste of money that was committed, and-that the money would have been better spent on backblock roads. And what about when 'Mr. Massey withdrew the £IOO,OOO subsidy and gave nothing in place of it, but claimed that we could protect ourselves better than Britain could protect us. You must not take it that I have connection with the country that gave birth to Mr. Fisher, Sir Thomas Mackenzie or Lord Strathcona; nor do I desire to have any connection with the country whose people sold their King for 4%d. But 'still I claim a small measure of intelligence for my country and its people. This country which T hail from taught not alone Scotland, hut all Britain —in fact, all Europe—language, science, music and drama. >v|i«ioji, morality. We had the saintly Patrick, who first brought knowledge of God to ftreat Britain and established it that firmly that it withstood the storms of war, famine, persecution and tyranny. Wo had other men also of average, intelligence. such as Crattmi, Flood. Curran and O'Connell, with Redmond. Develin and hosts of others, such, for infitance, Wellington, Tioberts and Kitchener. So. Mr. Editor, leaving out newspaper men, which are in I'i? habit of borrowing knowledge. I think we can claim average intelligence for Britain still.—l am, etc.. AX KXJI.K FROM ER'IX. Lepperton, February 9.