The Temuka Leader TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 1887. EDUCATION.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1556, 22 February 1887, Page 2

The Temuka Leader TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 1887. EDUCATION.

“ A time for everything, and everything in its proper time ” is an aphorism, the full meaning of which seems never to have been grasped by the Hon, W, Rolleston. We are driven to this conclusion by the fact that on last Thursday evening in the Volunteer Hall, Terauka, on the occasion of the distribution of prizes to the school children, he selected an andience of children to address a speech to, which he intended for colonial politicians. If any ordinary man had been guilty of such an injudicious action he would have made himself the laughing stock of the place, but of course the ecldt which surrounds Mr Rolleston secures to him immunity from such consequences, although he would act wisely in not presuming too much on his prestige. However, that ia a matter of taste and judgment, and we shall not pursue the subject further. Mr Holiessaid nothing new ; ho only repeated what he has so frequently said before, and what be no doubt will often say again. The whole paper, which took him an hour to read, may be summed up in s few words, nam-ly—Our education system must not be touched except in the way of improving it and rendering it more expensive. Sir Robert Stout, who is next door to being a monomaniac on the subject of education, has realised the enormous expense our education system entails on the colony and shows a disposition to relieve the consolidated revenue of a share of the burden, by throwing the responsibiliy on local bodies, but Mr Rolleston is ready to make it fai more expensive than it is.

Now as regards this quesiion of education our opinion is well known. We do not believe in over-eduoaiiug the masses, because it unfits them for earning a livelihood, and we do not at all think that the State has any right whatsoever to provide high schpol education for the children of the rich. We believe in free education to a certain extent ; we believe in giving every child in the colony five or six years of free education, but beyond that the State should not go except in the way of giving scholarships to clever boys and clever girls. The working men of this colony have a right to the education their children receive. They contribute to (he revenue iu proportion to the advanlagas they receive far more than any other class, and it is only fit and proper that they should receive a quid pro quo in the shape of education for iheir children. Let it pot be thrown ip the face of the working men of this colon? Ibst their children are being I educated »(• (be <‘{ ll| e Slate, for the working men are paying dearly , for the education ot their ehfldrep through the Uustouis. On these ground#, therefore, we are in f»vor of free education to the extent ot reading, writing, end arithmetic, but to go beyond that would, we believe result in demora ising the population. The very moment a boy

passes tiie Sixth Standard ho is rendered useless as an agricultural laborer. He considers himself too well educated for that ; his parents find him a billet at quill-driving, at which he works for very little wages until he grows up to man’s estate. Then the struggle for existence begins. He gets out of employment ; the market is glutted with his equals ; he can find nothing to do ; ho is too proud, too good, and too lazy to do hard work, and he, like Te Whiti’s potatoe, is “ cooked.” It is from this class we get the forger, the swindler, and the shsrper—it is from them the shabby genteel come, and it is from the females of the same class that the wrecks that disgrace our civilization are recruited. Years of observation in this, and in the Old Country, in the Courts of Justice and on the public streets, have forced us to this conclusion, and consequently we think it not only a mistake but a crime to over educate the masses. And now if free education is limited to reading, writing, and arithmetic it might be said that the poor man’s son woo d be placed at a disadvantage, as the rich man could educate his son and. the poor man could not. As we have already pointed out scholarships could be provided to enable clever children to get the advantages of good education. The State wants the services of clever men, and it is quite within State functions to secure them in the manner indicated. Lord Tennyson says that “ Here and there a cottar’s babe is royalborn by right divine, Here and there My Lord is lower than his oxen or his swine.” Let us select these royal-born cottar’s children, and the clever children of the rich as well, by means of scholarships, and let us educate them, but let rich noodles receive no such privileges ; the State does not require their services. This system would give a chance to the clever children of the poor, the present does not ; it would be less expensive ; it would be better for the colony ; and by it a blessing would be conferred upon the people generally, the blessing of not being unfitted for fighting life’s battle by being educated beyond the s'ation in life which they are destined to fill.

DOG POISONING. Ihe dog poisoner of Terauka still continue to prosecute his fell work with an industry that would have b' j en worthy of commendation if employed in a better cause. Only a few days ago we had occasion to call attention to the dastardly work of this miserable coward, and yet yesterday morning he was up and doing as industriously as ever, with the result that there are a few dogs less in the town to-day. It appears to us that some steps ought to be taken ■ to find out who has been so industriously trafficking in poison. Independent alto--1 gather of the loss of the dogs to their ’ owners there are other serious risks attached to poison being laid in the public streets. Children are always about the streets, and more unlikely things have happened than that they should pick up the poison, and meet with the same fate as the dogs. We therefore think the people ought to combine together and offer a substantial reward for any information that would lead to the conviction of the prisoner. The Town Board also ought to do anything they can in the matter. They lose ten shillings a year by every dog that is killed, and as they collect the taxes they ought to do their best to protect the taxpayers. It would doubtless be difficult to detect the criminal in this case, but a reward of £2O might open lips which are now sealed.