THE Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR O'CLOCK P.M. Resurrexi. FRTDAY, AUGUST 20, 1875.

Thames Star, Volume VII, Issue 2068, 20 August 1875, Page 2

THE Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR O'CLOCK P.M. Resurrexi. FRTDAY, AUGUST 20, 1875.

We should like to ".supplement the few remarks we made concerning the statistics of. the scholars of the New Zealand University, as returned by the Chancellor, with' some concerning its undergraduates. These also are, like the scholars., divided into two classes, viz., those of the second and first year, and of the former of these we wish to.say but little, merely remarking en passant that they were but four in number who offered themselves, of whom two were scholars, and of these four only one passed. With the plan adopted in these examinations for a pass, however, no 'ault can reasonably be found Each candidate for either year is required to take up at least three subjects, for which a maximum nu.mbor of marks (500) is fixed, one-third of which in each subject will entitle him to pass. This is probably as low a standard as ought to be fixed by any university. Notwithstanding this low standard, however—the lowest with, perhaps, the exception of Dublin, received anywhere—no less than 16 out of the 23 candidates for the first year's examination are recorded as.havinglfailed,giving,

with their follow sufferers of the second year, 19 failures to 8 passes, or very nearly the proportion of 2| to 1. And yet leaving out of the question physical science, with which our acquaintance is very slight indeed, the examination papers, which we have read carefully, taken as a whole are very fair, and certainly any candidate of moderate calibre, who had carefully read his book work, oxight at least to have been able to obtain half-marks instead of one-third. The examiners then, are not, we think, responsible for this large number of failures, except that it seems hardiy judicious to set such a book as Thucydides to be taken in by those of the average age of the New Zealand University undergraduates ; and we are driven to admit the fact that as far as this year's examinations are concerned, the competitors were certainly not up to the mark. This of course is to be much regretted, bat most of them are young, and it is better to keep them back a year in their undergraduate courso, than to allow them to pass by lowering the standard, and consequently the reputation of the University. When, however, we consider the difficulties which many of them have experienced, through the lack of competent tutors and high class schools, being obliged to pick] up their subjects as best they might, it appears doubly unnecessary for the University to Lave recorded their failures in the nanner they have done, by publishing their names for tbe benefit of almost every paper in 2Tew Zealand. We know no other University, either English or Continental, which ever does, or ever has published its list of unsuccessful candidates, and the two oldest do not even keep a list for themselves. We hope^ New Zealand will follow their example. Many a man is dissuaded from attempting to pass—perhaps knowing that his failure will be everywhere set down in writing against him, and so abandons or neglects those studies which it should be the aim and interest of the University to encourage and maintain.

The reports from Auckland of the progress of public meetings called to consider the Abolitionquestion are becoming quite monotonous. It is apparent ihat tho generalship, of the Provincial.party has been successful beyond measure, for it is only occasionally that we hear of one bold enough to get up and say a word in favor of Abolition. This being the case, the New Zealand Herald has again been induced to

" Wheel about and turn about and jctnp Jim Crow," to the amusement of those who admire consistency and order in everything. A week ago and the Herald thought it was time Sir George Grey and the Opposition should give way in obedience to the people; now the Herald admits that " there can be no question now that the feeling of the great majority of the people of this. Province is against the: forced passage of the Abolition Bill during the present session," and counsels Ministers against pushing the measures any further than the second reading at present. Instead of leading public opinion on the matter the Herald tacitly admits that it is swayed to and fro by the talk-talk of a few hundred people who affect to represent the Province. Another paper writes in most unmeasured terms of the attempt to force the obnoxious measure down unwilling throats; of armed resistance, and a great deal more of the same kind of rot, written, we should imagine, under the inspiration of what is called Dutch courage. All this is done in the name of "the people," as represected by some seven or eight public meetings in Auckland aad suburbs. If these meetings represent one quarter of the inhabitants, it is as much as theydo by the Utmost stretch; but because the Auckland people cling to provincialism and refuse Abolition the remainder of the inhabitants—comprising some fifty or sixty thousand people—must be forced to continue swallowing the nauseous Provincial pill. Such seems to be the argument.. Auckland is the Province' and the people, and the poor devils who live outside the city and suburbs—who are crippled in their industries and robbed of their fair share of revenue by Provincialism, must bow down to the decision of Auckland, shut their mouths for ever, and confess that the braggart threats of an intemperate press represent the opinions of the "people of the Province." The people •of the Province wiir not do this. They will let- it be known that they have no sympathy with the idiotic threats of intemperate writers anxious for notoriety, nor are they as fickle as thatother portion of the press, whose inconsistencies are the laughing stock of the Colony. The people of the Province do not all live in Auckland, nor will they be led away, by, stupid party cries, whatever citizens and suburbans may do.