The Wairarapa Daily. TUESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 1879.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 2, Issue 330, 2 December 1879, Page 2

The Wairarapa Daily. TUESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 1879.

We were glad to notice the New Zealand Times in a recent issue draw attention to the forcing which, under our present educational system, is applied both to teachers and pupils. Education is no doubt a great boon, but it is quite possible to over-educate, and' this is juft what the Government is now doing throughout the colony. High standards are laid down for both masters and pupils, and the Educational Department is proving itself to be a hard taskmaster By an undue mental strain physical growth is checked and retarded. In a country dependent to a considerable extent upon the physical superiority of its settlers, any cause which tends to lower physical stamina must be a national calamity. It is

clearly the duty of a Government to see I that every child in the colony receives as far as possible a fair primary education. To accomplish this is one thing, and to educate every child in the colony from his A B C to an University degree, if desired, is another. 'IV former is what the colony should do the latter is what the colony is doin» he former, probably, could be effect, ( at one-half the cost of the latter, and in the long run would be better for the combined mental and physical development of the children in New Zealand. One result of our present educational system has been to starve almost all private teachers in the colony by subjecting them to an unfair competition. Private enterprise is now eliminated from education in New Zealand, and there are scores of able teachers who have been thrown out of work by the spread of the Government system whose services were of great value to the colony and yet cost the public chest not a single sixpence, The .education Department should primarily be one of inspection, So long as private enterprise is able to teach children up to certain reasonable standards it should not be interfered with. Instead of suppressing it the Government should have subsidized it. Instead of educating the children throughout the colony at a cost of something like £4 per head per annum, it would have been far better to have od'eivd 12 per head to every private teacher in the colony who produced satisfactory results, It is, of course, idle to suppose that we get our children educated for nothing. Our tuxes could lie materially reduced to-morrow if the Education vote were done a.vay with, We pay indirectly for an expensive system of education. We believe that if private enterprise had not been suppressed by the present Act a far less expensive system would answer our purpose equally well. Our legislators have in the past had families of their own, for whom they desired a superior but cheap education. In making provision to attain this they were necessarily obliged to do as mii3h for primary education, or their would have b ■en' an outcry from the constituencies. The consequence has been that neither laud nor money has been refused when asked for in the name of Education. Vested interests in the shape of Inspectorships and Professorships have gradually been built up in New Zealand till we have an educational system which is too big for us-just the same as we have a railway system that is out of proportion to our means. Education and railways are very good things in their way, but we are beginning to find that other things are equally necessary to our prosperity, and that we must not spend too large a proportion of our resources in any one given direction,

Carey's Troubadours appear again in the Hall this evening. We notice Mr E. G. Jones has just received a consignment of the far-famed "Passion" fruit. The Young New Zealauder party have had a caucus and drawn up a programme. It will soon begin to crow, The regular meeting of the Loyal Masterton Lodge of Oddfellows has been postponed from this evening to the 9th inst,, on account of the races. Mr Lee is now conducting his annual inspection of the Wairarapa schools. He will he at Masterton, we understand, on Monday next. The usual fortnightly meeting of the Greytowu Borough Council was iuljoumed until Thursday evening next, owing to the absence of several members. We remind our readers that the Wairakapa Daily will not be published tomorrow on account of the Opaki races and trust they will be grateful for the respite accorded to them. Mr Lee, the Inspector of Schools, was to commence his examination of the ftreytown School yesterday, The Committee of the Greytowu Volunteer Fire Brigade hold a meeting to consider finances, &c, on Friday "eveniuc next. B What are we drifting to ? The following lately appeared in a Christchuith paper :-" Bonus, £6.-A gentleman wanting his remittances, requires the LOAN of £25 for one lnmith. .Security, market value four times the amount' lodged, with a responsible party, Address A. 8., office of this paper."

The Committee of the Greytowu Horticultural Society are taking active steps to make their Show a success, The Kuratawhiti private brass baud has been asked to play, which in itself will he worth the admission, and there is likely to he several special prizes for exhibits, The next meeting of committee will be held on Saturday next. The latest advices received by cable from London are very satisfactory, su fmas our chief export is concerned, On the 27th ult. it wes announced that nearlv 10,000 bales were catalogued, and thai there was a good speculative demand for combing wools. There was an advance of 2d to 3d per lb for washed, scoured, and cross-bred descriptirns. This will prove welcome news to our wool growers. Rather a good case of mistaken identity in the matter of master and horse took place between Featherston and Masterton a short time since, in which a well known merchant not a hundred miles from Masterton was concerned. It appears he had urgent business in Featherston, and after driving smartly reached Greytowu in due course, where he exchanged the horse he was riding for another of his own, and reached Featherston safely. When ready for home he ordered his horso and buggy round, tejling the groom not to trouble holding it, as the horse was perfectly safe tp leave. The horse was left ac.or.liiigly, but didn't stay long, but started up the road at a smart pace, and was eventually stopped near the Tauherenikau Bridge. The owner came up, gave the two men a pound each, and drove home, congratulating himself (no doubt) that no damage was done, and swearing vengeance upon the groom who had assured him the horse was perfectly quiet. But what he couldn't get at was that going to Fe;t(i:eraton he had to keep slogging, and coming home he cou'd scaicily hold the nag. However, he reached home, and commenced upon ihe unfortunate groom, hut imagine his feelings whan he found that instead of his own horse the Featherston groom had harnessed someone else's, and he hadn't discovered the mistake until pointed out by his own man I

Mr Isaacs holds his sale of jewelry at mtnerston to-morrow.

It is undoratnod that the Greytown digger Opera Company .will give an entertainment on behalf of the Greytown ichool on Bo\ing Night.

1 he 1 roubadors opened at Masterton to uomewhat thm house. Their programme sarace programme, and assuehwespeak of .t As a drawing room entertainment .twoulclnotbeaßuccess I hut Marace programme it ut calculated to be m. There .3 some clever dancing; MrS. Floyd and Miss. A Irwin were most successful , phasing the audience last evening M iiu. Miss Annie Miller triumphed in a military walk round. The,, was acl e Ho performance, and numerous other attractive pieces. We trust that this venmgtheTroubado,, will do a,bette! husmess, as last evening they did not receive as much support M they deserve '

We learn that Mr Carman has gonermisly given one acre of hmd for the Presbytenan Church at Bideford. The site is a very good .iie and commands an excellent view of the surrounding district, and isajonungthat.mwhichtheschool.room o the Church of England is built. During the pa.it month Mr McKee held two J. vices at Mr John Morris,,,,'.,, which wee well attended. The field is s» Bi.couragingth.it Mr McKee purposes hnUling there ut ragnhr « ossible,a,.din he conr.se of some time to erect Hsmiable building, towards which s '"" e . lll,eral tlo, m tii.iis have been promisud. ' A handsome Masonic emblem (says the liiih'S re|.re«i.tiiij; a trowel wrought in tf'ld, has been presented to Brother It. Carnck by brethren of the Thistle Lodge, ja ..Masterton. In n letter accompany. m« the presentation, the R.WM Bro ■J.D. Uuwav, writes:-'' Kindly accept ""■•unCsed jewel as a token of fraternal regard from myself andthe other brethren 'Hinders of this Ulge. Believe me, we f«el deeply indebted to you for your untln»g efforts in our behalf while we wefe engaged .starring the Lodge, and I only rearet your professional engagements prevented your coming amongst us in order that the presentation might have taken « '""re formal shape. P,,y accept ' A m lriltci ™l «reetiii«s, and we hope jMi my be long spared to wear this mark "tour fraternal esteem." The trowel is the workmanship „f Mr King, jeweller ."iimlitoii-Qiiay, and hears the following inscription:-" Presented to Bro. Robert fornck as a mark of esteem, and in commeimmituiii of the founding of the Thisle Lodge, S.C., Wairarapa.""

Iho Groat Eastern, which has been for «>me tune at Milkd Haven, is to be tilted up with new boilers and machines «t a cost of ±IOO,OOO, to cany cattle be' i tod London and Texas. She is capable "f holding 2,000 head of cattle, and 36.000 sheep, Just before the adjournment of the French Chambers, a committee reported in favor of selling the Crown jewels. One of the reasons given was that they must not lead anyone to expect a monarchial restoration, No two Bank of England notes are alike. The printing is done by a method known only to the inventer, and the paper is manufactured by a' process which has been m charge of the Portal family for two hundred years. No notes are ever reissued after being paid back into the bank. Mr Charles Napier, in England, has been testing the truth of Liebig's theory i bat liquor drinking is compatible with animal fond, but not with a ffllinaceous i diet. This experiment was tried upon twenty-seven liquor-drinking persons,substantiating the Liobig theory, The Colonial Treasurer states his budget was prepared with a special view of fostering local industries, The first effect of the new tariff is a notice issued by Messrs Kitchen and Sons, candle and soap makers, Wellington, that in consequence of (he imposition of the duty on stearine, tbey will be compelled to close their works. Messrs Kitchen have a capital of over £20,000 invested, and they employ about 70 bands. ' V '