UNKNOWN

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XV, Issue 4668, 13 March 1894, Page 3

UNKNOWN

BRHibIHOSKWORMi] 1) average colonist does not pretend to be a lettered man. Ho is strong and keen aftor the pursuit of material wealth, carryingon business, interested in pastoral or agricultural pursnM or as our legislators are fond of dewint;: " carving out a home for himself in the bush." Recognising the advantages of education he gives hisyotfbgsters the education the State provider and expects in rbturn to have greaterjintelligence whiob is a marketable commodity. ThiVis well, as far as it goes, for let D 8 olear our minds of bint. We. can get on' without books, but we must have our grain, our cattl» and sheep, Where there is there ib no oause for abuse. Better, perhaps, to have a strong, stalwart, and intelligent race than a number of creatures " With blinded eyesight, poring over miserable books." Here, in the Colonies, as at Home, those who are interested in literary .pursuits are too often intolerably affected and conceited. Either it is, the "cultured " newebnm or else the quarter-educated colonials who despise all things connected with the colonies, as the sons of monied men often despise the source whence their iconey is derived,' i It is doubtless true that there is ' but a v small amount of literature of which the colonies ban boast. Yet in New Zealand we have a gem, which competent critics have praised, though it does not require any special critical i faculty to appreciate the charms of | I iff Zealand," The author, i dward Manning, was—as ( re been expected—an Irish- ; fathsr wns attracted to Van i Land by the free grants of j at colony, and his son being ( turoua spirit came to New ( 11888. fie acquired land j fgapubi tribe at Hokianga t ip his residence amongst the t Onaki and rapidly acquired ] ;h acquaintance with the f ustoms of the natives. This e appointment as a judge in ut e Land Court, in which j, j served for many yeara- Mr a Bd in London in 1888, 8

RH-is. a brief outline of the Ha Maori" To giro an idea of Hirab'.e sketches, the following ractl from the introduction will serve :4"Ahl those good old times when first I oanie to New Zealand, we Bhall nover see tbeir like again, Since then the world seems to have gone wrong.BrJmehow. A dull sort of world this now, The very sun does not seem to me to shine as bright as it used. Figs and potatoes have degenerated, and everything seems "flat, stale and unprofitable." But those weratbe times—the' good old times' —before Governors were invented and laws and justicp, and all that. When everyone did as he liked, except when his neighbours would not let him -(more shame for them); when there were no taxes or duties, or public works, or public to require them, Who cured then whether he owned a ooat, or believed in shoesor stockings? The men were bigger and stoutor in those days, and the women-ab I Little did I think in those days that I should over see here towns and villages, banks and insurance offices, prims ministers and bishops, bear sermons preached, and see men hung and other plagues of civilisation,":''lf that does not whet the appetite of my readers to ask, like -Oliver Twist, for more, may the Bookworm never again touch a vol" time.

The Masterton circle of the Australasian Home Beading Union meet on Thursday in the Courthouse, at 7.80 p.m. Mr Fleming, the New Zealand Secretary, is expected, so doubtless there will be a large attendance. lam given to understand that the oircle will in future hold its meetings in another place, the Courthouse being no longer available.