JOTTINGS from WELLINGTON

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XV, Issue 4693, 12 April 1894, Page 2

JOTTINGS from WELLINGTON

I (By Our Own Correspondent.)' . - The Schoolboy of the Daii,— Decay of the Race. —■The Commision Agency iwl Modern Melodrama and The HoM'Spong Company in " You, Like It"; il Crilieim.~The Functions of School Committees,—At Censors of Morals,"ties—The Hospital Bdi—"Reflections."-:' Class versus Mm.", . . What is the present generation of boys coming to when suob a fuss is made by School' Boards, parents, and - the public general'y, when some nil-, usually unruly urohin receives a well deserved birching at the' hands of the poor,schoolmaster, whose patience and forbearance have been tried beyond .{he bounds of enduftince by the open. Ib the race of boys decaying faint when ,taken hold of to J a weil-mented owing^a whimpering home to with highly—coloured taloa. of the j unfortunate' pedagogue's brutality ? The father goes to the School Oommittee with a long complaint, and thei result is that the schoolmaster, for endeavouring to preserve discipline, i® either hauled over the coals far his harshness, or ignominiously dismissed! with a blasted career merely for administering a well-deserved punish*; ment. I always notice, too, that the unlucky schoolmaster invariably gets the worst of it in the long run. The whimpering young whipper-snapper's side of the- oase is always taken in preference to the schoolmaster's. I ' must confess that in nine oases out of ten my sympathies are with the schoolmaster, Boys are boys the wide world all over, and why the New Zealand Bohoolboy should be ... exempt from corporal punishment more than any other, passes my oomprehension. What will the discipline in our State schools come to if this sort of interference with the master's ,j functions is allowed to grow? : result will be that our turn out a race lumß, devoid ol nil the manly attributes which have characterised the British schoolboy in the

If discipline is not enforced in early | j life, and that by the very wholesome s and often necessary medium of the ' rod, how will tljp boy learn to discipline himself when he reaches what; are usually known as years of discretion ? I very much fear that if such ' , ft flips is made about tlie caning of boys at State schools, that the manly Hew Zealander will soon become as exttnot as the Dodo,' In my schoolboy days a caning was taken as it matter of course, and tho boy rather gloried than otherwise in the severity/ of it, Seldom did one hear of ibesecomplaints then,which ate so frequent now-a-days. The boy did wrong at tbe peril of a caning, and when found out he was manly enough to bear the penalty. Apparently the schoolboy of this generation is composed of different qualities, and the parents and sohool committees, who ought to . know from their own experience what is absolutely necessary to boys to conform to habits aud discipline, back the boyTpiahw whimpering complaints. lam led to , make these remarks from the fact that I learn a master in one of tho large city schools has been forced to resign his appointment, because forsooth the boy whom he was about to punish for gross disobedience and in* solence happened to faint when rather firmly grasped by the collar. In the opinion of many who know the full - facta of the case, tbe schoolmaster was more sinned against them sinning, and, indeed, a man must be more than human if ho can calmly control bis temper in the faeo of such provocation as was received in theoase under notice. The sickly sentimentality displayed over these alleged cases of ill treatment of refaotory schoolboys is simply surprising.

There is a certain class of men coming to us from tlie "other side" whose thoughts lightly turn to commission agency work as mi dernier mart when everything else faila, These men hare been everything in their time, and failures at them all, but as gaily as the lark they open offices, buy a few slicks of furniture (on (irediijj'advor* tise freely in the,patera (alsoon credit) und wait for commissions to come along. Sometimes commissions do happen their way, hut it is bad for the customer who is snared into their nets. Instead of Belling he is more ofton than not " sold." They, live n life of luxurious ease these commission agents, they never worry about the morrow, but then as they never pay for anything why should they ? In a few months the end . comes. It is inevitable but then it is expected and looked forward to by the commission agents. That convenient functionary, the Official Assignee, wipes out all their debts with a free hand, theironly auxioty is to be able to scrape together a few pounds in order to file with. After that, their trouble is at an end. The liabilities (generally considerable) are always set down with scrupulous exactness, no creditor is omitted, but then as the assets are always" nil" there is not much consolation in. this to ths confiding creditor. The" whitewfffiing " process being over these ■ gentlemen, speedily depart for fresh fields of . action where they couu^e" business " again de novo; but thd final is generally tho same unks iiy some mischanco they managPV bring \ themselves-within the olutch of tho arm of the law, and then their career is rudely checked. The wonder is that with the bitter experience gaiced by years of acquaintance with these gentry, that anyone can be found to trust them at all, but the British public is ever confiding and sanguine, " hoping against hope." so I suppose it will go on to the time, that golden time, when the bankruptcy laws will not be so easy,and these" commission agents" will have to be moriTtareful in their modus operandi. At present then is something decidedly " rotten in the state of Denmark " when these gentry can eo easily escape acot free from punishment, for what is nothing more nor less than downright swind- vling.

From modern melodrama to Shakespeare is a far cry audit was therefore with some curidlhmnmixed with apprehension tuaFl went to the Opera House on Friday Evening last to see the' Howe-Boong Dramatio Company play that sweetest of all oomedies old or new "Ab Yon Likelt." 1 had heard that -llisa /. Spong was looked upon is Australia as one of the most; promising ( native borM acUesaca on the Colonial stage and fl also knew that the litjle lady haa played leading partsitable Edward Terry Australia some: m further, for a

II Bough Bouoics lit I wna not prepa ity piece of acting ithe part ci the Roaalmd—that » 11 Shakespeare shgi shile MisgSpong , means perfection, mated the p»|t ' i which WW deligh were perhaps :eaand in some pi leaning whicU SM d should be convi , ovotlookad by 10 ■< doublet a»d ho Imirably P«omMd iejie? With Oilaodo overdone, lucking iderness and m< sh » ftfeat "%°l ier,hoWever,Mißßbpi 83 4 W JJ !l ly. Mr Gathuart, as Jacques, g» v o goring of a v ' r i' J' Wing of those sply noing " All the worl T&thG Colonial 8 of fiot, as was only r Gutlicart is the only an acior in the Com] ormanco alone .vould You Like It" as rem 'e-Spong Ooiupany i However, as it wa rere very capably I a Orlando, giving a part entirely nr.nuit Mr Fabect,as that p ers—the wise mid -was really exce m>; can be said of grotesque Audrey, touchstone, Thepk mounted, the forei e evoking a hearty from the audience, t Bpong to the front t( edgmenta, " As you lerformed again on Fi id advise any of the r district who are in not to miss theoppo lessiog a very exci , nojicifthiit ;ho New nittee an;i t'fep mei ition Board wiTti — rce at "As You Llk( [lit were ouiightvue i of the play and iv be convinced, es " Bowdlerised" sc 'here is nothing in ldeterraine the mora ildren whom tlley ■ mxioiis to preserve 1 i. Evidently the J Committee lias heart the proud m )f the garter or hi pure all things arepi ven if the Bible \ liools, lay an einbt r have done upon all poor Will -Sha: 58, When' School Ci poor children to use their parents, their books and cha t roughs wb ric ig, there is no know do next. al Ball was an i which i ieot after all, nnd tl; arge number of pec t 500, hut it can said to have bee jn inasmuch as Soci Bturned up in fo )ti of those who belt )wn us the " manst rather apt to be an aocratio trend of sence of the" clasat his or the subscript people away. I spi 1 1 Bay the" peopl i the subscription, iogs more or less d iare the" masses," it anyrate, when t enjoying themseli rdisappointedthat dnot attendingrei to see the 11 mass lodtime. They re were enjoying th fi society goes ab ;ry sadly, with . 'ew giddy dcbuta. I the sweets of a Bt. time. Those g ancea, the names jbario import to efywereconspiou ie. I take a h thing tho "mass 'ious courses throi ions of the " Oiri 3 " Spanish wail the "Varsooviai ightly polka mazu: and agreeabio,change is movements ol the itch iB only varied by of the "larrikin" legance of the drawls jua/M." Still, aB I bekelswcre gathered red itself, as indeed ; | did the few venturesome members of 1 < the'! masses" who were brave enough to put in an appearance, and a good objeot largely benefitted by a function to which all and sundry contributed ( liberally. _________ FEATHERSTON MOTES. 1 (From Correspondent,) i' Inspeotor Fleming visited and t . examined the Kaiwaiwai SchoolycaterIday in oompanj*tyi Mr J. S. Cundy. There wai a fair percentage of passes, and the Inflpeoty reports favourably on the of the scholars. Yesterday was one of the windiest days on record in Featherston, many gates, etc., were blown down, During the heavy wind yesterday afternoon,the cliimßeyof&liß Aehby'a boarding house caught fire, and some of the sparks got on to the verandah oi the house next door, and had it not been for prompt assistance, the verandah would have caught fire properly, and moat likely the whole house. It is very disheartening to note the number of swaggers coming through ' here every day, and in a small whare, up the hill a bit, there are generally about five per night, |j. . [Br Dauoolib] ■R The following will represent the HB Greytown Hard Oases in their matoh against, Featherslon next Saturday, the tatter's grounds Full back, ; three-quarters, Hawkins, ; halves,J.HornWelob; forwards, Pookery,Oliver, and W, Jaok(3), JRordrnHnyn, udy.

iv, Jaok-

; f/w , A meeting of the Finance Com' mittee was held this morning at the • County Council office, There were ' present; Messrs Maunsell (in the ■ cliair), P. von Redcn,C, E. Cockburn . Hood, D, Guild, and Eli Smith. ' MINUTES. I The minutes of the previous meetwere read and confirmed. . GENERAL. Or E, Smith moved and Or C, E, Cockburn«Hood seconded that thi; committee recommends the Council to set up a seleot committee toinquiri fully into the question of the positior of the Mount Baker roadcontract,anc suggests that the engineer be autho ] rized to make a thorough examinatior . of the works, and that hie repori , when finished be laid before t(ie sp select oommittee.—Carried, j Cr Smith moved that Mr Qrevilli „ be asked to state on what authorit] . he makes the assertion in his repor of Feb, fSrdj that tbe late A)fred(pi t Eoad Board did not expect the worki j on' contract No. 2, Mt. Bakei Road, tt be commenced before the samme months, and that (be late clerk of khi j Allredton Itoad Board be wrjtten ti 9 and asked whether there m an; (j verbal understanding with the con 3 tractor or engineer in charge, that tbi t Board did not oipect the works to bi e commenced before the summer, tad i 0 so, whether the members of the Boari B generally were aware of such an ar lattgement, Secondei by Cr von JRedsn am e carried. I, Moved by Or voti Redon, secondei 1 by Or Cockburn-Hood and carried » that this committee is unable t recommend that farther payments b fflide od oontraots 1 and 2 Mt, Cake Boad, till the Counoil has dealt witl tbe recommendation fjiade in a previ ous resolution, relative to settling ut; a Court of Inquiry, Cr vqq Seden moved, and 0 e Cockburn-Hood seconded, that tbi b Council recommends the Council t i ( pies a reiolntion, requesting the Qo c, vernment to so amend the Alcoholi j, Liquors Sale Control Aot ss to plac i. tbe conduct of licensing elections un 3, der the charge of the Council, bein r, satisfied that expenses will'thereby b t . reduced, ■. - • S •' ]. Accounts to tbe amount of £2,22 Us 4d were.piised for payment,',. tHb, .

I Theolaims ofthe Wairarapa Dwriot' Hospital were ,recom« aended for payment. The Clerk was instructed to apply d* 10% on tbe Eketaliuna metalling; nd write to the Ekeiabona Road hard to ascertain what thirds have ccrued for the work, OrO.E.Oookbum-Hood was elected i fhai'rman vice CrR. Maunnell retired,