Waikato Times. AND THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE.

Waikato Times, Volume XVII, Issue 1418, 4 August 1881, Page 2

Waikato Times. AND THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE.

Equal and exact justico'to all men, Of \vh.ite\cr state or persuasion, religious or political. Here sh.ill the Press the People's right maintain Unawed by influence and unbribed by gain.

THURSDAY, AUGUST £ 1881.

The paramount place which the question of local government has assumed in the politics of the colony will not, we opine, rob that of Education of any considerable amount of the importance which within the last few years it has acquired. Nor will the latter be easily pubhed aside when the time for making election pledges comes round. One party, that which advocates the reading of the Bible in the schools, is working unceasingly, and if it does not gain in numerical strength, is at least animating its adherents with a new energy and spirit of determination, which may in the end triumph over mere numbers. 'I he opponents of the present Educational System on other grounds — those who would deprive it of its " free " and " compulsory" clauses — are, we take it, too weak to raise any serious apprehension in the minds of those who desire no change ; but there is another class which, although it acknowledges and defends the grand benefits arising from a National System of Education, deplores its costliness, and which seeks without damaging, nay to increase its efficiency, to bring the price of its operations more within the means of the colony. But those who think thus have a difficult game to play. A modification of the present system proposed by them would find favor with, and support from all its opponents, but the final issue might be the loss of precisely that which the moderate party wish to retain. They therefore prefer, or at the least have so far preferred to give countenance to the system as now, rather than endanger those parts of it to which they cling. Consider, however, whether it be likely that this course of action, or rather of inaction, will continue. The principles of a free, seculai', and compulsory education, it was decided, ought to be firmly established befoi'e alterations of whatsoever kind were suggested, at least by those who are friends of these principles broadly stated. The question now is : Are these principles firmly *et? If not, let their supporters hold closely together and resolve to bear the burden a little longer. But if the answer be "yes," the sooner the modifications proposed are considered the better. The chief object kept in view is naturally a reduction in the expense j but it is also thought that by so doing the children attending the schools may be brought to a higher state of efficiency than now, under an altered plan of tuition. Some valuable contributions have been made to the stock of knowledge on this subject by a writer in the Lytteltou Times signing himself " Critic." The letters, four in number, have since been republished in pamphlet form, and this brochure is now before us. The writer begins upon the assumption that a power great as Education, cannot be set moving without producing results either very beneficial or injurious ; further, that the training received at the schools of the state " should be such as to make the rising generation more intelligent, more moral, of more enlai'ged views, more capable of mental effort and of application to study, more independent in thought and ideas than they otherwise would be. On the question of cost with which the first of these letters exclusively deals, it needs not that much should be said. That is a question upon which most people are agreed. It is worth noting, nevertheless, that while in New Zealand the cost per child was, in 1879, £7 10s lOd, the cost in England was something under £2 2s, more than half of the latter amount being provided out of school fees and .local i*ates. Where we are interested is in the writer's plan for making these reductions not only possible, but, as it seems, positively, advantageous. The only reasonable way of going to work appears to him to be the " recasting of the whole plan upon which our elementary Education is based ;" the quality of the present article is altogether disproportionate to its co3t; the variety of, things taught is too great ; if few subjects were taughti well; "the . ''children would profit, more and the [State, would pay less." With the present, division of the ' schools 1 into' ," Infant," " Primary," and, quasi- " Secondary," in which latter a

"Smattering of Education is supposed to be given," each of the three require separate staffs of teachers, each with specjia'b aptitudes, and -separate ,buildinga are,, required. The first named, the author of these letters says, requires " teachers familiar with the management of babies," while the business of the teachers in the quasi-Secondary schools, comprising children in the fifth and sixth standards, is "to instruct their pupils in subjects, each of which forms a? t idy in itself." A list is given of the subjects, a general > knowledge of which the " happy " children are expected to take with them out into the world, and it is pertinently remarked thai if the teaching of such subjects as "heat," "velocity of sound and light," " convection," " conduction," and numerous others is to be of service, then " the teachers must be men of considerable attainments, and being so, their remuneration must be considerable." But how to make a change for the better 1 By abolishing the Infant and Secondary departments altogether, which accordiug to the same writer could be done without, in the slightest, (except for the better?) affecting the greater proportion of the pupils, Out of a total of 75,550 children attending school, he points out, only 2780, or 3*60 per cent, are under five years, (infants) and 1189, or 1*57 per cent, over fifteen, " thus for the sake of less than +000 out of 75,000 children, we are keeping up two expensive establishments." The writer goes on to say — and we need not here follow him very closely — that the system might be still more economically worked were a great part of the power now possessed by Education Boards transferred to the local committees, who, possessing a more accurate knowledge as to the wants of their several districts, and having, as part of the scheme proposed, the power to levy a portion of the funds required, would have a direct interest in checking the expenditure. Pains are taken in this pamphlet to show that under the present plan too many subjects are taught, and too little of each is mastered, that slovenly and superficial habits are formed, difficult to be shaken off in after life. It is complained also that instruction is attempted to be presented under the guise of amusement — a harmful device. It should be understood that only by diligent mental efforts can any subject be mastered, and that there is no Royal road to learning whatsoever. The gratification which succeeds the overcoming a difficulty is a better incentive to work than the knowledge that learning can be acquired in some easy and pleasant way. On the " moral" aspect of the question our author holds somewhat undecided views. He deplores the want of some means for the inculcation of morality in our schools ; but he fails to find his ideal either in " Bible reading" or in the plan of allowing ministers of religion to give instruction during stated hours. The first would be likely to degenerate into mere formalism, while ministers, being unconnected with the schools, would be powerless to enforce attention or obedience, or even to compel attendance, and so would possess little or no influence " over the feelings or aspirations, or over the lives and habits of their pupils." He would prefer trusting " to the great heart and good feeling of the community at large," and would vest in the local committees large discretionary powers in this respect. Such is, faintly shadowed, what seems to us an admirable scheme, and one which is deserving of close attention when the proper time conies (if it be not now). There are points upon which we differ with the author of these | letters, but the scheme is capable of modification, and with trifling alterations would meet the views of nearly all of those who desire to ] maintain a national system of Education, producing the best possible results for the minimum of cost.

The establishment in New Zealand of an institution for the education of those who have been denied from their birth the priceless privilege of hearing and speaking has already proved a blessing to many so afflicted. The necessity for such a school has long been apparent, the distance of that in New South Wales being too great for to be of material assistance to parents in this country, more especially those of the less prosperous class, and hence in March of last year the Government opened a Deaf and Dumb School at Sumner, near Ohristchurch, under the direction of Mr and Mrs Van Ascii, a gentleman and lady who have made this branch of education their particular study. From the first annual report, which is incorporated with the fourth annual report of the Minister of Education, some very interesting information regarding the management and working of the Sumner school may be gathered. The building in which Mr and Mrs Van Asch carry on their noble but arduous work was formerly used as a boarding-school, .and is therefore well adapted for the purposes to which it has now been put. It js besides in an extremely healthy, situation, near the seaside. ' 'At present there are only 21 pupils, but the building has ample accommodation for over 30. According to the prospectus, the system of instruction is that wnich is ' knoWn ; as "the, articulation system,'' by which deaf-

Qfe. ,M t IT" *~, — mutes arfe fitted, to^the use of the organs of speech, and v learn both to speak — in the ordinary sense of the word — and to understand (from the motion of the^ lips) the speech of others. The use of finger-signs or other conventions employed as substitutes for speech is strictly excluded. Of the* progress anade by the pupils, not only the Directo 1 , but the Inspector-General of Schools and Inspector Pope speak in the very highest terms. The task of teaching the deaf to speak is an unusually difficult one, and the necessity for unusually skilful teaching is, Mr Habens puts it, apparent, when i is remembered that for want of speech the deafmute's mind is comparatively unde- j veloped, and that it is necessary he should be taught to think as well as speak. The results attained by Mr Van Ascii are best told in the words of Mr Pope, who paid a visit of inspection to the school in June last, and who thus describes what he saw and heard : — " While I was at the school five children were put through their exercises. One of these was a girl about eight years old, three of them were boys about ten, and one was somewhat older. The girl had been only a few weeks at Sumner, but she was already able to produce many of the elementary pounds that constitute what may be called the deaf-and-dumb alphabet. The apparently hopeless task of making a deaf-mute understand speech is accomplished by causing the sight and the touch to do the kind of work that is ordi narily done by the sense of hearing. The child was made to place one of her hands on the teacher's throat and the other on her own. At the same time she watched intently the motions and configurations of the teacher's lips. By these means she obtained information that comes to ordinary children through the ear. She received it so thoroughly that that she was able to reproduce almost exactly the sounds uttered by Mr Van Asch. Writing and speaking are taught simultaneously. The teacher utters a sound, say that which is represented by cc. The pupil pronounces it, and then writes the letters on a slate. The sounds represented by f and t are treated in a similar way ; finally these sounds are combined, and the word feet is produced. This was one of the words used yesterday. The little girl recognised the word when it was pronounced, pronounced it correctly herself, and, finally, wrote it on the slate. Her frequent glances at her feet showed that she knew what she was saying. Many other words were treated in the same way, including my own name, which she mastered without any difficulty. The other children were much further advanced. In their case it was easy to discern the practical benefits resulting from continued instruction under the system pursued by Mr Van Asch. One of the younger boys, who had been about twelve months at Sumner, was able to repeat almost any easy sentence that Mr Van Asch had previously pronounced for him, to write it down on a slate, and to give convincing evidence that he understood what he was saying. After the children had gone through the exercises, I asked their teacher to allow me to talk to the boy that appeared to be the furthest advanced. After one or two false starts had been made we got on very well indeed. The little fellow understood quite well what I said to him, and gave intelligible and intelligent replies. On coming away I wished the children goodbye. They immediately returned the salutation, just as other children would have done. One cannot but regard the result achieved here as a masterpiece of the teacher's art. The ordinary skilled teacher merely does the best that can be done with materials ready to his hand, but he who succeeds in teaching the deafmute to utter and to understand speech is, in the truest sense of the word, an artist. He does not merely J combine skilfully :he creates. It is quite unnecessary to say anything about the value of such work as is done here. Everybody recognises that. What is required is merely that it should be fully known that here, at Sumner, the deaf are taught to hear (virtually) and the dumb to speak, and that, if children are allowed to grow up in what is almost the most helpless condition that humtn beings can be placed in, the fault lies with parents that neglect to give their children the benefit of advantages that are so readily obtainable." As we might naturally suppose, this institution is not as yet self-supporting, the cost for the year, after deducting a sum of £263 8s 8d contributed by parents at the rate of £40 per i annum, was £1245 17s 4d, but who | will grudge the expenditure of this comparatively insignificant sum upon an institution so admirable and deserving in every way. If there be any need for education at all, there is surely a necessity for instructing those who are utterly incapable of assisting themselves.

The conclusion of our travelling reporter's letter, "Paeroa, Waitekauri, and W,aihi," and other interesting matter will be found oa the fourth page of this issue, M) ',','.„> ' The usual weekly meeting of the , Hamilton Debating Club will be held on thfl Gpurt-house . this eTening 1 when a full attendance of members is deisired. It ir ai-n unusual occurrence, and (perhaps 'somewhat of aii' anomaly for* tradesman to have ''a' pugilistic enfcounter Jiyith hig'' custt)rii*r; r 'How*Ver, » suoh » thine did.Wally hippen on Tuesday evening last in a billiard-room in a certain

Waikato township, when the custodian 'pf the table had a round with one of his customers of some forty-five minutes' duration. It will be seen by a, telegram in another column that the people of Auckland are taking active measures to secure th.it Tawhiao and party shall visit that city. The death is announced at the euily aure of 34 of Mr Marcus Clarke, the well-knowu Australian litcrateur. The Rev. C. Griffin will deliver his entertaining and instructive lecture on "Old Clothes" at the " Wesleyan Church, Cambridge, to-morrow night. Thr c uir will be take 1 by Mr Hoski -<g. A Cablegram from Melbourne, tinted AuLMist 2, states : — New Zealand outs :irc quoted at 3s 3d foi common, and 3-* 6d for good ruts. Messrs Cotton, Bendall, Rhodes, and Calender will represent Cambridge at the forthcoming football contest between Auckland and Waikato. A concert is contemplated by the English Church Committee, Cambridge, in aid of the Church Building Fund. It is intended that the entertainment, which will be on a grand scale, shall come off before the opening of the new Church on the 31st inst. The unfortunate man, David Kelly, who was arrested in Cambridge on Monday last for being in an unsound state of mind, was brought up at the Magistrate* Court there on Tuesday, and Vemanded to Hamilton for medical examination. Another Catholic concert is spoken of to come off in Cambridge in September next, at which several of the local amateurs have already promised to contribute their services It was intended to hold the concert on the night of the forthcoming 1 races, but as the Public Library Committee have already bespoken the Public Hall for that occasion for their concert, it has been decided to hold it previous to the races. The members of the Cambridge Musical Union held their usual weekly practice in the Town Board Rooms on Monday night last, when there was a full attendance of members. Since the Musical Union has been started a large number of ladies and gentlemen have joined it, and it would seem that the members list is becoming augmented weekly, almost all the musical amateurs | having become members. The Union has an able tutor in the person of Mr T. A. 1 Bell, who is bringing his class to a [ creditable state of efficiency. Mr Richardson, with a number of I men, has been engaged for the past few days removing the old Anglican Church, Cambridge, some yards back on the Church grounds. When the new Church is finished, it is intended that the old one will be utilised for Sunday-school purposes. Mr Hammond, who represented the Government at the meeting of the Land Court on Monday last, attended on Tuesday morning to go into the subdivisions of the Patetere Block, so as to facilitate matters at the coining Court in September nevt. There being only a few of the parties concerned present, nothing was done in the matter, and Mr Hammond has returned to Auckland. In view of the probable return by the Government to the subsidy system, for this year, a communication has been addiessed by the Waikato County Council to the member for the district, asking him to use his best endeavours to prevent the grant being, as heretofore, almost entirely swallowed upforCharitable Aid purposes. The hint is a timely one, and we hope it will be productive of good results. A meeting was held in Wellington on Monday night to express sympathy with the Irish tenant farmers and the Land League. The Mayor of Wellington presided and the speakers were Bishop Redwood and a few of the more prominent members of the Grey party, including Sir George Grey, Messrs Sheehan, Speight, Jones, Tawhai, Ballance, and Fisher. Resolutions expressive of sympathy with the Irish people were earned, and it was further resolved to form a branch of the Land League in Wellington and to raise subscriptions in aid of the Irish League. Few people lay claim to a wider and deeper knowledge of everything above the earth and under the waters than your genuine dramatic critic, but they have their unguarded moments. The gentleman who " does " this particular department for an Auckland morning contemporary is perhaps oftner caught napping than most of his confreres, but he seldom perpetrates a more stupid blunder than that in Tuesday's paper, when speaking of the Carden Company's rendering of Wilkie Collins Frozen Deep. "A dramatic interpretation of any narative," writes our critic " must be an intensely concentrated summary of the principal incidents. It is also very much more difficult to give effective embodiment to individualities, cenceived first by the originator, and nearly always sublimated by the adapter." Just so ; but does not the writer know that the drama of the Frozen Deep was written first and the narrative version afterwards, and by the same man ? Sir George Grey evidently intends, from the iollowing correspondence, to carry out his intention to introduce a bill similar to the Affirmation in Lieu of Oaths Bill which after passing the Lower House was thrown out in the Council : — "Nelson, July 25, 1881.— From Mr Chas. Schoefield to Sir George Grey. 'Can you do anything more with Affirmation Bill ? Kindly reply.'— Wellington, July 26, 1881.— From Sir George Grey to Mr Schoefield : « I will never rest till Affirmation Bill becomes law. This can be carried out if those who prize freedom of conscience and thought aid me. That men, nominated, and not chosen by their fellow-men, should have the "power for their lives of keeping us bound in fetters, which compel us to do what we may abhor, or forfeit our dearest rights, makes us bondsmen. That we should be forced to pay them £200 a year each during their lives to enable them to exercise such tyranny, it they please to do so, appears degrading to us.— G. Gbey.' " The road from Churchliill to the Awaroa Block (which is for sale on the deferred payment system), which was surveyed by Mr Palmer is now nearly completed. The land would it is said have found a ready sale had the road been completed before. A punt is very much required over the Waikato river to connect the road at Churchhill with the main road and the railway on the east side. At present the only means of communication is by canoe. Owing to the subsidence of the embankments on either aide of the Whatawhata bridge, not only will the traffic , soon be stopped, but the protective fencing will be useless for keeping cattle off the sides of the embankments. '1 he local bodies or the proper authorities should see to this matter at once. If taken in hand without farther delay, much.- of the road 'metal can be utilised again, which ; will be lost if farther wet weather sets ''in. , , > , i 1 A notification by the Chief Commissioner of Crown ' Lands Auckland, which i appears in oar business columns 'announces that the suburban lands north, and south of Ngiruawihia vrill be offered ■ for sale by public -auction at the Crown

Lands Office, Auckland, ou Monday the 29th August. 'Notifications regarding the sale of other Crown Lands also appear iv this issue. The usual monthly meeting of the Kirikiriroa Highway Board was held in the Waikato County Chambers, yesterday afternoon, when there were present : Messrs Primrose, (chairman), Gillett, H. Steele and T. S. Runciman. The minutes j of the previous meeting were vead and confirmed. It was decided to notify by advertisement certain persons to remove furze growing on the roads. Mr W. Taylor wrote stating that a deputation of the Board had waited on him m reference to his claim for compensation for road encroachment, and they had agreed to give him £3, and supply him with posts for fencing along the road. The action of tue chairman and Trustees who saw Mr Taylor was confirmed. A circular was read trom the Assistant Under-Secretary for Public Works re road deviation, intimating that in future all memorials to the Governor must be accompanied by a stamped declaration. To this the members of the Board naturally demurred, as the works which such declarations referred to were of a public nature, and ought nob to be taxed. Mr T. W. Hickson, of Auckland, wrote offering to execute any work for the Board in connection with road closing, &c. The following tenders were opened for works at Kiddle's Hill : — Henry and Annett, road-forming. 193 6d per chain, cutting, £24 15s ; J. C. Booth, 17s 2\& and £21; M Walsh, (accepted), 15s lOd and £13 13s. The following accounts were passed for payment :— Wright, drain pipes, £1 15s; Davis, clay work, £7 4s : Johnson, dit o, £6 6s. This was all the business. We (Mttflborough Expra>i>) greatly regret to learn that Sergeant Richard Saunderson died somewhat suddenly at the Police Station ou the 25th. The deceased was 46 years of age, and was a native of Monaghau, Irclaud. He sen ed in the Itoyal Irish Constabulary for nine years, wlieu he emigrated to New South Wales, and subsequently, in 1864, came to New ZeaLind and joined the New Zealand Constabulary in Auckland. He continued to serve in that province, chiefly in the Waikato, till August of last year, when he was transferred to Blenheim. Some little while back he was attacked by a severe cold, and was confined to his quarters by it on the 9th June. He was unable to resume day duty until the 11th of the present month, but was again prostrated by a similar attack on the 15th inst. Yesterday he dressed and moved about the house a little. Towards evening, however, he suffered a relapse, and though visited by most of the medical men in town no suspicion of his approaching end seems to have arisen. Sergeant Saundcrson leaves a wife who has been paralysed for many years, and is therefore completely helpless, and one daughter. Sergeant Saundcrson was an efficient and obliging officer, respected by all classes of the community, and one whose loss will be felt m the corps to which he belonged. Sergeant Saunderson was for some tune stationed at Ngaruawahia. Posey County, Indiana, claims to have raised the largest cow in the world. Her name is Lady Posey ; breed, mixed Durham and Big English. Her measuiements are : greatest height, sft lOin • girth, Bft 9m; length, I Oft Gin, or including tail, 17ft. Her form is good ; and, though nob fat, she weighs 30001b. EJer colour is led and white, red predominating. Ai?o, six years. Her present owner lives in .Stark County, Iliinois. Tue average value of farm lands in the United States, according to a recent Government report, has increased dui\n<? the past year 8 per cent. The largest increase is in Florida, 28 percent., and the smallest in another Southern State, Virginia, VI per cent. The average increase in the New England Stales is 8 per cent., which is also the rate in Massachussets. The middle States show about half this advance, the South Atlantic States more, and South-western States less. Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, and Nebraska States lying together in the wheat belt, return a round increase averaging 13 percent. Boot- stretches ix Ord/naby. — An old gentleman is living at Baden who filled for many years the office of bootatrctcher to the present Empeior of Austria. His duty consisted in wearing his royal master's new boots before they were adopted by their owner. The man ceitainly merits his well earned pennon far more than most courtiers. There arc not a few people who would readily run the risks that attend modern princes from revolutionary conspiracies? if only they could enjoy the luxury of possebsing a boot-stretcher in ordinary. Visitors to Auckland can obtain good boaul .nul lodging, .it reasonable l.itcs, at Cook's Provinci.il Hoarding-house, .bhortland-stiect. Mr L. James, late of the Railway Hotel, Frankton. ■will be glad to see Ins old friends and the public generally at the Railway Refreshment Rooms, Mcrcur. Messrs H. E. Cotton and Co. will hold an extensive sale of the furniture and effects, of the late Major Hay at Cambiidge on Saturday We refer our readers to the ad\ crtisemcnt for a complete list of the artuleb to be submitted for sale. Messrs Oppenheimer and Co., of Auckland, ad\ ertise that the> arc now taking orders for the American Fencing Company's Steel Baib Fence Wire, " the cheapest and beat in the market." Mr J. A. Dillon, Railway Hotel, Mercer, advertises that he has afiist-ilass table ready on the arrival of every train, which stops 20 minutes. The quarterly meeting of the Licensing Court for the district of Cambiidge will beheld at the Court-house, Cambridge, on Tuesdaj, the 6th day of September, at noon. Messrs Sykes and Grossmann, dentists, make an important announcement in our advertising columns. Mr Theodore Brown, Auckland, advertises a sweep of £10,000 on the Melbourne Cup of 1881. Particulars are given in another column. The Hamilton agent is Mr G. E. Browne. Mr Kennedy Hill will sell at his mart on Saturday, potatoes, carrots, chaff, sharps, bacon, hams, fencing wire, etc. George Mason, nurseryman, of Hamilton, has filed a. declaration of insolvency. First meeting o{ creditors to be held on Friday, 12th August. The Commercial Hotel, opposite the General Post-office, Auckland, Mr A. Kidd proprietor, is undoubtedly the Waikato house. Visitors to Auckland are sure to find their way into this hotel some time during the day even if they have not taken up their quarters there. Mi Kidds connection in Waikato was so extensive during the time he catered for the public as providorc for the Waikato Steam Navigation Co.'s fleet, and left such good impressions behind thai he is now reaping a well-deserved benefit by the "Waikato people making his hotel their general rendezvous. His advertisement appears in another column. The new pure cash system now being initiated by G. and C. will certainly pro\e a benefit to the public. Jt has been a great success in Sydney and Melbourne, and when strictly carried out the customer who buys at an establishment where the goods are marked low to ensure a rapid sale must be a great gainer. G. and C. sell their drapery millinary, and clothing at such prices tor cash as gives the buyer the advantages of a shareholder of a co-operative society, without the risk of being called upon to bearaportionofthe loss should the year's business prove unsatisfactory. Garlick and Cranwell will aim to retain the confidence which the public have hitherto shoxvn them, and are determined to give the pure cavh system a fair trial; whether they gain or lose the first year. Country buyers on remitting cash with order will bo supplied with goods at co-operative prices ; just the same as though they made a personal selection. Furnishing goods, such as carpets, floor cloths, bedsteads, bed 'saip and general house furniture, the largest portion of which is turned out at our own factory, will be marked at ihe lowest remunerative prices, and a discount of five per cent, will be allowed to those who pay at the time of purchase. G. &C. having realised the entire value of their stock during their late cash sale, the present stock is new anp cheaply bought. An inspection is invited.— Garuck and Cranwell, City HallFunmbmg Arcade Queen•trect, Auckland