HIGHER EDUCATION.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 2658, 25 July 1889, Page 3

HIGHER EDUCATION.

TO TIIK KDITOII. Sin,—l am very glad that " Harapipi " has again reverted to the education question, it will stand a lot of thrashing yet. Ho says lie has been waiting for a reply from me to his late effusions. Keally lam not aware that they contained anything worth teplying to that would have answered any public purpose, neither to my mind is their anything in his last, but as there may yet be a few in this beautiful colony holding the same perverted views as " Harapipi," I will iu my humble way endeavour to enlighten tliem. I. never yet hare spoken to anyone who admitted they had received too much education, most people would like to have very much more than they now po<-uu.-s. No one ever yet said education was an injury to them, but on the opuosite, they know that their lot in life would have been better if they had been well grounded in school knowledge. "Harapipi" would have the ignorant remain still in ignorance, or would just give a smattering of teaching sufficient to placo their minds in fog. Black darkness is better than a fog. It is much easier to direct a man that has had no teaching than one who has only had a suporlicial glossing. Tr.to education to my mind is like good farming, to get good crops it is necessary to go in for deep tillage and the plentiful use of genuine fertilizers. The land being well prepared it is ready to receive good seed, when planted the tanner naturally looks for good results and it is rarely ho is disappointed. Now if the farmer planted sorrell, thistles, or other obnoxious weeds with good seeds on his good ground, the noxious weeds would smother and destroy the crops which ho should have got from the, good seeds. Therefore, it is necessary thai the farmer be well educated in the knowledge of judging seeds as well as in the right preparation of the soil. Therefore, to get the very best results from our educational system, it is wise that we do it thoroughly and efficiently. Only to half instruct is almost worse than giving none at all. Just the same as it is with only half cultivating the soil ; it would be better to let it alone, for it will only bring ruination to the farmer. And when our children have been well instructed and their minds lightly prepared to receive the knowledge that has been stored up in our literature for ages, they are prepared to receive and make good use of it, and be a blessing to themselves and those that will come after. Why is it that the. majority of people read trashy novels? [s it not bocause of their superficial education ? How can we e> poet them to take any interest in llin problems that arc exercising the minds of many of our wisest and best men when their training has only been a scratching of the surface. Good and enduring results are only obtained from long and patient effort, aud as I said in one of my previous letters, J can see no better way of spending the earnings of the people than by giving the best education obtainable to the risinf, generation. It is the wisest provision a father can make for his children, and surely that ivhieh is good for the family must also lie good for the nation. If we can reduce the expenditure of our school system without impaiiing its efficiency, let us do so by all means ; hut to impair it is just as wise as the farmer trying to grow good crops, without n.-ing the proper means. I further stated thai any money that is lopped oil' the education .-ysteui would more than likely be wasted iu other ways. Fresh commissions, inspectors of lunatics, not at Harapipi, and other oflicials to fullil imaginary and unnecessary offices will be appointed, political railways.rnndsand bridges will be constructed, so long as ;mr people, can be bl'nded by the verbosity of our socalled statesmen. It is only knowledge that can put. an end to this worse I ban : folly. lam sorry to say that there are yet some that would limit aud curtail the know- j ledge of the people. We want the thoughts , of our best and wisest men to be open and accessible to every member of the State. , The teachings o'f John Stuart Mill, and ! many of the same noble, puie and high at- ■ tainments, are foreign to the great majority of the people. Can it be any wonder wa ' are misruled and misgoverned when people ' and law-makers alike are imperfectly in- f formed upon the true principles of political | economy? Nearly all our laws are framed j and carried out to gratify the sci'ish desires j and aspirations of greedy and needy indi- \ viduals. How can these huge mnnstrosi- . ties be removed olhenvi.se than by eriu- ' eating the masses. "Harapipi" well , knows the misery and poverty that exists even in this fertile colony, most of which I believe can bo attributed to our ignorance. ' It is no use "Harapipi" talking about ' roses and thorns. I know this, that it is ( only the favoured few that have beds of f roses, while the many have only (lax hods i and in England many have not even these. ( The man that is working up to his neck in | water reclaiming a swamp has my sympathy. " Harapipi " has lived at ( Harapipi for more than twenty years, I should like him to tell us how much uu- ' earned increment has accrued in his time in that favoured township, and at tho pres- 'J rut rate of its progress it is hardly likely c. there ever will beany, whilrs in the town and 1 suburbs it is growing enormously, and this j poor man will be paying his share of it, for c there is no other source of wealth but j labour applied to the land. —Vours, &c. t Patiuoi'. c