Young New Zealanders.

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume IV, Issue 568, 10 February 1891, Page 2

Young New Zealanders.

j At lhe last meeting of the Gisborne Phonol graphic Society the magazine was read and " criticised. It contained a number of papers 1 of special interest to members. One has perhaps a much wider interest, emanating i as it does from a Society composed only of - young men. Tbe article took up an 1 given by Mr DeLautour at a political meet- > ing some months back, when he said that > while one should be always ready to answer > for tbe political faith that was in him, he ■ thought the young men should be put forward, > and not have the same man coming forward t lime after time to fulfil the same duty; that ' the young men, the young New Zealanders, men born and reared in lhe country and having their hearts in its welfare should be 1 induced to come to the front. The paper ’ went on to note that Mr DeLautour'e advice 1 was loudly applauded, even though if it were j taken there would less often be tbe pleasure ' of heiring such men as Mr DeLautour speak 1 from the public platform. " But," Mye the ' writer, “ I wonder if there is one in ten who 1 really seeks for the cause of the backwardness ’ of young New Zealanders. Why, it a young ! man bad got up at that very moment and 1 made a halting speech in seconding the motion, 1 I believe be would at once have been turned ’ into ridicule, and what to him would have been a daring act, requiring a great amount . of courage, would have been described by i three out of every five as the essence of cheek. In New Zealand how many young mon trouble themselves about politic < ? The great majority of them can tell all about horse-racing, rowing, and other athletics, but many who arc admittedly clever young fellows, could not tell you who is now the Prime Minister of England—indeed some do not know what a Prime Minister is. But it is not fair to blame tbe young men—had they the opportunity and encouragement they would just as soon acquire knowledge as to the affairs of their country as they do information on such matters as the pedigrees of racehorses. The general tendency is to laugh at young men who oome forward in the political arena; the natural effect is that those who only require a little confidence shrink from doing anything that would lead to them being held up to ridicule, and the chances are that when they reach mature; years, when tfie conventionalities of the age would not disentitle them to a nearing, they have long ceased to take interest in polities, and they are quite content to give way to faddists or retrogressors. In business and ordinary matters they may be as keen as ever, hut they care not to do more than trifle with poli’ics, their interest being similar to that which they have in a norse-racs, merely for tbe excitement, , , , Stolid, though'ful young New Zealanders not only have no encouragement to take an active part in politics, but they have every discouragement. Occasionally when a young New Zealander does oome to tbe frout he is patted until fit becomes vanity-stricken, and imagining him-, self a superior sort of being he soon falls Io the rear again, a dismal failure, because he has failed to keep gathering the honey of knowledge as he goes on in the path ol lite. . . placing too much reliance on surface learning. The few who do come to the iron; are generally of the flashy sort, those whs have ee'.f-aseurance for tackling anything but rarely have the ability of hundreds of others who remain in the background," The writer Went on to remark that what was true of tbe lower walks is equally true Ih tbs higher circles, and ridiculed tbs idea (tbe paper was written before the change c{ Government) of supposing that there wei only one man, he completely broken down ia health, capable of taking tbe helm of State. Among the other papers was one on the appointments to the Legislative Cnunoil, and another took up a humorous str in, giving the outlines for a “shilling shocker.” It described a trip cut to the steamer in the Snark, and in recording soma little incidents told how a departing youth had thrown a penny to a fair maiden, from which iitt'e circumstance the writer indicated a rcmanoe after the moat approved “ shocker " style.