548 Proceedings. 



the Eev. J. Bates on " Evolutionary Ethics " at a recent 

 meeting. 



Mr. Josiah Martin said that since the last meeting he had had an 

 opportunity of going through the paper. It was full of facts, and was well 

 worthy of consideration. He would not attempt to reply to it, but simply 

 add something to it. He reviewed the leading points of the paper, and 

 the theories set out by Mr. Bates. He especially referred to its bearing 

 on moral teaching. He said that their public schools were doing noble 

 work in inculcating obedience, order, patience, and perseverance, as well 

 as truth, honour, and honesty ; and he commented at some length on 

 school-life in the school and playground, and the example set by the 

 teachers. But there were, he admitted, weak points in the system, and 

 the pupils failed to find that virtue was its own reward, for smartness 

 passed for industry, and examinations for education, and there was a 

 danger of liberty becoming license. They wanted the school system to 

 teach responsibility and accountability, which was almost lost sight of 

 now that the dogmas of Scripture were not taught in their schools. To 

 counteract that, they should support the authority of the teachers and 

 attract the best men, for no text-book could have the power the example 

 of the teachers had in making the characters of their future men and 

 women. He held that the State should teach reverence for authority and 

 the duties of citizenship, and should teach that privileges have their cor- 

 responding obligations, and that good conduct should be a qualification 

 for every stage of advancement. Then, the instruction should inculcate 

 loyalty and patriotism, and to accomplish this they must teach the 

 secret of organization, which required the teaching of discipline and 

 moral science. Many cried out with fear and alarm when the Bible 

 ceased to be a text-book, and exclaimed that the schools would become 

 godless. There never was a danger of that ; but they wanted something 

 to replace it, and such a text-book had not been yet written. Another 

 subject of study should be social economy. Science and religion were not 

 opposed, but went hand in hand in the advancement of the human race. 



2. "Notice of the Occurrence of the Luth, or Leathery 

 Turtle, on the Coasts of New Zealand," by T. F. Cheeseman, 

 F.L.S. (Transactions, p. 108.) 



3. Professor Brown exhibited a new wave-machine, which 

 he had devised for showing the mode of propagation of the 

 waves of light through the ether, and for explaining the inter- 

 ference of waves. 



4. " Some Peculiarities of the Maori Language," by E. D. 

 Fenton. 



Fifth Meeting: 22nd August, 1892. 



Professor F. D. Brown, President, in the chair. 



Papers. — 1. " The Effect of the Introduction of Deer on the 



New Zealand Bush : A Plea for the Protection of our Forest 



Eeserves," by the Eev. P. Walsh. {Transactions, p. 435.) 



The President stated that his sympathies were entirely in the direc- 

 tion of Mr. Walsh's paper. Nevertheless, it was difficult to arrive at any 

 practical scheme for the thorough preservation of forest reserves. It was 

 clearly impossible to fence a huge reserve like that surrounding Mount 

 Egmont, and thus prevent the access of cattle ; and yet the slow and 



