PROFESSOR MACLAURIN'S DEPARTURE.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 52, 25 November 1907, Page 8

PROFESSOR MACLAURIN'S DEPARTURE.

SOME PARTING WORDS. THE COLLEGE PAST AND FUTURE. Professor Maclaurin,'who lias rosignod his position at Victoria College to take up a professorship at Columbia. Univei-sity, New York, will loavo Wellington cither to-day or to-morrow for Napier. On Friday he will leave that town for Auckland, where he will stay about a fortnight before.taking boat for Sydney. He will leave Sydney .about the end of the year for Vancouver, whence he will go across the continent to Now York, where ho has Leen .invited ..'to address a scientific society oarly in. February. He will then pay a short visit to London, in ' the course of which he will attend' the meeting of tho Royal Society m March, returiiing.-to Now York to commence his • duties at Columbia University. He. will leave New York again in June for Britain, and will remain thore during tho long. vacation till the beginning of October, .when ho -will- go back to New . York. Mrs. Maclaurin and family leavo for Napier to-day',-•.' and ■ wjll accompany the professor to Sydney J -whero Mrs. Maclaurin's people are at .present. They will remain in Australia until March, and thon take ship for England, whore' Professor Maclaurin will join them in, June. ADVANTAGES 'AND HINDRANCES. ■ Asked by a representative ;of The Dominion if thero were any final words that ho would like to say. about Victoria College, Brofessor Maclaurin said;—" One thing that the public has not realised is tjhat in a very brief space of time, nine'years, the College has far more than doublod its' membership. It began by being much the smallest of tho four New Zealand University. 'Colleges, and it is now the biggest, and increasing tar more rapidly than any of them, so'that for numbers it bids fair in a few -years to be by far the most university college in tho Dominion. It is hampered, as they all are, more, or less, !b'y, iiisuflicient funds. It is attempting to do orian : income' of some : thiiu; l'' ce £6000 a year work which,;properly' speaking, would take double that sum to do it with efficiency. It is fortunate, I think, in many respects. • It attracted at the beginning, and right-throughout, a lot of young men to its stair, f They were• mostly now.to Colonial life, and. speaking;, air a !New Zealandor, I think they. threw-themselves, into Colonial life as thoroughlyiijS..-possible, and associated themselves with•■• it;' completely. I think they have all worked-..very, zealously for their college—rno one;'that I know, has spared himself, and a great' many "of .'them have gone outside their.■regular: employment to do work gratuitously for..tho.:University. 'ZEALOUS STUDENTS. ■ '

"They have been all. I .think,[.gratified by the response that lias oeori made on- the part of thq students to their.efforts.. ,I have met students at universities in England, in Canadaand in Germany. It would be absurd to say I have not met abler students in those niuchmore largely-populated pkces.,than I have met here, but.l have certainly not met more zealous students. They aro.'nearly all working "soriously, practically no ■ one 'is playing tho fool, as many are in the. older places, "and they are developing, in ■somewhat hampering conditions, a feeling of love-and devotion.. I think, tor their College which- you 'would hardly, expect from a non-resideiitiar place of learning.' They are now.beginning a residential system,'on a'very small scale, airl there is 'no doubt that that will do ii very groat deal to develop in the students a spirit of devotion to , the College in after life. They will, think" more of it than if it were merely a placo whore they passed examinations, anil will be more likely, if they can, to do something for it. The most pleasing thing to m<2 in .connection with the College is tho good typo of student that, we' .h.a.ve"):)iefc—• not necessarily of brilliant intellect, ''but able, comparing vory well, 1 think, with students in other countries. :■ -.'■■"

."Moreover, there is far les of the provincial spirit among the stxiclcnts, the younger lrion. than there is among their"fathers, J think. I don't think there is a doubt tnat the provincial clement in New Zealand'.? dying very hard, and it is one of the worst things we have to contend against. Not tnat provincialism is of necessity entirely, bad, but the aspects of it that remain now are almost wholly bad so far as I can sec. ■ SI'JSUIALISiiNG UNDER DIFFICULTIES. "We are supose'd at this particular University College to specialise in law and science. Tho Law School -has/ been somewhat, unfortunate in the .constant changes in its staff during tho last year or two, but that is probably only temporary. If is sure to reach a stable position before long, and I think the country- ought-'reasonably to look to a. school'of that kind as a sort of training-ground'for the better type of politicians. Jn the early'days of New Zealand, one of the most striking featur.es was the largo numbpr of university men—necqssarily. English university men—who" took part in public life. When that -generation'' died out they were not replaced l 'to s 'any "great- extent by the local graduate; On the whole, I think that the. New Zealand .graduate has, you may almost say, failed to take tho leading part in political life that he might reasonably be expected tcr'ta'kV. T think we ma'y hope that such .a school-.as the-School of; Law, properly conducted; •'•will -do. something to 'put things on ai» more satisfactory footing, and' bring homo..to the young New Zoala'ndqr that he owes-a : duty'fo tile country which gives him practically' free education, not merely to .-'lay; himself out' to. make money, ,biit to devote, himself- seriously t> the development of the.,higher,, interests' of the 'Dominion; ' I have 'ho,' doubt that that will , come in,time." .-i-'- 4 .■■;'■•'•■"

Opportunity was taken of thesocial gathering at Victoria.. College .p.n, Friday night, to present Professor Maclaurin' -.witjj a : large f Earned photograph of the "-.College: Mr. W. Perry) President, of the' Students Association, esproscsd the regret of the 'students at the loss of Professor Maclaurin,'aiid referred to the interest which he'" had"-always! tak.cn- in the affairs of the College. The Professor, in replying, thanked the students): and said thatthe social life of Victoria College, had always been a feature of it, •and-the "professors had done their best from the -beginning to encourage this social life. Anothor great.fea-. ture'was the good relationship between' the professors and the students; ■■••No trouble of' discipline had ever existed.! . . '