VICTORIA COLLEGE GYMNASIUM.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 569, 26 July 1909, Page 5

VICTORIA COLLEGE GYMNASIUM.

•'■■'■ ~~—~—°— ' ■ •' '■ ". OPENED BY HON. G. FOWLDS. The new gymnasium .. and social! hall erected at" Victoria College were opened by tho Hon. G. Fowlds, Minister .for Education; on Saturday afternoon. The social hall was filled with visitors. , .' ■■ ,

Mr. H. 1 ,, : yon Haast, a member of- the College Council, said that the council viewed the opening of the'gymnasium as a matter for both congratulation arid apprehension. •The students had shown much persistence in tho scheme, and had put their hands' deeply into their own not too. well-lined pockets. The council congratulated them on tho_' success of their project,-which had'been assisted by public subscriptions and Government subsidy/ but they felt a little apprehension lest the now building should be too strong a '.counter-attraction to. the. main structure. The management of tho gymnasium would be left very much in the hands of the students, and they would have tho opportunity of making it an object-les-son in self-government. Ho hoped that the gymnasium would always be regarded . as subsidiary to. .the'-educational side of the college. Ho would sooner that the collego turned out one Rutherford, or Robertson, or. Macdougall, than that it had a team of "AH Blacks"; for tho year. . .Professor von Zodlitz said that the -wholo credit for the erection of the gymnasium-'was due to the students themselves. He thought that the gymnasium would in the long run be- a distinct help to tho educational work of the college. It would serve to strengthen the idea that a university was. a place to which a young man should devote practically the whole of Iris time' during certain years. Mr. Frank Wilson, president of the Stu-dents'-Association, thanked the speakers and other visitors for their attendance. Ho thought that Mr. F. A. do la Mare had been tho h'rsfc to suggest building a gymnasium ;' associated with him in tho proposal was Mr.. Gilbert Bogle, now in Edinburgh. The present students and the students of tho .future would most certainly havo to thank Mr. do la Mare for the building. (Applause.) Valuable aid in connection with the • scheme had been given by Professor Hunter: An anonymous donor had ;given £250 towards! the scheme, on condition that a sooial hall was provided, and this generous' gift Had caused tho project to take its final form.. Mr. Wilson also referred to Lieutenant Shackleton's lecture "and other assistance given to the fund. There was a deficit of £75 on the building, as it stood, and there wore some further expenses which would have to be incurred.

Professor Hunter, representing the first gymnasium ''committee, and Mr. J. M. Hogben, a member of the present committee also made short speeches. .■ \ •■'•.-. , The Hon. G. Fowlds (Minister tion) oxpressed regret that the Acting-Prime Minister had found himself unablo to,, be present. Ho congratulated tho students heartily on, tho . consummation of their scheme. Hβ thought there" was,-great hope for the usefulness of the" building in connection with' tho college; he did not fear that the time of tho students would be wasted within its walls. The building would help to develop a corporate college life amongst the students, and if it did that it would give good value in the development of character and the equipment of the students for good citizenship. The very rapid increase in the number of students at the college and tho successes which they had achioved wero very gratifying,. and he hoped that they would bo even more pronounced in the future. , Ho had much pleasure in declaring tho new building open. ■ Afternoon tea was then served, and the visitors inspected the building. • '