UNIVERSITY EDUCATION.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 616, 20 September 1909, Page 4

UNIVERSITY EDUCATION.

Sir,—Although you have been proved, taken in part of your: critioiem of uoiversity, odnoation, your contention that, university ,men, ■ : . are not.tabug their proper place'ia the country.-,:'.'., is nevertholosa true.. In a matter of this kind '■'-■-..•'. ■ it ie just.he:-well to,find where the.fault.lies., ;V ; .Professor Easterfield says thnt.it certainly docs .. not lie, with tho, stiidente. The, professors are' "_.;-..' just as hnxious. to show that it does not'lie .;,. ; , with thenieclyee. : ,Xho art?., course, ieeatisfac- ..', torjj in is a culturo course,.and.looked) -,'-■•' '.at in that light it does, not .merit.oritioism, , , .' .'. .Tho;'scienco course,ie, however, just abodt,tji». '■'■"•'■■■ worft. piece ,of bungling -that one, could wjsh,, not to meet-iMith;; It'.is, -.designed to.no.speciiil '.}.'., end,'tits^-sylJabuStie ovorloadcdir.oiid; to niyi.,.' '■< mind; for ouotreason. like the .i : ," . ; wst of frail huhianity, thmk that.their ideas., , ore of more important ,than those.of ovcryV; one olso.. Tlie rosult is that in;arranging & ■ ,: ; sylliibus eaoh is' anxious to get life eubiect- ■ .■.: 'recognised. This hasrJeJ to the science course- ■ •■ bfing shamefully overloaded, but at, the Bame>,- r time inadequate. iThe great fault of the science' J, < course is,.that it cannot be called, a 66ienoO| ..-.:. oonrßb'.at.aU.'i A;'stiident enflsxhis'scourse..by..'..';;■. haying a very little knowledge of throe or four. : . '. soiences, fjnost iKxi lie )uw not an ado'qnato knoiflodgb of any. ■.■■'" Mathematics for ,-tho ecienco ,student ; : ; ie,;-■•■'' ■simply shamefully ,unprovidod for. A'.-'s'tudenl;.- , : . , 'honours ln'physice or. ohimlitty- . . ,and: finds-thnt he bos 'not an' know* '._. 'ledyei'of snbjocti ; . Aβ' ->", far as I can eee the only,- renwdy > Is" te make' ' •' . Eok-nce a, distinct instead- of-htfring.-'■'■■: as, at proeent, every subject for. Bailor..or. / ■Soienco just as for Bachelor, of Arts.-Ajilore.; . ,' than this, it should bo recognised that a lcien>*. tifio education should be useful to the stndont ■■■', and to his follow men in the future. With a yjew to. this', a special course ■ should bij' provided.for those wishing to follow up'chemistry,; ■'■..'■' geology, or. bjolosy. ( . .;,.::.- ' . . '■•.■ > Mr. Joynt's letter ie in somo respects post / ■tiyely ridiculous. He says that there is n«outlet or; scope for men of highly epeoialised■. . . attninments in-New Zealand.--Putting physice'-.''■;-; aside—take;, chemfefryi/jjeologyy nnd. biolOjty. ,, ; , ';.'■'' ■ Wo have' dofcens'ftf -oljeinical',probloma avraitinß'; ~'.-■ 'solution': in oo'nneotion with the metallurgical' : .. , anil manufacturing bporations of the Dominion. ': Take the ironsands,. platinum ete.j also our woollen and flax industries, and' all; the other industries connected with agriculture; Here ■ alone the Dominion, is a splendid field ■ proridod we have well-trainod and useful scicn- ' '■■',' tificmen. In giidldgy and'biology the same.'', holds , g00d... "The unsolved problems will be " , (solved bv imported men, unless our university : authorities put into force a werkablo'arid'use-., ,-' , fill byllabus for the'science ' course.-It'lβ u' ■ : striking- fact that at: the .deliberations of the' , Nqw Zealand Institute, most of the contributors are not Now Zealand Wiivorsitymen. but men , without degrees.; 'It ponnot be. said that our .; men aro not old enough,-for a man botween the' ', (age? of 25 and'4o'shonld be as capablo as , he : ■lever , will''be." ,- > v. '~.••' I , .'' ;. ' ' The fact'is that »■ mail: is so full tip of stwdy at the end of his collego career .that, ho'does. . , r not. feel inclined • to' take up researeh - work ! . ; eyonif he had thq necessary training,-which,'in most cases,.he has not: The; Senate mado an , : " 'attempt. to provide a," mote ■■>useful'science, '...' ■-course., Tile resulting 6yllabus' ; ; '-ablc,-nnd had to bo suspended. Porhaps those ,;'. experts mentioned by Mr.'Joynt'wore not con-' '■■■ :salted. If they .were,'.,something, more than , ■ !the new science syllabus needs suspending. . In' ; .the first place, ,, every subject was defined as ' for. "the • degree of Bachelor .of Arts. \"7.' A.' language had to be taken. Then physics'.yap-... ■ plied mathematics, w pnro-mathematice, might.'-. be taken. A primary school child would know> .'.-•-. that it is impossible to learn physios without ■■'•'■:." .a good working knowledge of ' matliematibs. V Chemistry and geology could not'both/be , taken' despite tho fa'ot that geology is .more depen-..,.;'.' dont on chemistry than:on any other Ecjcnco, ' ■■, excepting, perhaps, physics.' In addition to-.'.'..'■■ this already Absurd collection of subjects,-one, . ' of the following, had to be 'taken:—Mental. :• Ecicnco (whoso .place is in an, arb cbitrse), ceo-'. , ' nomios (whose place is,in a commcvcinl course}, , .education (whose plaoo is' apparent to anyone), .: or two of the following!—Enplish history, con-.;,' stitutionil ■ history and jurisprudence (whose;; place .is.not .in a.science courfOj-but in some- ;'; thing, quitn-different).'- was , made .■' .. for research; but with such-d training research :.•; would bo out of the question. . The above..;;'.' shows-' that Mr.. Joynt -is. talking nonsense' ',',. ; when he says that the University.Senate liasal- J Vi .'ways nought, the iidvjco of experts! .My opinion, *,7 of tho scientific men. of our university colleges' ' " \ie too high to allow mo to think that they, would bo'a party to the bundle of absurdity 'shown, above. , .-■.'. ; ' ■ ■

I'inally, what the university needs is:— ' ■'.' (1) A distinctly eoiontifio course (not a, hybrid. '•" arts and lair course). " ■ . i (2) A. course that will produce men with a special training in a special eubjoot. ' ■ ■■■"■■•' -, ; (3) That consideration be given to the noodn of the Dominion in framing snch a course, and i ■ (4) Thnt tho arts professbra on tho Senate for- .' pet tho delusion thnt their spocial subjects ; ' are the alpha aad omega of , higher'education in 1 all its branches.' .'■■',: .■'.; ' -

My contention that tha' science' course in not what it should bo is borne out,by the fact 'that bohveon tho years 1K)1 and 10M thirty-onn etiulcntg' were awarded 'liononrs in eciohee,' , j aßiiinst OTtr 800 awarded, "liohou'rs' in arts." ; Many of the latter gained their "ar('s hon- , ours" in ccicnlifio Subjects, further' proving ' ! that thcro is Bomothing rn(lionlly'wronj with the course for "Bachelor of Scionce."—l am.' etc.: - ■■■:,.• ;...■ -STUDENT. September 18. ■ : ■"■:•■'' '■■'.::.'