UNIVERSITY REFORM.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 737, 9 February 1910, Page 6

UNIVERSITY REFORM.

• Sir,—Ton have done me the honour to say that I "can ■ perceive: tho ; arguments in'favour of tho retention, for. the present, of : tha existing system of examina- ■ tion for degrees." This is perfectly true, but seems to have misled: some of my friends!-. 1.. can perceive the ..arguments but cannot approve them, because they seem to mo based entirely .upon contempt for New Zealand,.contempt for. democracy, and a political and "social pessimism which"l do not.share,,l'.-i-In. another issue of your paper vou say (January'3l):.."lt will surely not'bo "dis-. puted that its period of tutelage in'this' matter (i.e., examinations)—if we may use 1 that word—has beenof value' t'o : the University."' You could " hardly skow more clearly how utterly you fair to appreciate, the ideals which" prevail in the universities . of Europe ■ and America.: I have no hesitation in asserting that no person of recognised position in the university world • .would agree with you. It is rather beyond,., dispute" . that purely external . examinations, , wherever tried, have inflicted'grave' injury on the institutions adopting' them. The founders of our university were, not the only persons..who made the.same - lamentable error about. the same ; time. Several of the new. English.- universities ,werp \at, first, to quota Professor "Ray iiankester, "robbed of nearly all their' possibilities of public usefulness" -by the adoption of this ridiculous system;! : , .New Zealand is now.'in the. proud .posi.fcion of being . the, .only ; one ..to. cling .to it.—l am, : etc., '• 1 G. W. VON ZEDLITZ. ■ Victoria College, February 7. '■* . [When we said, in a note to, Profes-; "sor Hunter's letter, " that Professor . von Zedlitz'"can' perceivc 'the argument in ' iavour of the retention, for the present; of the existing system'of examination for, degrees," , we .were replying to a request, by. Professor- Hunter that. that argument should be-.set out\.Professor.von' Zedlitz.. of. course: differs profoundly . from, us in -this _ matter. We . did "think ■he saw, even ~if he' .disapproved, ..our argU: ments. - -We are still waiting for-particu-lars of .the "grave- injury^iiiflicted. on: the New Zealand 1 University, by the system'of external examinations. l It is quite, useless ;to quote opinions, based,on a consideration of British or American"; conditions. Professor ,Bay.,Lanlcester,. if, he lived";in;New Zealand -for. two, or three : years,' and, .studied 1 >its social | and politi-cal-tendencies, would'not necessarily-sup-port,the "reformers"-; i®,. this country. We,are. sure that our correspondent will; not care-.to .stand by. his, assertion tha.x our ; views [ OR : any question*, are "based upon contempt for Neve Zealand."] ...