UNIVERSITY REFORM.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1749, 14 May 1913, Page 8

UNIVERSITY REFORM.

SOME INTERESTING SPEECHES. MEETING OF ASSOCIATION. SUGGESTED IMPROVEMENTS. Tlio annual meeting of the University Reform Association was lield last night. Thero were somo 20 members present. Mr. A. I!. Atkinson was voted to tlio chair, Tho Ordinary Business. Tlio chairman moved tho adoption of tho annual report (already published). Ho thought members would agrco with tho hopeful tone of tho report, which showed that the association was making somo progress in iho ti;'ht against prejudice and inertia. A case had certainly been mado out for a measure of reform, and a wido interest was buiug taken in tho association by citizens not closely conncctcd with the colleges. There were signs, too, that the movement was finding favour in other college centres, and that it was no longer regarded ns purely a Wellington movement.

3fr. H. 11. Ostler seconded tho motion. A Rhodes Scholar's Views. Professor Hunter, supporting the motion to adopt tho report, quoted tho following comments of a Rhodes scholar 011 "the working, of the New Zealand University:— "By coming across men from German, American, and English universities, ono gathers a certain number of facts. And it seems to mo there is 110 cause for complacency i.ll New Zealand. Radical reform is essential. 111 Europe there aro many one-sided universities, but they do something well. They have not tho cheap-jacK, amphibious character of our alma mater. Thero is nothing more depressing than comparison of tho good work done at Oxford in the teeth of a hundred cramping mediaevnl statutes and boundless conservatism, with .the steadilydeteriorating work in New Zealand, where our legislators began only a few yc-ars ago with a nice clean sheet and centuries of university experienco to guide them. "I suppose the ruin of the New Zealand University lias been superficiality and pretentiousness, very .sad qualities when foundations are being laid, and reform should aim at puttiing something solid and ltncontroversial in their place. And,, especially, it should aim at securing somo/ definite line o' future development in place of the patching and tinkering which fias reco' Cly been tho senate's idea of progress. "The money spent on the libraries per annum is 11 disgrace. Only Victoria College seems to have realised tlie importance of a generous and discerning outlay. The others, because tho library cannot badger them for increases of allowance, have been content to let it. starve. Yet there can be no doubt that, given reasonable luck in general management, the foremost college in New Zealand will be that which has the most efficient library." Tho report was adopted without dis- , The balance-sheet, which showed that the finances of the association had improved considerably during tho year, was also adopted. The . treasurer. .Professor Easterfield, said that tho debit balance liad been, reduced to SB 75., mainly by an accession of new subscribers and by tho special effort - of Mrs. Richmond Hurs'thouse, by which the association had benefited to the extent of .£25.

Election of Officers. Tho following officers were" elected:— President, tho Hon. A. L. Herdmara; vicepresidents, Drs. Fell, G. H. Anson, P. Cahill, J. JI. Mason-, A. K. Newman, M.P., 'tho Rev. ' Dr. Kennedy, the Hon. W. Fras»r, the Hon. F. 11. B. Fisher, JTessrs. J. H. B. Coates, T. R. Fleming, C. B. Morison, 11. 11. Ostler, E. Tregear, A. P. Webster,:E. C.-Bevvey, A. H. Hindmareh, lit':,' and AV. H D. Bell, JI.P.: committee, the Rev. AA. Jeilie, Mrs. Richmond Hursthouse, Miss Myers, Messrs. A. R. Atkinson, A. Hamilton, F. G. Stuckey, C. E. Adams, Professor Laby, and four mombcrs to bo elected by 'the Professorial -Board of Victoria College; honorary secretary, Professor Hunter; honorary treasurer, Professor- Easterfield. This concluded tho ordinary business, and tho meeting went on to consider certain/ special subjects set down for decision. 'THE TEACHING OF SCIENCE. |; DEFECTS OF OUR COURSE. Professor Laby briefly reviewed tho condition's existing in New Zealand university colleges for tho teaching ot science, /ill the colleges, he said, had not attempted 'to teach all tho branches of science; thero had been, some measure of specialisation. Ho did not propose to deal with thoso branches of science in which thoro was specialisation, but with'those, taught a't all colleges in common. It seemed to him a matter for regret that in no university college in New Zealand was agriculture or veterinary scionco taught. Altogether he thought the conditions for the teaching of science could not well bo worse than they now were, ami tho effect of this was that 'tho number of students graduating in science was exceedingly low. There were 2G teachers of science n the four colleges, but the average number of students who graduated m science in all the lour colleges was between nine and :t'»u per vear. This did not mean that tho science professors were not teaching any students. They were not leachin„ students who were proceeding to a science degree, but who were merely taking a science as part of an 'arts course. This he regarded as i nsatisfactory, because such teaching did not equip a student for any useful profe«ion. He did not urge that too much attention should be given to utilitarian considerations, because the ultimate effect of this would be bad. I hey must, have in mind -tho proper functions of <1 University, which were to preserve knowledge,'and to disseminate and The chief defects of our system wero that an attempt was mado in most of tho colleces to teach science at evening classics, and that the Senate had not established a science degree that it was worth ones while to take. He was not opposed, to evening teaching, but to attempt to train ' a student for the B.Sc. degree in scyent}two v.-eeks-tho total of three sessionsl)i- evening teaching was impossible. I Ho standard of requirement, though not so iiHi as might he, had been ke[it reasonably near; to that of other Universities, 'ami the result was that'the evening students found themselves unable to get through the course. Lectures and practical work which ft science student would reeuiro to take at Victoria College amounted to about twenty hours per week, and it was tar too much, to expect of anv mail or woman to work all day at an office to attend to lectures for twenty hours ii week, and to prepare work as well He knew of no university of standing which attempted to teach science at night, and spread the work o\er onlj Tho 3 character of our B.Sc. degree was such that students could obtain it without any real knowledge of science. I ho same was fortunately not true of those students getting the. M.Sc. degree, ioi tl " • did receive some training that uas icallj useful. > . Hybrid Degress. Professor Easterfield supported the statements nuulo by Professor Laby. One mHit imagine, and no doubt many people actually supposed, that a mail who h«< a B.Sc. degree, had taken a comse ot training which was materially different from an arts come. This he showed was not so. llio difficulty about the science course was that it encouraged students to Icain a lot of subjects to an elementary instead of going on to real scientific bv getting a real knowledge ot a subjects.. .The- remedy was o have a science degree of a ictj different character, in order that students might have a more thorough trainin" especially in the practical work. lie had found that it was impossible for students to do the. science work at evening lectures and demonstrations. He. had also found that the students tor whom lie had nothing, but the warmest admiration had not the physical strength tu get through the science course under such .conditions. . Professor Hunter pointed out that the senate had never intended'the B.Sc. dn-",-or to be a degree very dissimilar Irom the. B.A. degree. The origin rrt. the B.Sc. decree was tho old controversy as .to 'JLwieiiitu; -coffl#ysonv

and tlio senate had compromised by creating the new decree, tlio li.Sc., in which Latin was not ncccssary. Professor Tick™ emphasised a few points of (lill'erencc between the two decrees, while admitting that .Dr. Hunter linil stated correctly tlio origin of the B.Se. degree. In actual'fact, however, it was found that the B.Se. degrco made greater demands on students than the B.A. I'rofeFSor liasterfield staled also that Ilis best science students had all, with 0110 exception, taken the 11.A. degrcu 111 preference to the B.Se. degree. 3lr. B. jlnrison moved: "That in view of the serious practical defects in the Mew Zealand University science course, revealed by the addresses of the learned professors of Victoria College, this meeting considers it of great importance that tiiß whole matter bo laid before the Education .Committee of the House of Representatives in support of the petitions to be presented to Parliament praying fur an inquiry inlo University education in New Zealand." Mr. S. A. Atkinson seconded the motion, which was carried.

COLLEGE ADMINISTRATION. THE IXSPKCTOTC-GEXEIiAL'S - REPORT. Professor Hunter spoke 011 the report of the Inspector-General 011 the finances and the libraries of the University colleges of the Dominion. The petition which had led lo the report being called fur had asked for a Royal Commission', and the liisp;ctor-Gencral's report must be defective by reaion of the fact that he called no evidence. Tlio .report did not show, therefore, 011 what the conclusions contained; iiii the report wero based. " Doubtkx? the report was valuable, but tho method of preparing it was not nearly so desirable as- that asked for by the petitioners, the association. lie condemned also the Inspector-General's suggestion;) fcr the staffing of the college. Profcss/or .Laby said tlio problem facing the Government seeking to expand money oil University colleges, or for any other intellectual purpose,' was that there was jealousy among the centres. Tho best minds in the country turn their attention to a solution of this difficulty. He suggested that one solution would he for tlio Government to require each of the colleges to specialise in some subject, and to rofusD to allow other colleges to offer instruction ini that subject. He commended 3lr. Jlogfcen's work in tlio preparation of the Tcport. lie had handled the subject as it had n?ver teen handled before,- but ho (Professor Laby) did not approve of the method by which the report had been prepared. He admitted, of course, that fho report, which presumably determine the policy of tho University of New Zealand for a long time, was a valuable one, tho most valuable one that had been prepared sinco tho sitting of the. 1881 Commission. A smbjjct which had.been set down for discussion was tho matriculation examination. It was'decided, however, to defer consideration of it until a. special meeting to bo arranged by the committee. *