THE UNIVERSITY IN AMERICA

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 178, 23 April 1920, Page 7

THE UNIVERSITY IN AMERICA

'.■.'——-o— —— '•'■.' LECTURE BY REGISTRAR OF YALE "• .'■'■' 7 — - .■■■■' NO LACE OF FUNDS IN THE BIG ;.'„■'. INSTITUTIONS ! ■-.'; Dr.. Adrian Stokes, the Kegiatrar of Yale University, . addressed a' meeting last night at Victoria University College upon the subject of University life in the United States of America. Professor Somerville was in the chair. He said it ; was a great pleasure~to welcome Dr. Stokes, who was a'/distinguished American, ■■v-"-■>•'.■;■>■ -■ • Dr. Stokes explained that in American universities they had what 'was ./known as the sabbatical year for professors and other first-grade officers of ■ the university. By this means each received one half year in-seven on full salary,"or, one full year in seven on half salary to employ as he pleased in travel or study. He was spending a .portion of this sabbatical year of his in New Zealand, and would later go to China. After-describing in some detail l tho system of university control obtaining in the States, tho'lecturer said he had found that most of the people in New ' Zealand were surprised when he told them.the extent of 'finanoia'l support which the American universities enjoyed., Yale had 25 million dollars of invested funds (,£5,000,000). ' Then, in "addition, there was the' income from tie dormi-, tqriesand from' tho tuition' fees. Even so, it'was astonishing what numbers of etudents paid .their own way through college. In Yale'they had. found recently that in the 1 preceding 12 months one-third dT the 3300 students had earned about JJ70.000 to enable .them to carry through their college course. Tho studente did anything honest, that came to their hands.to earn this money, including waiting at the tables pf fellowstudents. A second resource was the university library. Yale; had 1,100,000 books; Harvard ■ had 1,C00,000 book 9. . Tho American universities had inherited two tendencies. They had inherited Brst from Oxford,and Cambridge the collegiate lifo for four years,'and from ■the] German .universities they had inherited the emphasis on professional and. ; scientific, training,;- ; Private benefactions were a great resource. His 'University nad received the other day a gift of and he wished that someone miguc give the same gift to Wellington, Financial aid enabled much to bo done..- Ho had visitod the Dominion Musoum and greatly ap predated the wonderful collection of Maori curios there, but it seemed a most perilous thing to him that they should bo. housed in a wooden building.- He had been surprised to read in the news papers that science was being neglected :n Victoria College. Public benefactions could help this position. The universities were .noted lor supremacy in different directions, e.g., •Harvard for law, and John Hopkins for medicine, a collego degrnn being required for admission in both cases. Modesty forbade him to say in what respects his own University of Yale was supreme, though it was so in several,directions. ■■■ The most interesting .sporting event in tho United States was tho Harvard-Yale football game, held one year.in the Harvard Stadium, and the next in tho Yalo 'Bowl," holding 05,000 people, all seated. There was a great interest in' athletics, and thanks to men from. England, tho intorest was growing in general athletics. The students also ran the usual debating societies, though the interest in debating was not so great to-day as it was a generation ago. Dr. Stokes said that the American Universities paid special attention to their graduates. At Yalo thev hod a swci'al staff which did nothing but keen closely in touch with tho graduates Later oh these graduates, after having amassed 6onie of tho goods of 'this life, were generous to their university." -In addition they had an Alumni Fund Association whereby every graduate' contributed to the funds of his university every yvir, even if it. were only a few dollars. This fund kept up the real interest of the graduates in their and the fund itself was a vital help. There was friendly rivalry between tho alumni of each university, and they strove by suggestions and practical aid to make tlieir own university tho best of all universities. . ' The American universities did not. however, livo in a fool's paradise. Many .of their students wore too much interested in tho side-shows of student lifo and not sufficiently interested in the 'en.-.' rioulum. President. 'Wilson, when pre. sitlont of Princeton, bad said that it was necessary fd concentrate the attention of tho students upou the centre of the circus, an-l not upon the side-shows, a?id he was tjVV'. ... Sir Jtnbnrt' 'itout moved a vote of thnnke tn tho lecturer, and in doing eo said he thnght thit in Now Zealand we should follow the American Tiriversity system in many ways- rather than the English. He dcnlored. thn lack of social .IKo for university men in New Zealand., It was difficult to get a meeting of Convocation to discuss any educational problems. He aeked - T )r, Stokes to enrry a message of friendshin and of kinship to the American people from New Zealend. and expressed the hope that the Pnglisli-spenk-ing peoples would continually grow into oloser bonds of union.