IDEA OF A UNIVERSITY

Evening Post, Volume CXXIII, Issue CXXIII, 10 April 1937, Page 26

IDEA OF A UNIVERSITY

FORM IN DOMINION

A STUDY IN DEVELOPMENT

(By "Quivis/') . ' ; The difficulty .in dealing;, with Dr. J. C. .Beaglehole's ,: iagerly-av^aited latest work, "The University, of ;Ne'w : Zealand: An " Historical ' Study," is ,to be :at all adequate within, the; severe ' limits of tinie and space at one's, disposal. The book, a stout volume, has been to'hand/only a few-.'days; and .yet isalready on sale. The;subject is vast and-of vital importance'-^-virtually. the , intellectual life in this country;- and the institution that shouldj enshrine it arid mould itr4o the best^.seryite of the community—and there is only,acolurnn or so to devote to attempting^to^'ephvey something of what, the'author has to say and,how he says it: .Itas not as if the University ot New' Zealand: is as,, well .kndwii" to the general public :■ !as'S the; number ibf,its. graduates would."seem to suggest, or exercises the in-, :fluence,in the affairs of .the.; Dominion ; ithat prie; is: entitled ,tp,:-!expect from; a as^the;i,D6- : minion's sole university should, be: This is -a :.fair:,presentation. of ;.the :.outude view of ,:thi ■ University';-:of New sealand.:■■'From the;inside Jcirie can peak personally.: as' one- of those- ad iindem students, mentioned by Dr. .' vr^lehole. ■• with...experience,.,of :,: an ' :'!er English university, puzzled, '■■ :Tl2d, and finally defeated years ago • ;' -,' -the, peculiar "examinationt.system" ;1 re, and-later "'irritateia and;;;ex;asper- ;• ?d in'trying to'help others through j '3. same, system,5 slightly amended lace. It is. only -after'reading ;;Dr. :";' ;aaglehole's historical study of the "■ i/ystem that:'one begins' tg understand. ' -how it all.came - about,, just' as. it : t6ok' . ti reading of Butchers's "Education in New Zealand" to'realise how the rest of New Zealand's education system had ' • (evolved. - Takers • ..together , the r two : {{books form the indispensable. basis: for %ny educational reform ,in vthis . Country. "',;,,..'.■. .. :Vv"V':-; ; ;v- >':";>; . ]■ GENESIS AND THEORY. ' The genesis of Dr. Beagleh'ple's .wp'rk. is explained in a foreword' by Professor T. A; Hunter; president-of the New Zealand Council"of' Educational "■ Research, under; the auspices- of which; '. the book is published, with the; assistance pf the Carnegie ,Corporation. ;Dr.. 'Beaglehole was given a free hand-in ithe ' presehtatipiiv pf / his vsubj ecj -'~ 'and s ■'brought to .'it^the ./skHledr rrnethPds s ?.:pf' histpricarresearch he.had already displayed.'in .earlier', works.-,:; Instead, 'of a chronicle, of; the varipus activities of the university'colleges over, a ■long period,;the,author gives:us someMrig infiriiteiy:vmore valuable." the'"development of the idea of a university in New Zealand in relation to its environment. :-This he : explains-in .the ■ preface:--- '' "■"'"" ;V:i '■ ■'"'' ;''■•" The'environment, 'in ; Its .uniqueness1,,, conditions the institution, its' 'product, - and no .study .of t an . educational ,Institution, above all, can'-j be highly.,fruitful; sjthai idoes" not recognise this premise. :A history of, this University, therefore, is- a .study:,not, : altogether, of education*'though'the bounds of education are wide: it:is~also:-a study of- colonial -history '-'a- study.--"of" political science;-'a~portrait of.-the colonial mind."1... .If the student and : ; tlie. teacher, fpr'whom'ihe University allegedly ■ exists, seem to;;getcsurprlsingly little notice. fhat.-is In:■ the'natureOof'the case. They are none the less <-in. the background, . a cloud ,of embarrassing;: 'Awltnessea;.", acquiescent, puzzled, '.- confounded^-. inipatlent,. obstreperous;,,waiting— : can it -be?—fbr.a; true;epoch. : to.be.'marked.ln tho -University's: life;;: and thes-^lstorlaiii.inust, at;:leasti v"riot:-ba'.uqaw^ ■v In a brinian^^ichapfer^urider; -the Sagtion" '"?irs.tvP,HnciDJes,J'; the sketches in the environment, geographical'and huriian.'-of the-idea- .ofa;'uni- ;- versity.' -There, are. the ".four?, qentres, ciivided f rorri', one another ■by, scores of ; leagues sofseal'or broken country, each,; as lie repeats.: with an artist's/instinct fofc; style,:- with 'the -necessary qualifications:' '.-. ':- ■■'^■■.- . : -'.';;, '■■'.;. ' ...V " . ■'."'■ . ' '',; It was- central,- it -was.:on a .good anil commodi*u's' harbour, and it was Infallibly destined to be.'the seat of an/.extensive, population, and the : chief emporium,, ot ..a mighty Pacific1 trade. ' ' • ' ■■■.' This for Wellington, this for Auckland—a humorous',. but • often harmful, rivalry that lives today. . Then • the other twp: ; ' . ■ ; - ' .'■ '•' Of both Dunedln and Chrlstchurch ;■ it began to be said that they were Central (or at least as central as Auckland) and were on ; (or. at least near to) good and commodious harbours; and the eyo of faith had.no difficulty , In'perceiving their infallible, destiny as seats of ' an extensive population and .the chief emporla / of a mighty trade of; at least Pacific dhneu-, sions. . - The geographical situation; in a nutshell! .. ■ ■ \.,..;,': ,-V-41:,.'; fh'y ■ ■■■ OVER SIXTY YEARS. After that comes the birth of : the idea of a university "in Otago in tfie sixties, when Dunedin :was'the leading city of the colony. The idea was bom in travail and turmoil ,of rivalries aiidvthevse-still,persist..^.w:ithimeticu-. !^ius carejin research and ''presentation, ■; okens of a "true historian, .the/author ' ■ rar|ie%."f6rward";.'^nis;; f'IStbry,"--a:'1Stbry,"--a:' tragi- : -Jitriedy, ithrougti ; ; the * sutfeeqiient: deitid^sj -;Here':are the: actdfs,;,rrianifest t6?&e%tiri;tf;thrtau!hVth^ >.!ie: v heroes arid villains''of, the piece, uadonscious though^ they might be :of Ihe consequences ■ of. their .actions. .'iere are the' ; protagonists, ■ notably Tancred and Stout, who made the University ,an. examining' institution, and kept.it .'sbJ-; Early' comesthefirst and best commission, in 1879, with a report and recpmme'ndations: that; if; fbllpwed by ilegislatiori,. might. ha-ye sav^d ■ the country two generations of waste arid discontent. ~ The Senate,is .revealed by a series of touches over'many pages as soniethihg like the1 old- Roman Senate, an [oligarchy, of, cpnservatives, resentiulijof the movement' among students arid' professors for reform and clinging passionately, under' the resolute guidance of the Chancellor, Sir Robert Stcjut, pnee an icpnoclast, but nbw a roak against change, to the status quo. Then comes the war- period with the disgrace ;of' the hue and cry, against . -Professor yon Zedlitz, one of the best teachers New Zealand ever had, and the pdst'war years with a second Royal

Commission arid belated limited reform that; leaves the ■ University, ,-,to ■.: the casual observer, outside, hardly, changed at'all. Dullistuff; the story of a dull university might -seem, to' the average reader, but Dr. Beaglehole makes; it all live because it" is all the play of ideas as well as men. '' ; "CONCLUSIONS." I ■ The author sums up in' a final chapter "Conclusions," and surveys jthe whole with penetrating insight, expressed, in'prose .that is'sheer'.,-, delight to all who -love good writing and words'and sentences that convey their meaning with the utmost Economy; -v, of material. ■ There . is/,-inuch-,,here --.that cries for. quotation,; were there,.space. Here, for instance; is the historian conscious of. the human factor in history, butiyet unwilling to, accept itas everything. . .. -' ...,...,;;:'. : :. ;..';■/.:,";.; ■ Institutions, as Graham Wallas pointed out; do not grow; they are made., Ther are made by men—whose decisions, or lack of decision, niay be' fraught with good, or; with a fatality irredeemable ' and malign. Nevertheless, whatever be the attitude one is forced to adopt towards the persons1: who have influenced the institution -with, which. ..one" is concerned,'that attitude* must be. the product of, a deliberately balanced mind..- are- not irrelevantagreed; but their ultimate liability is limited. An. Interpretation ~of the .University which omitted, to- consider the. personalities of a Tancred or a Stout", .which took no. account of the personal-repercussions .of the Beform movement, ;could, not be true; but even less true would be that: interpretation which conferred on these factors an extensive : blame or praise. '." . .- Thus ,as. the Asocial -'system.' of New Zealand—odd as it would have seemed to a previous -generation to say so—ls chaotic, so,,the.University, is chaotic also. . . . Hence the .mission of the University of J*ew Zealand has been not to facilitate'the;diffusion of that culture which its founders : sincerely desired to see 'spread from "one f end of'the. colony, toj.the other: but to provide cheap professional schools for the. supply of. iduly .certificated lawyers, doctors? Da,nl;""clerks, dentists.'; and teachers. ... ■ '. ':''"" XHE"TRIJE' UNIVERSITY, .'.•■ v. Later the author shows the meagre contribution the University has made towards expert' administration in the Public Service,: where-.it is greatly needed; especially-'today, and the -export of brains, partly a corollary of the failure of the service to make use'pf the talent available in the country. Ha.comes to this conclusion: ; ''tot- the cultural'fate ;of'.tHe-'.-colohy is inbreedlnit, and' no.- political, advancement,,.no economic glory, -will, avert -that grim .and ■sterile"1 destiny if the; community itself .distrusts ■ 'and disregards the intellect.,.; . -.y ■■Finally .there is -the question of the future with which Dr. Beaglehole deals.; suggestively if :with caution. He does not;'thinfc''rthat'the }dea of-a Federal' University is the'ultimate solution. The, main thing is ;tp^et the best-,teachers; and' give them scope,' means,, comfort,. and, security,-so" vthat they can do their best <work. ' What is needed, he says,, is: ; noKa facade,-, but the^elements ,;of. sVurid construction';,'' 4 ,-. f'k'Ji'-^-. -.-.''' ■'% ■■■'. ■ Not in- cheap (in the, worst sense) lectures, on -'.'public administration!' and the keeping, of accounts, nor in' : the, cramming of'legal annotations,- but.in.the ■ laying bare- of. principle,,;in research deep /and broad, in' reliance on calmness and clarity and freedom, .the study.-of ■history"and law'-and/politicsM-.-and'economlcs might be,made.together :the kernel of a university on, which - men" could look --without shame, -a school .of modern studies .drawing on ■ the best experience, and , supplying the deepest, educational-needs of. our. time.:.... : In - every '• -way- 'this. ■' work; of Dr. Beaglehole's is a model of how history should be written.'if it is to We of any value more; than 'entertainment., by anecdote and amusing chronicle. This is. the true"philosophy; of .the past that should'guide men in- ffacirig- the future.' The labour .that ''.hasygb'ne into the production of'such'a work is-;'p.bvio.us,. but the reward:>is^there^invthe, assurance fl that;it-'could -hardly "have., been better^ done.;. :The:-author's partis, sup-. plementedby:.that of the printer/ who hasViriade ah exceedirigly'goodgob :.of the book as a piece of typpgra^hyvand get-up. With": the' "Centenary ■:■ 'of; New Zealand not "far'..■awayUt!,is;tp be'hoped that bpportuhity-will l ,'berfound:- for Dr. Beaglehole; tp; play a leading part in '■ the ■ historical.research. and• presentation of New Zealand's;hundred years of civilisation: that "is 'Still: far, from 'complete 'in.-.this'TDbminiori. ".He yhas .richijr,,;earneSith^/lopportunity. :] y:.