A Real American

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 410, 19 July 1928, Page 13

A Real American

WOMAN PROFESSOR FROM INDIANA

interesting visitor Only for the fact that she referred to our trams as “street cars” no one would imagine that iyi rs . H. Leser, M.A., of Indiana, "Is an American. Possibly ,t ,s because she is a real American, and incidentally, assistant professor of modern languages at Indiana University. She is an interested and very interesting visitor to Auckland at the present time. Mrs. Leser, who arrived by the -££rraui§i on Sunday last, is staying with her sister, Mrs. G. Leser, of Abbotts Way, Remuera, prior to a visit to Europe, where she intends to spend a year or so in study and travel. Naturally Mrs. Leser is keenly interested in the educational facilities of New Zealand. More particularly is she interested in the part played by •women in our university life. At Indiana University there are many other women besides Mrs. Leser on the professorial staff, and the domestic science departments were, of course, solely run by women. Most of the universities, explained Mrs. Leser, were co-educational. That is, both men and women were admitted. One notable exception was Harvard, but as most of the professors from Harvard lectured at the Radcliffe College for women, the result was very much the same. Yale, tho other big American university, was co-educational. In the national and business life of the United States, said Airs. Leser, the university system plays a big part. Quite a number of the big business houses would not take a young man unless ho had had some university education, the National Cash Register Company, for instance, being staffed entirely by university men. degrees important This, however, wag made easier by the fact that, whereas in Ungland the student would commence at what in America would be called graduate study, in America they commence about four years earlier. Those intending to enter into business would leave high school at about 17 or 18 years of age and enter a university, where they would study for about four years. There they would endeavour to obtain an A.B. degree, the American for 8.A., which was insisted upon by many houses. Showing the importance attached to the holding of degrees, Mrs. Leser also mentioned that before anyone could teach music in schools it was necessary to obtain the degree of bachelor of music, which necessitated four years’ study at a university with music as the principal subject. By devoting considerable attention to journalism in the universities an attempt was also being made to raise the standard of the American Press. Many of tho leading papers set a very high standard, said Mrs. Leser, but there were still quite a number of papers of the yellow press type, which was to be deplored. Although she had had little opportunity of seeing much of Auckland, Airs. Leser expressed herself as delighted with what she had seen. What she had particularly noticed was the red roofs of the houses showing out brightly through the trees. If only they were gabled instead of being so flat it would remind one of the old world, she remarked.

While in New Zealand Mrs. Leser intends to see as much of its university life as possible, and is looking forward with keen Interest to opportunities of visiting our leading institutions*