8.—7 a.

86

cases) in desiring knowledge for its own sake and not for its money value ; but, on the other hand, they often lack the school training he has had, and compared with the whole-time student their attention is necessarily distracted by the demands of their vocation. If these principles are properly insisted upon, the university extension class may render the whole community priceless service. " The great function of the universities is to educate the governing classes" ; writes Bishop Gore as quoted by Dr. Mac Lean. "... Everybody who has eyes to see must recognize that the governing classes in England and in other countries include, and that continually in a broader and intenser form, those who work with their hands." The great bulk of the hand-workers in any community have not been, and cannot go, to the university. If, therefore, university training is to touch them, the university must go to them. From this point of view the importance of the university extension movement can hardly be exaggerated. The object of such classes being to train the reflective powers and broaden the student's general outlook on life, the studies most suited for such classes will be rather of the humanistic than of the utilitarian type, and in particular, literature and history. In Denmark, scientific organization of the agricultural industry would probably never have had the amazing results on the national life which astonish all foreign inquirers, if it had not been for the general uplifting and widening influence on the mind of the country population, which the Danish rural adult school (people's high school) has exercised for several generations. In the majority of these schools the curriculum is predominantly humanistic. These classes cannot be conducted by the ordinary college teachers, already overburdened with work ; a special staff will be required. At the same time, if the work is to be maintained at real university level, a close and indeed organic connection must be maintained between the in-college teacher and the extra-mural teacher. There is always a danger, unless great; care be taken, of the extension lecturing coming to be regarded as an inferior though necessary activity of the University, and being entrusted to men not good enough to be considered for ordinary college appointments —a danger which is likely to increase as the extension movement spreads and the demand for additional teachers grows. One of the most useful methods which has been adopted in Great Britain is the appointment of lecturers and assistant lecturers, who work half-time in college and half-time in extension classes, and thus form a most valuable link between the two systems both as regards personnel and standards of work. The development of such a supplementary staff might also help to solve the problem of the " exempted " student, whose present uncared-for condition is discreditable to the university. So long as the university allows the " exempted " student to exist, it ought to accept responsibility for him and do what it can to bring him within the scope of its guidance and training. The suggestion that the extension lecturer might step in and save young men who cannot get to the University Colleges from " the soul-deadening task of studying as exempted students " was made by Mr. Thomas, the headmaster of .Timaru Boys' High School. There seems real promise in such a possible development, though we cannot but think that it would be still better if those who cannot proceed to college should content themselves with such organized university teaching as is available for them. It is indeed likely that many of the " exempted " students would gain more intellectual advantage from well conducted extension classes of the type we described earlier in this section than from a course of private reading for an Arts degree, even when not altogether unguided. The existence of such an additional staff working half-time in college and halftime in the smaller towns might also be made to fit in with the creation of a graded system of junior staff appointments such as we recommend elsewhere. This additional staff will add considerably to the annual expenditure of the colleges, but we are of opinion that it will be money well spent. We strongly urge upon the consideration of the University and the Government the importance of extending the extra-mural activities of the University. It is not overstating the case, we think, to predict that in the near future adult education may become the most productive field of national education. Any system which will give opportunities to mature men and women to engage in the continuous

Value to the community of extension work.

Importance of humanistic studies.

Additional staff required.

Half-time system.

Possible provision for the " exempted " student.

Junior staff appointments.

National importance of extra-mural side of university work.