UNIVERSITY SPECIALISM.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXIX, Issue 80, 2 April 1908, Page 4

UNIVERSITY SPECIALISM.

THE SCOPE FOR EXPERTS. 1 'A LIMITED FIELD. (By Telegraph.—Own Correspondent); "?j ' WELLINGTON, this day. ' It is the opinion of Dr. Mackenzie,, oj Victoria College professional staff, that there is not much room for experts or, specialists in science in the Dominion, and consequently only a very small percentage (probably not 5 per .cent) of the. students attending the New Zealand University Colleges are working with ai view to a science degree, which would entitle them to be regarded as bona-fide students of science. Commenting on the paucity of bona-fide science students, in the course of his presidential address to the students, Dr. Mackenzie said that in the circumstances it might not be out of place to direct the attention of tile community and the Education Department to the fact that the not inconsiderable number of exit,, or post graduate scholarships, offered to Now "Zealand stn-v dents are confined almost exclusively to tlie very small number who arc specialising to somo extent in science. Now, they had heard v. great deal from time to time about the failure of art and literature in New Zealand, and not a few people seemed to be greatly cised as. to why they (the students)) were not giving greater promise of achieving distinction in letters and art. Hβ was decidedly of opinion .that the main reason for this indifferent achievement was that they had in a large measure cut themselves adrift from what had been called the "classic tradition of the lettered world." The work insisted upon in connection with the general culture side of education was too. me.agre. Very little genuine interest was taken in it. The majority of students regarded it nofc. as a "thing in itself," having a value and influence as such, but as a mere means to some purely utilitarian end. If they were to achieve distinction in arts and literature they must encourage men and women to bestow more attention on the general culture side of uni* versity education. The extermination of small which are the cause of niuch loss to farmers every year, is likely to be brought about in time by little owls. AVritillg to . the Ota"o Acclimatisation Society, Hγ. i A. C. Iversen, of Earnscleugh, states that; •the owls liberated in that district, iiftcr breeding, went away, but retuincd later on. He thought they must have gone to some place where the small birds were more plentiful. Whenever the owls< came about the birds disappeared. Ifc made little difference, he thought, where they were liberated, as they would soon spread all over the country. He hoped the Government and the society i> ould introduce each year as many more as could be obtained. They sffould be netted for the first month and fed until they gained the strength of their wings. He had noticed that at any place where ■the owls had camped there were the remains of wings and legs of small birds. Further, he haTl seen the owls trying to catch the birds in daylight. The council of the society has decided to take the necessary steps to procure more of the owls and to seek the co-operation of the Farmers' Union in the matter.