ACADEMIC AMENITIES.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXIX, Issue 129, 30 May 1908, Page 4

ACADEMIC AMENITIES.

At; the capping ceremony, with which we "have dealt at length elsewhere, the. President of the Students' Association made same very sensible remarks on. the apathy displayed by the citizens of Auckland about academical affairs, and ! the desirability of rousing a wider ..and keener public interest in the New Zealand University in general, and Auckland University College in. particular. Mr. Allament over the indifference of ; the city and the neglect from -which, the College has suffered was heartily applauded by the students present;- and as we have no doubt that tiey are sincerely anxious to promote the progress and, welfare of the institution t* which tney Irnve the: honour to belong-, we venture to suggest to them a way. in which they can easily take at least one step toward this desirable end.

The -worst of the disadvantages, from which our Academic system suffers, are that -we have no definitely localised University, and that there are very few occasions on which the affiliated colleges can make any public appearance, or attract any large share of .public < attention. Degree Day is tlje one day in all the year on which outsiders have a chance of discovering, that the University and its colleges are something more than examining bodies or educational figures of speech. Thfe annual capping ceremonial at each of our academic centres slionld therefore be seized upoii by everybody connected with the" colleges as a unique opportunity to impress themselves as strongly and as favourably as possible upon the notice arid the > imagination, of "the general public.. To put it briefly, and not unkindly, we ber lieve that one chief reason for the fa6t that the citizens of Auckland have not j troubled much about the University Collego, and have not felt inspired t6 do much for it, has been that the have so long either abused tir ignored the opportunities afforded them by the capping function on Degree Davi ■ tVVh'ave no desire to speak with undue severity of the' miscenduit which, from our cliiigraced yesterday's proceedings. No' doubt a certain amount of license must be cpneesded to a "number of young inert in Migli spirits, aiiSioui' to amuse themselves, and possibly a little overwhelmed by the tinwonted publicity they are enjoying, and the amount of attention they are attracting. But such reasonable -concessions evefyb"o3y is~pfe*pared to make. No one apparently objects to the students singing their: songs, even if these compositions are rather discordant and are not always written in the best possible taste; nor has, anyone ever resented the hilarious acclamations with ■yrhich the successful graduates of the ' year arc greeted.' What havo always regarded. as objectionable is the practice in which the students have frequently indulged of interrupting the* speakers by more or less pointless, vulgar and offensive'remarks. "Yesterday this feature of the function was painfully in evidence; iiud it happened that yesterday was an occasion on -which the students ought to have been particularly careful to do-themselves and their college credit. Tlie presence of his T&cellency tne Governor of the Chancellor of the University, wio is also thief Justice of the Colony, might.surely have impressed *even _ the younjjest under graduate ~'in the h'ali with a sense of his responsibility toward fhe repiitatioti "of his' college and the necessity for observing,, at least, the rules of common politeness end de-

cprum in'his. beKiviour/ Unfortunately, it was: not, se.. Sir Robert Stout is admittedly, one, of'.oiir ablest and moat accompliehed, public men, and as the highest. judicial_and academic ..dignity.. in. the land, he might surely expect that, "a certain . amount of formal. ..'deference would" be" paid hini even by thej young mien .whip .were, not particularly anxious to hear what he. L had: to say. TTet fiis remarks-were rendered inaudible by, silly pointless chatter, and he was frequently .interrupted, by yulgar buffoonery, thai .might have been apprppriate in the:,"gods"' at a music hall, but was. singularly, out o£< place on such an this. . WesJxaye to. criticise -top,Jliarshly..-the. irresponsible minority who* ; thus ..brought discredit uppiTtHeif. college and the/city"; but the spectacle of a, man of Sir Robert Stent's '- high,- public -■. and: statue appealing vainly to thesfe young people to exhibit the rudimentary acquaintance with, good manners.that even a'primary school is supposed to-supply, was not an edifying one, and. the presence of Lord-Plunket, the representative of the Crown,, on the piatform,. rendered' -the situation all the , more humiliating... The subject is a. painful one, and •ire have no wish to enlarge upon it further; but we. suggest to : the students of Auckland University College that these remarks, have a very direct bearing upon tne' question raised by Mr.' Aldridge, as to the lack of,enthusiasm displayed bj the people of Auckland over our University College. " . , ~