MODERN UNIVERSITY

Auckland Star, Volume LXV, Issue 138, 13 June 1934, Page 9

MODERN UNIVERSITY

BAD TENDENCIES. "GET-KNOWLEDGE-QUICK" VIRUS. INFLUENCE OF STUDENTS. "It is not true to describe the modern university as a machine for turning nonentities into mediocrities," said Professor W. A. Sewell, Professor of English at tlu> Auckland University College, in an address given to-day to the Auckland Creditmen's Club at* Milne and Choyce's reception hall. "Very often," he continued, "it is a. large athletic ground where certain buildings are attached for the' provision of the feeble-bodied. Popular eduction is something that we can never pj back on, but we must not be blind to the evils we have incurred through it. The university is in clanger of becoming a distributer of certificates, where once it was the safeguard of exact scholarship and vigorous scientific method. Sometimes it is undecided whether its function is to be a finishing school for young ladies from the suburbs or a training ground for school teachers. I want young ladies from the suburbs and budding school teachers to have the chance of a university education; but I do not think that university education should be moulded by their demands. To some extent this is what has happened. The Victorian era, continued Professor Sewell, was poisoned by the "get-rich-quick" virus. The modern era was poisoned by "a get-knowledge-quick" virus. We wanted, to learn something' about the Greek, civilisation without taking the trouble to learn Greek. We wanted to learn something about the history of art without taking the trouble to look at pictures. This poison had warped much of our university teaching, and we should take a stand against it. Right of Free Speech. Referring to freedom of &peech, Professor Sewell said: "Every self-respect-ing university teacher claims every shred of freedom permitted by the law to his fellow citizens. He claims more: he claims that if his freedom to express his. views is specially infringed, hifvalue as a teacher is thereby damaged, and his self-respect as an independent thinker is destroyed. The argument is often put forward that since the Government makes the larger contribution towards the upkeep of the university, it should have some say. in the control of the constituent colleges, and should have the right in the last resort to demand the dismissal of teachers whose expressed views might be inconvenient to it. If the Government had such a right, university teachers must learn to be toadies, and every professor would be a Vicar of Bray. The logical corollary of government control of university education is the 'spoils system, 5 and the general election would be as vital to a professor as it is to the politician. "That is not a fantastic exaggeration," concluded Professor. Sewell. "Once the principle of government interference is allowed, the whole case 'for freedom is given away."