The Press. SATURDAY, JANUARY 22, 1887.

Press, Volume XLIV, Issue 6656, 22 January 1887, Page 2

The Press. SATURDAY, JANUARY 22, 1887.

The annual meeting of Convocation of the New Zealand University held at Dunedin last week, though its deliberations were brief and the attendance of graduates not large, was in reality a meeting of considerable importance. The question of the very existence of Convocation came up for consideration. The graduates derive their status under the New Zealand University Act, 1874, which provides that there shall he two Courts in the University—the Senate and Convocation. The latter Court, which comprises all graduates above the degree of Bachelor and all Bachelors of two years’ standing, has certain powers given to it by Statute, namely, the power of electing a Fellow in the event of every second vacancy in the Senate; the power of discussing matters relating to the University and declaring their opinion; the power of interposing their veto upon the Senate accepting or surrendering any charter; and the power of appointing their Clerk and regulating their mode of proceedings. These powers are not very extensive, but one of them, at any rate, the right of electing alternately to vacancies in the Senate, is a matter of some substantial importance to the graduates, and makes Convocation for them a thing worth preserving. There is, however, some likelihood of the Legislature being asked next session to abolish Convocation altogether as a Court of the University. A Royal Commission on Higher Education, which sat in 1879, drew up a Bill for the reconstruction of the University, and after the lapse of seven years the Bill has been taken down from its pigeon hole. Copies were sent to the members of Convocation, and suggestions and recommendations were invited. Naturally, and as we believe, rightly, the graduates view with disfavour the new provision which takes away from them their share in the control of University affairs; and it must be said that their counter proposals are very reasonable and moderate.

The Committee appointed by Convocation to report on the Bill, after Btating their opinion that proper representation can only be secured by the graduates in Convocation having a direct voice in the election of the Senate, suggest that the Senate should consist of twenty-four Fellows, four to be appointed by the Governor in Council, four to be elected by each of the University College Councils, and the remainder by Convocation. The Bill contemplates the foundation of four University Colleges—the present Canterbury College, Auckland College, and Otago University being three of them, and a University College to bo founded at "Wellington being the fourth—so that all that the graduates ash is that they shall have one-tixth of the representation on the Senate in place of the one half which they have under the present Act. The demand does not seem extravagant, and it is not improbable that it will he acceded to by the Legislature. Other amendments in the University Bill suggested by the graduates are that the term of office for Fellows of the University should be four years in place of three; that in constituting the Councils of the University Colleges Professors and Lecturers of the Colleges should not be eligible; and that it is inexpedient at present that the University should have any fixed seat. 4fter the consideration of the proposed reconstruction of the University the most important matter that occupied the attention of Convocation was the question of Science Degrees. The Senate has gone too far to recede, otherwise wc should question the utility or advisability of multiplying degrees. A man who takes Honours in Science has his qualifications for scientific work sufficiently marked without adding any more letters to his name; and the separation of students into Arts men and Science men, beyond the almost inextricable confusion it causes in arranging the cur- j riculum, has a tendency to give! a lopsidedness to culture which we do I not like. The theory is that a man ! who is to become a Bhining light in science is not to have his time fritertd away and his energies exhausted in learning the rudiments of Latin! grammar, and that an Arts man is not i to have the fragrance of his Classics spoiled by the laboratory. With this extreme differentiation we have no sympathy. The B.A. pass degree ought to be an index of general intellectual culture, and from that point, but not earlier, the roads should

diverge and the specialisation begin. We are glad to see that the graduates in Convocation are with us on this point, at least so far as matriculation is concerned, for they would make Latin a compulsory subject in the matriculation examination for Science as well as for Arts. They have made a laudable attempt to arrange the curriculum for the B.A. and B.Sc. in such a way as to avoid the anomaly of a candidate obtaining both degrees on the one examination —an anomaly which is quite possible under the pr-sent regulations ; but the end has only been obtained by increasing the number of compulsory subjects and restricting the students’ right of choice, a course which tends to make study more wearisome and vexa’ious. If there are to be two pass degrees, one for .Art and one for Science, we are not prepared to say that the scheme submitted by Convocation is not the best practicable. As their report says, “With the two degrees so nearly parallel, it is absolutely essential that the number of compulsory subjects in both should be increased in order that there may be an appreciable difference.” But it is difficult to see what is to be gained by tho confusion and expense of the two parallel degrees, or what prestige a B.Sc. will have which he would not have had as an MA. with Science Honours. The Senate, however, as we have said, has gone too far to recede; it has obtained a charter to grant Degrees in Science, and we suppose it must grant them.