LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2647, 18 December 1915, Page 6

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

—t WILL IT EVER COME? Sir, —I wonder if w° shall over havo conscription ? It seems so long in coming. One reads of the thousands who for no obvious reason refuse their duty, allowing utliers to bear the doublo burdon of protecting their women and children, as well as thoso they aro bound to. It is a despicable tiling in a man to be a shirker at a time, like this. 1 have heard their women protecting tiio poor creatures. One—who has no ono belonging to her serving, and never will havo unless we get conscription—remarked to me yesterday that tho soldiers wero "paid for it!"—l am, etc., SOLDIER'S MOTHER. WOMEN AND WAR. Sir, —Quite lately I liave read three letters on the above subject, and though I heartily agree with tho spirit shown I am quite suro that these young women will agree with me that being women we must do woman's work and duty to help, not hamper in any way, 1 the work being'done for tho cause. Our enemies could think and scornfully say, "England is a decadent nation. Her women have to fight." And no man worth bis manhood- could stand behind a woman, could he? What would happen if our women were 1 to groom horses . in a country liko Egypt? Why it would be better to fail'in our object than such a slur bo east on womanhood in that country. Oh, my sisters, I feel t'he call as much as any of you, and dearly would I fight too, but prudence and common-sense bid me to go on in a woman's way. I, too, can ride and shoot, but I can also cook, keep house, attend' to i the ■ poultry, 'cows and dairy, sew, 'knit, and help with light duties on tho Jam; and I cannot think that one squad of • trained women can release "hundreds" of men for t'he direct firing line. Dear "Country Bumpkin III" did you really think we could? Can nothing be done, you ask., Yes, do your woman's work and duty faithfully. If you fail as a woman, how can you succeed as a man? Equip yourself with courage and fortitude, with faith and' trust, with gentleness and patience, with common-sense'and a grim ' determination to do your best to cope with that spirit of discontent that prompts you to find fault with your present' lot. Then will you be a lieip to your King and country, and those noble men at tho front. "This is no place to take a lady" is an extract from a .soldier's letter. Believe him, trust' and pray for our filial victory. ' Take up nursing, Red Cross and Ambulance work; clo more sewing and knitting for the soldiers; bake more cakes: there aro many ways your exuberant energy can be used.' Do office work,to release a man, but above all cast no doubt on the ability of our bravo men, unless you are so unfortunate as to . belong to some of those 34,000 odd men who, though willing to live in freedom and security under the Union Jack, will, do nothing to keep the flag.flying, then I could sympathise and understand your, discontent. I feel tlioso men-are not worth any consideration,, and should be-transplanted in Central Europe, when their feelings no doubt could be roused. Thanking you for space.—l'am. etc.; • ONLY A WOMAN. ' VICTORIA COLLECE COURT OF CONVOCATION. Sir, —Kindly allow me space to direct public attention to what is a crying .scandal. The Victoria College Court of Convocation consists of tho graduates of Victoria College—under 300 in afll, and a few graduates of other university colleges in the Dominion who have got transferred to t'he Victoria University College register. The chairman of Convocation is a member of tho College Council, and,lie is not a graduate of Victoria College; Almost all tho moving spirits on tlie Court of Convocation are connected with the Council or teaching staff of Victoria College, not one of whom is a bona-fide graduate of Victoria, College. In fact, convocation, so far . 'as Victoria College is concerned, is completely under the thumb and influence of the Professorial Board or a militant) seotion of it, witli tho- result that, directly or indirectly, the Professorial Board can nominate and elect six members to t'he College Council I Tho Court of Convocation (as run in connection witli Victoria College) is an absolute farce. "It consists, as 'I have indicated, of some 300 graduates. These have the right to elect four representatives to tho College Council. Fully 150 of these are probably no longer resident in New Zealand, and probably not 50 of the 300 aro living in : the neighbourhood of Wellington. Hie election of representatives to t'he College Council is conducted, by Convocation, or a ccmmitfee thereof, known as the Graduates' A.ssociation. The electors are not communicated with and informed of a vacancy or vacancies. A notice is inserted in the local papers, and incredibile dictu, that is regarded as sufficient intimation to the 300, electors who are Rca'ttered all over the world! The vacancies thus announced, what calls , itself the Court of Convocation (rarely moroJhan a dozen in number) meets in solemn conclavo and goes through the farce of nominating representatives to tho Council, and t'hore is nover a contest! Tho election is' as complete a farce as could bo . conceived. "Only a month or two. ago,..a vaoane.v occurred among the representatives' of .Convocation to tho Council. The College Council receii-ed the resignation of a representative of Convocation on a Saturday, and on the following Monday (!) the new representative of Convocation was declared elected—though fully 95 per ount. of tho electors can never have been aware that there was a vacancy. Such is, I presume, what calls itself university reform, I seoi/hat Dr. Hunter suggests that science is not setting a square deal 1 The fact is that nearly half the money spent on our University Colleges is spent on science, although not quite one-tenth of tho students attending our University Colleges are bona-fide students of. science 1 The Board of Studies, which, recontly met in -Wellington, consisted of 10 science men, 8 language men, 1 hist-ory,- and 1 law. Why science should have such undue representation passes comprehension! Even witli snefh representation, according fo Dr. Hunter tho representatives of science failed to securo justice! The ludicrous nature of Dr. Huntor's state- • ments-regarding the relative "difficulty" of degrees i in science and languages will be understood when it is reniembered_tliat no student can get honours in languages without some 7 to 9 years' previous study of two languages, while several students of science (mental as well as other sciences) in New Zealand have secured honours in science on four years' previous study of 0110 science.— t am, etc., FACTS.