RESEARCH. ENGLISH AND AMERICAN METHODS.

Evening Post, Volume LXXV, Issue 23, 28 January 1908, Page 7

RESEARCH. ENGLISH AND AMERICAN METHODS.

A COMPARISON. DISCUSSION AT UNIVERSITY SENATE. At the University Senate to-day, Professor Shand moved— That thejitatute denoted 'Bachelor of Science — B' should be rescinded. The' Statute in question had been . passed "hastily . and inconsiderately without proper discussion at the last session. The degree was awarded on the strength of 'a- dissertation supposed to embody research, and a real contribution to- knowledge. Only four cubjects were required to obtain the degreo as opposed to the seven ' subjects necessary for the "original B.Sc. degree. In the new degree only one branch of science was compulsory. The Auckland and' Otago Professorial Boards had written, urging the senate to rescind the statute. It was held in. contempt by both colleges. Its pro- ' visions were wholly inadequate for general culture. There ,vas no test for ascertaining the degree of originality in the theses presented by; the candidates There was also an extreme difficulty in examining a thesis."" The tProfessoriaH Boards were not competent to give a cartiScata a* tp t'.l- pierit and originality of such In . the opinion of the speaker jt was downright retrogression to the days when the university was 'a teaching, body, and degrees were a schoolboy standard. When the- university- became an examining body,, and delegated its teaching , powers to the different', ■colleges it> was expressly specified that it,s -. degrees should not be of. a\ lower aLandlircL than those of Melbourne University. If this new degree were placed^ before the [Melbourne Senate -now they' would 1 reject' it with scorri and contempt. Moreover, the dissertation would>have to be sent Home to examines whoj did' not .know the local conditions. A'gajn, the t statute- was detrimental! to research. A profound knowledge of' the subject was necessary for resenrch,' and tnis was lacking in the requirements of the statute. Personally, he thought very ' highly of' research, and' valued' a man of research, a genuine explorer into x Nature, higher than cvfen Shakespeare. It- was a degradation of the standard of all New Zetland degrees. RESULT OF- AMERICAN .ACT_OVia?Y. Millions- of dollars had been spent on research in America. They bad built and equipped laboratories at stupendous "cost, and had scoured the world to seicuro- the- bast* exponents in- each subject. In- the United States, as compared with England, there were nearly as many professors an there werer students in English universities. ' In fact, there was a fever of research. What had. come of all tlhis tremendquß* activity,? They would, expect some, fruit - from the thousands and, thousands of theses in. America. SpeaJting in- regard to the group of sciences he> represented, .he considered' that America occupied the same position- in, regard' to science she occupied thirty yaars ago,, and. lagged behind the. stick-in-the-mud countries of Europe. During the last twelve years astounding discoveries had 1 been made in. physics, revealing a new world to man. Not a single American name occurred to his. memory/ among the great discoverers in science.'. - „ Mr. Hogben: What- about' ■Millikan . and. Professor J. M. El-own, and Langley, the investigator of aviation? ENGLAND AHEAD. Professor Shand, continuing, said that in Professor Riji's, book on the subject out of more than, a hundred- names of great researchers only one' was an American. There was an idea, abroad that America was ahead, oft England in research. England tvas far-away ahead. " Con.«ervative,,~stick-in-the'rnud "England wa& ahead of every country in ta»^ worlrt. France came nwcW ,and! after- , wards, by a long way, Germany and Holland. Other writers colrroborated 'this statemonjr. Was. the American.methodi correct? In England the researchea ( wero the. outcome of profound knowledge. In America a. student, was set ito research at once, and the < result waa jthat the profound knowledge- required iwaa. nevar. attained., America, would doubtless, in* time take the lead. But first of all they must alter, their meJfchods. Hb- would give students a Ith orough.knowledge'at the start. ' He was /opposed not to research, but to these •sham theses. In, conclusion he would ,ask the senate to rescind the' statute which, in his opinion, so degraded the Bachelor of Science degrep. Professor J. M. Brown declared' that ' in a nutshell Professor Shand's remarks intended, the abolition, of research altogether. Professor Shand : I approve of post graduate research ; I. oppose under- , graduate- research. Dr. M'Dowell, on behalf of the Auckland University College, stated that their whole objection' was to conferring a degree for undergraduate research. Mr. F. Baume,, K.C., seconded th« motion • NEW ZEALAND : SOME PROBLEMS. j. l'ot'essor J. M. Brown gave a personal account of the movement which nad led to the establishment, of the degree for , research in New Zealand^ A large committee was appointed attthe last session to deal with the question. Tho obnoxious statute waa the result. Professor i Shand- had. been partly responsible for the withdrawal of' the research thssis in physics. Professor Rutherford and Mr. Erskiiie, both eminent- men, had boon brought to the front by the system of thesis researoh. Professor Rutherford would never have- risen, to his present fame if there had" been in hia day no research, thesis. The- supposed infertility of American research was dua to tho fact thab the Ameripaa Universities had turned their attention to tho x ' world of industry and ti'iod to look for points where- improvements could be made. The result was that America wag simply overwhelming England in indusIry, Scarcely a single legacy had been left to the New Zoaland University, Why? Because people thought that the university was turning out bookworms not practical men. They thought the ' professors were of the same nature. Tho senate should put its house in order. They would, never get the captains oh industry to help the university, unlesa the university helped theiir work. There were problems ill industry, in economics, in life, generally in New Zealand which must be solved. It was tha duty of tho university and i^s students to attack these problems and endeavour to find some solution. There were problems in ethnology, anthropology, philology, and even in literature. Nearer to everyday business were the problems of agriculture. They were too much wedded to the examination system and research, was left too late. Tho proper procedure was to examine ths statute and improve it where necessary. The mkiker of the statute, Pco:E«=sor Maclaurin, know _ what he was doing. lastMwl of following Professor Shand with his broom trying to sweep back tho waters of the Pacific, they should go quietly and amsDd instead of destroying. ' H& would oppose the motion. Mr. Hogben proposed, thatt slight modifications should 7 be mate fr M*b way o£ amendment, so that the ctetrrect

should be superior, not/ inferior, to the ordinary B Sc. degree. The thesis was simply a record of research accomplished. They would soon reduce the examination of thflses, that is, original work, to as great perfection as they had already achieved in tho examination ol the student's power of the work of others. The^powers of research in Germany had tieen devoted ior the last forty years to the development of manufactures. As a tcsulc the aniline dye industry had been captured outright. As an amendment lie moved that the operation of tho statute should bo suspended for a Recess Committee to consider the reqmyenients of B Sc. degrees, and to suggest such modifications in course B as seem to bo desirable, and to report the same to affiliated colleges. Sly. Gordon, seconded the amendment. THE CHANCELLOR'S VIEWS. , The Chancellor 1 (Sir Robert Stout) ccmeidered that*the sttrtute, if properly car-, ne>d out, would be as efficient as any in tho Calendar. It provided for wide culture. Fiist 'tiie student had to take a ' literary subject, that is, a language, a - mathematical subject, one of the natural sciences, a - philosophical subject. 1 The original work would mean that for ten persons who could pass the ordinary decree, only one could do the research, work successfully As for the quality of tho theses turned out in America, he had a dozen on' the table, and he would ask tho members to read specimens and test their merit. If the original worifc -required in New Zealand- were of an equal standard with that demanded in America, there was no border-line when it cdnld bo' said, "Research begins now. 1 ' Great mdn had commenced Teieavch in thfejr' boyhood. As to the slurs cast upon American methods, it reminded 1 him of the objection urged against thu secularisation of education as proposed by Sir William Fox, by saying it was" an American system. That was regarded as a sufficient answer The Moseley Commission had stated quite definitely that England was far behind America in education from tho primary school to the university. They had a great deal to' learn from America. With regard to. undergraduate research, he would cslir attention to a notable example they had in a former student of 'the- very eolfege in which' they were pitting. Mr. P. W Robertson', who had devoted himself to research - with such Success that at the age of 18 lie was elected a- Fellow of the Chemical Society of* London, and had since bean invited by fchree leading German chemists to come and stop in their laboratories. The invitation had been accepted. Such an -example should bring home to people the value of undergraduate research. Mr Hogben eventually withdrew his amendment, and the debate was' adjourned