UNIVERSITY WORLD

Evening Post, Volume CXVI, Issue 135, 5 December 1933, Page 15

UNIVERSITY WORLD

A LONDON DINNER NEW ZEALAND GRADUATES PECtfESSOES OF NOTE (From "The Post's" Representative.) LONDOX, Octobev 10. New Zealand scholarship is -undoubtedly well represented in England, and it was a foregone conclusion that jho second annual dinner of the graduates of the University of New- Zealand would lie a great success. New Zealand graduates are scattered all over tho Kingdom, and it is not convenient for a large proportion, of them.to jneen in London. Nevertheless, seventyseven, of them assembled at tho Criterion Bestauraiit on Saturday night under the chairmanship of Sir AVilliam Marris, who ■is now Principal of Armstrong College, Newcastle. It was im teresting to hear, ia,the list of apologies,, the names of at least sis profes.sors. ■■■■'•■■■.■ ■ '■- . The-chairman and Lord Rutherford Were the principal speakers, and as .they both started their university education! on the same day in Christchurch it was natural that Canterbury College should figure very, largely in their reminiscences. This tendency was fortified by; the receipt of a cablegram, from Dr. J. Macmillan Brown, the Chancellor, who sent "greetings to .Sir "William. Marris and all who attend the annual dinner in London." , : Dr. L. J. Comrie, tho-fainous statistician' and" superintendent Of the British Nautical Almairae lOfflcc, read tlio Chancellor's, message and a list -of apologies for..absence, but he addcd_;a pieco of information whi'cli .-Mf of interest to the whole civilised i world. This was in regard to Dr. A. C.;AitHcii, of Dunedin, now Assistant Professor of Mathematics in the University of Edinburgh. Dr. ALtken,:wh6 was a;holder, of a post-graduate scholarship in 1923, went to Edinburgh da .that year ;to further his studies in mathematics. , In 1932 he'was appointed: lecturer hi mathematics at Edinburgh University, and'in June of .this year he was awarded the Malidougall-Brisbane Prize by the Council oE'.th© Royal Society of Edinburgh for his. valuable contributions to mathematical' research, published in the proceedings of the society* Tho prize is ( awarded- biennially for; original contributions to the advancei ment of any fccibnco.. , LIGHTNINO CALCULATOR. It appears that a few' days ago Dr. Comrie, with the mathematical accuracy of his profession,' subjected Di-. Aitken to certain tests, and at tho dinner on Saturday night Dr. Comrie proclaimed his fellow New Zealander to bo the greatest lightning calculator ia the world. Tor this freak phase of hi's mathematical genius public entertainers would be ready to pay large sums if ho would take to the platform. Dr. Aitken, of course, refusese to.'be so lured. These are some of the feats of concentration and memory that Dr. Aiti ken performed. Ho squared a threefiguro number in six seconds. He squared an eight-figure number in one miuute. He calculated the' square root of a five-figure number in twelve seer onds. He factoriscd numbers of threol and four figures in about three seconds. Last century another such lightning calculator appeared in Trance, and his, exploits and times are. recorded. Dr. Aitken, said Dr. Comrie, can accomplish the same feats as the noted) I'rcnchman. in two-thirds of the time. rORTY YEARS AGO. Sir William Marris proposed the toast of <'The University of New Zealand. 3 * He was apologetic for his lack, of coin tact with Dominion affairs, but he re,minded his audience that : it jras; ; 4.o; years since ho passed his B.A. in New Zealand, and' ho had never had th» combination of the ieisure and money, to go back there. Sir "William, recalled his coming from a small provincial towui to the higher civilisation- of. Chrst* church, and his experience at Collegai House, where they were half-theologi-cal and half non-theological students. This was his first experience of the party system in politics,, ho said. He was to find it again in.1 the-Dialectics J Society. He remembered the party enr thusiasts who wrote on the notical board, "Who loves not knowledge,'' and the rivals who added the words:; "Knowledge comes but •wisdoni lingers." He recalled the personal friendships of those days. He had retaiued a correspondence ■with Professor? Haslani until nearly the time of #)<» latter's death. He spoke- of the personality of tho five prof essors playing a. dignified and-worthy part and carrying on tho traditions of the older universities of the Home Country. There was Professor Haslam who inspired his select band jsvith. enthusiasm for his well-loved classics and made' them, read widely; there was Professor Cook, who used to hold out-the •shining example of tho man who- wrote out the book work of his mathematical problems nineteen times; there was Professor Macmillan Brown,' whom he thought 6f as a very severe drill sergeant where syntax, style, and the use of words whs concerned. Something of this Guards* drill in the uso of words would remain) with all his students until the end,but they would not forget, the purple; patches of his Tuesday night lectures. Sir William finally paid tribute to- thesa gehiune lovers of- learning who had facilitated his studies and had inspired; him during those two years at Christchurch—tribute; he said, which lia had often repeated in. various parts of the world. AN INVENTOR 6r WORDS. Lord Rutherford proposed the toast! of "The Chairman, 53 and recalled how both the chairman and-hiniself came to Canterbury College as winners of junior, scholarships, and how thoy divided a mathematical scholarship at the end ofl the first year, but Marris turned to the more interesting classics while hai (Rutherford) became interested iv tha "tin shed" where Professor Bickertoni presided. lie referred amusingly tf> Canterbury "College days. Although; Professor Maemillan Brown had drilled them so severely in the purity of thej English language, he said, the Profes-i sor, in writing his own books, invented! more word's than any other man lit^ knew. , After -the speeches the guests IetB; their places at the tables and spent. :«. very pleasant hour in private conycrsa* tioa and in renewing old friendships.