STUDY OF CULTURE

Evening Post, Volume CXXII, Issue 153, 26 December 1936, Page 12

STUDY OF CULTURE

AN EXTENDED TRIP

KEENLY IMPRESSED

MR. T. D. H. HALL RETURNS

Having obtained a close and comprehensive glimpse of cultural development abroad, -Mr. T. D. H. Hall, Clerk of the New Zealand House .of Representatives, returned to Wellington this morning by the liner Orford. Mr. Hall, who was accompanied by Mrs. Hall, has been absent for eight months, and during that time visited- the United States, Canada, Great Britain, France, and Germany. Mr. ,Hall was keenly impressed with what he had seen, and highly appreciative of the facilities that were afforded him for pursuing his study. ■ In an interview with a "Post" reporter, Mr. Hall gave a brief outline of his trip and some of his major impressions. "My trip," he said, "was undertaken partly for health reasons, but the immediate cause was an invitation from the Carnegie Corporation of New York for my wife and me to visit America as their guests. The object of the visit was to enable me to see in a comparatively new country what steps have been taken to spread an appreciation of the arts and of culture generally by means of art galleries and museums, libraries, orches-. tras, and 'ifas like. I have been interested in these mings in New Zealand. ' ' i ' "We spent nearly four months in the United States and Canada. • Landing at Los Angeles, we travelled up the west coast, through San Francisco to Vancouver, and crossed the Canadian Rockies and the great prairie to Winnipeg. We entered the United States again at Chicago and visited most- of the larger centres of the east. We returned to Toronto, proceeding to Quebec, whence we sailed for Southampton. Except for a fortnight in France and Germany, and a brief visit to St. Andrews, in Scotland, the whole of our two months was spent in London." Mr. Hall said that in every centre they had the opportunities of seeing fine collections of art treasures and well-equipped and admirably-adminis-tered libraries. "Equally, or even more, stimulating," he continued, "were the contacts we made with people. We were armed with letters of introduction from the Prime Minister and the Carnegie Corporation, and we were most hospitably received everywhere.. We have dined and talked with university heads and. professors, British consular officers, directors of art galleries, prominent Government officials, and others. 3IUSICAL EDUCATION. "At the University of California at Los Angeles the vice-principal at lunch discussed the plan of providing a wellequipped school of music, and for creating a musical atmosphere permeating the whole university and thence the country at large. In one of their beautiful buildings I heard one of the finest organs in America played by a leading organist."_ At Columbia University, New York, "we were the guests of the British Empire' Club at its annual dinner, and at their request I briefly addressed them. This club consists of nationals of the Empire attending the university. There was evidence of the most friendly relations with the university staff. . "In England I was the guest at lunch of the Empire Art Loans Society, and there I met Lord Conway, Mr. Manson, of the Tate Gallery; Mr. Dodgshun, of the Prints Division of the 'British Museum, and others. They were most cordial in their interest in New Zealand, and expressed their willingness tp assist New Zealand public galleries in any way in their power." Mr. Hall also lunched at the House of Commons with the editor of May's Parliamentary Procedure, and Mr. Campion, Clerk Assistant of the House. At Cambridge he met Sir \vdney Cockerel, Director of the Fitzwilliam Museum, and afterwards travelled on the Orford with him as far as Melbourne. "Sir Sydney," said Mr. Hall, "has been appointed adviser in England for the trustees of the'Felton Bequest. He has made the Fitzwilliam Museum almost a model. It is a comparatively small museum, but its exhibits in every department are of a singularly high level of excellence, and their display is original and admirable. The lighting of the picture galleries is the best I saw anywhere. During Sir Sydney's term a s director he has raised £250,000, and received as gifts exhibits of equal value. I tried to persuade him to come on to New Zealand He was anxious to come, but doubted whether he would have time. His advice would have been very valuable. Throughout America I found the Fitzwilliam Museum praised. The lighting of the picture galleries, by the way is based on Hurst Seager's ideas. l found Hurst Seager's work in this connection highly spoken of in England and America."