THE UNIVERSITY SENATE.

Evening Star, Issue 12418, 3 February 1905, Page 2

THE UNIVERSITY SENATE.

The Senate at -yesterday .afternoon’s sitting appointed .the following examiners for the December examinations -Matriculation : Latin, >O. F. Berime, Christchurch; Greek,. Professor Talbot Tubbs, Auckland English, J. Sight, Christw:’' ? r ®dch, Prbfessor Yon. Zedlitz, Wellington; German, Professor Blunt, Christchurch; arithmetic, Professor Gibbons, Dunedin; algebra. Professor Segar, Auckland; Euclid, Professor Cook, Christchurch; history, Professor Gilray, Dunedin; heat, etc,, electricity, etc., Professor Shand, Dunedin; chemistry, Professor Easterfield, Wellington; mechanics, Professor MacLaurin, Wellington; botany and zoology, Professor Thomas, Auckland; music, J. C. Bradshaw, Christchurch.; drawing, E. W. Paton, Auckland. Junior scholarship and barristers’ general knowledge : Latin, Professor J. Brown, Wellington; Greek, Professor Talbot Tubbs. Auckland; English, Professor Egerton, Auckland; French, M. Walker, Auckland; German, Professor Blunt, ■ Christchurch; physics, Professor F. D. Brown, Auckland; mechanics, Professor Shoud, Dunedin; chemistry, Professor Evans, Christchurch; mathematics, Professor MacLaurin; history and geography, Professor Mackenzie, Wellington; botany, Professor Chilton, Christchurch. In the law examinations tho same examiners as last year have been appointed. B.A. AND B.Sc. DEGREES. The report of the Recess Committee on the proposed changes in the B.A. and B.Sc. course, as reported from committee, with amendment, was considered by the Senate, with the addition to B.Sc. course moved by Professor Cook : —“ In place of any one of the subjects of the B.Sc., bat subject to the restriction of statute, a candidate may in his final examination repeat one of the subjects already passed, provided that the repeated subject be not a literary subject. The examination papers used in such repeated subject will be those for awarding senior scholarships, but in mathematics the papers will be either those for pure mathematics for senior scholarship or those for stages 11. and HI. of the engineering examination at the option of the candidates.”—The report was adopted. MASTER OF LAWS. Tho Committee recommended that for the degree of Master of Laws a candidate should have passed as LL.B. and show proficiency in one subject of each of these two sections : Group A (1) Roman law, (2) jurisprudence; international law Group B— (1) English law contracts; (2) law of real property (3) law of personal property. The papers should be those for honors in law, the lowest standard being third class honors. An honors man would be entitled to the LL.M. without further examination.—The report was adopted. The Science Committee brought up a report in which it was recommended that formal effect bo given to the changes ir degrees titles as already provided for. The report also contained a Bill defining the course for the new degree of Master of Science.—Tho report was adopted. DEGREES IN DIVINITY. Tho motion tabled by Sir Maurice O’Hbrke on Tuesday to the effect that the University of New Zealand should have the power of conferring degrees in divinity was carried. The proposal has been brought forward at previous sessions bv Sir Maurice, but has always met with defeat without exciting a great deal of discussion. Tho motion read as follows “ (1) Thatin the. opinion of the Senate the University of New Zealand should have tho_ power of conferring degrees of divinity as well as in the numerous other subjects recently comprised in the Act of Parliament of last session; (2) that no assent to the peculiarities of any denomination -of Christians shall bo required, either of instructors or students, in preparing _ for degrees in divinity; (3) that immediate steps be taken for amending the New Zealand University Act and charter of the University so as to place the faculty of divinity on the same standing for obtaining degrees as law and medicine.” Sir Maurice said it was, to bin mind, shocking that whilst every subject under the sun was entitled to recognition by degrees the oldest of all faculties labored under a kind of excommunication from academic recognition. The New Zealand University might, no doubt, try to shelter itself under tho Australian universities, all of which, dreading perhaps the cultivation of religion, sullenly denied to theology the encouragement given t< law and medicine. He thought New Zealand did not wish to be in leadins strings, but would strike out an academic path for herself, and set an example to Sydney and Melbourne Universities byremoving the prohibition against granting degrees in theology. He was not pro' posing that the University should undertake the teaching of ‘ divinity, but that it should lay down a theological course of divinity that would be acceptable to all Christian denominations. He could not claim support for his proposition on the ground that he was himself a divinity student; but he had a filial affection for tho clerical profession, and ho would be false to those feelings if he did not try to remove the stigma that at present attached to divinity in the University of New Zealand, and, ho regretted to say, in Australian universities.

Professor Salmond, in seconding the motion, said that from what he 1-mew of the temper of the Senate there was little likelihood of the proposition being carried. A stimulus of some land was needed to encourage men to prosecute arduous intellectual work. By such an extension of the charater as was proposed they would he enlarging their basis as a university. They would enlist the sympathies of a larger number of persons, and generally popularise, broaden, and deepen the foundations on which the University stood. The motion was carried by 12 to 9, the following being the division list;— Ayes, Sir G. M. O’Rorke. Professors J. R. .Brown, MacLaurin, Salmond, Scott, Rev. Cameron (proxy Professor Salmond), Drs Fitchett, M’Dowell, and Collins,- Rev. W. A. Evans, Messrs Gordon and Baume. Noes : Professor J. M. Brown, F. D. Brown, Cook, Sale. Shard, the Chancellor, "Vice-chancellor, Messrs Hoghen and Hay.