THE UNIVERSITY OF LONDON

Evening Star, Issue 22775, 9 October 1937, Page 2

THE UNIVERSITY OF LONDON

|v SOME INTERESTING |r PERSONALITIES {Written by N.F.H., for the ‘Evening Star.’] The University of London, teaches over 20,-GOO students, but only ’9,000 of these ax© internal students, that is, students who attend lectures at the various schools of the University, such as University College,-King’s College, East London or Birkheck College!. A full university degree can bei obtained by those who are unable to comply with the ordinary conditions. Birkheck is a night, school only, thus providing for those students who work during the day and. can. only attend lectures at night. Wo spent our first ■ evening in London searching for Birkbeck College in a thick, black fog. , Birkbeck is in a street known, as Bream’s, Buildings, off Chancery Lane; and .as we expected to iee a handsome, imposing building we thought the Public Record Office, the Patent Office, add several other largo structures were the college, and were surprised to find it as stark and unadorned as a block of offices. Like King’s College, it .is hopelessly inadequate in size feu? the number of, students attending it, but funds will soon be forthcoming to build a fine new college. Some of the fog had penetrated into the small, unbeautiful hall, but it was brightly lit and comfortably warm. Professor Sugden, F.R.S., the professor .of chemistry, was soon found- for ns. welcomed- as warmly, and entertained us by a typically large English fire in his comfortable room. Professor Sugden is small and slight, with dark hair and: moustache, and bright and twinkling brown eyes. He smokes cigarettes incessantly, loves a joke, and finds rapturous pleasure in research. ' .

We also visited- the Imperial College of Science in South Kensington. It is a handsome, modern building in the heart of South Kensington’s wonderful Museum-land. Opposite to it is the splendid Victoria find Albert Museum. Behind it "is the magnificent Natural History Museum, and nearby are the Royal School of Art Needlework, the Imperial! War Museum, and . the Science Museum. The first two of these are veritable palaces. The Imperial College of Science was founded under Royal Charter in 1907, and incorporates several older institutions. • It" prepares students for industrial careers in which scientific knowledge is essential. All the staff and almost all the students are men. Quite by accident our first visit coincided with a. .meeting. of the Physical Society of London, to which we were inyited. It was held in one of the basement lecture rooms at 5.30 p.m. We first consumed tea and cake off the benches in a lecture room, and were .then led through devious corridors to

the lecture room. The method of procedure was very like a meeting of our own Royal Society, and began with an expression of welcome from the president, Lord Rayleigh, to the visitors from New Zealand. Somehow, especially in these early days of our visit, our country seemed so “ad absurdum ” small and remote that the 1 proceeding struck, us as ludicrous, and it was hard to sustain expressions of suitable gravity. Lord Rayleigh, famous son of a famous father, is now, I should think, in the early sixties. His personality is remarkable for its perfect combination of gentility, intellectual distinction, and .simplicity. , The only other time I saw him this first impression was confirmed. • It was during a meeting of the Royal Institution. Ho came in late, and crept on tip-toe to an obscure back seat, taking infinite care not to disturb or inconvenience anyone.

The secretary of-the Physical Society is Dr Allan- Ferguson, who is a most picturesque figure. In appearance I can only compare him with G. K. Chesterton. He is, lam sure, well over 6ft in height, broad, and-stout. Ho has a round, ruddy face, a great, shaggy head, a rich, . deep voice, and a warm, welcoming manner. At his invitation we later visited East London College, where he is, a lecturer.

East London College, on the Mile End. road,- was, formerly the first “ People’s Palace,” and was erected as the outcome of a " suggestion in Sir "Walter Beeant’s ‘ All Sorts and Conditions of Men.’ The funds were mainly provided by trustees of Mr Barber Beaumoiit and the Draper’s Company. Out of the technical and other classes for the improvement of the local East End people grew the college, which is now affiliated-with London University. Here for £2O students can obtain what posts £SO to £250 in other universities. We had. been invited by Dr Ferguson to lunch, and had spent the earlier part of the morning visiting the Tower. Emerging from the underground station we found ourselves in Mile End •road, and guessed that the im,posing gateway on our right must be East London College. We entered, and found that the front of the building looked very odd, and also unduly dirty and dingy.We pushed open the swing doors and stepped into the hall. On either side was an elaborate group of statuary, in which Queen Victoria was pre-eminent, but there _ was debris everywhere and the staircase was a ruin. We retreated to try a side door, and were met by Dr Ferguson himself. In 1931, he told, us, the Queen’s Hall, as this part of the institution had been called, had, with its magnificent organ, been destroyed ,by a disastrous fire. Since our return to New Zealand the ball has been rebuilt and reopened. The students at East London dine formally in hall, in the presence of the staff, who sit at high table, presided over by the principal, Sir Frederick Morris. Sir Frederick, who is a| godson of Charles Kingsley, and whoso father is a well-known theologian,_ did; distinguished war service. Ho is a slight iron-grey man with a type of distinction that suggests the church., London university colleges are sadly cramped for ground space, and New Zealanders need to see their small and; treeless quads, to realise how greatly we are blessed with our wide lawns,; lovely trees,.and bright skies.. All the colleges have ambitious rebuilding schemes in hand, and in 1927 the “ Bloombury site ” was acquired. This consists of 11 acres lying. between the British Museum and : Gordon Square, where an adequate home for the wonderful University of London is myw iii process of construction. • t !