CANTERBURY COLLEGE.

Lyttelton Times, Volume LXXVI, Issue 9512, 7 September 1891, Page 2

CANTERBURY COLLEGE.

DIPLOMA DAY. The presentation of diplomas to the students of Canterbury College took place before a large number of spectators in the College Hail on Tuesday, August 25. Three o’clock was the hour fixed for the beginj ning of the ceremony, and half-an-hour | before that time the hall had very nearly : as many people in it as it would comj fortably hold. The majority of the audience consisted of ladies. Eight rows of } chairs, in the front of the hall, were reserved for the students of the College, land at half-past two the lady students | entered in their academic robes, and j quietly took possession of the seats on the j right. Immediately afterwards came a group of male students, staggering under j the weight of a pianoforte. Having placed | this on one side of the room they retired, j and, in a few minutes, the notes of the j Canterbury College song, vigorously trolled forth in the quadrangle, heralded the approach of the main body of .the male undergraduates. They marched in, took their seats, and expressed their satisfaction with their own performance by heartily applauding it.. Aa if to still further emphasise (their they ""BmKnT up cmr “Gaudeamus igitur” “Therefore let us .rejoice.” For the next half-hour they entertained the audience and themselves with a programme of original songs, and very good songs, too, lustily sung to the accompaniment of the pianoforte. In Latin they celebrated the deeds of the College champions in the WellingtonCahterbnry football match. . In English they expressed, with extreme frankness, their opinion of the Professors, their appearance, methods of teaching and their other idiosyncrasies. In English, also, they told of the woes of the undergraduate’s life, and gave their views on things in general appertaining to the College. In the midst of the performance the College Football Club's banner was borne in, and greeted with a roar of cheering, and a song extolling the prowess of the Club, Meanwhile the audience had been steadily increasing, and not only was every chair on the floor occupied, but numbers of people were standing around the. entrance and between the seats. At three o’clock the door behind the platform opened, and. there emerged the Chancellor’s Deputy, Mr James Hay, LL.B., M.A., himself a graduate of Canterbury College. Behind him came the gentlemen whose official positions entitled them to seats on the platform. The undergraduatesr—the male ones—irreverently saluted these dignitaries by vociferously announcing that “the animals came in two by two!" The church was represented on the platform by the Eight Rev the Bishop of Christchurch, the Eight Eev Bishop Harper, and the Very Esv the Bean. Mr Justice Denniston was there to represent the civil law, and LieutenantColonel, Gordon to represent the military. The professors and lecturers of the College, members of the Board of Governors, and of the Agricultural School Board of Advice &nd the, Registrar of-the College were also there. : Mr Hay was greeted with three cheers, ind loudly informed that he was a jolly pod fellow. He expressed Sir James j lector’s regret that he was unable to Ittend, and pointed out that it was impossible that the Chancellor could be at ?ach place in the Colony where a similar j peremoay is held on every such occasion, jit was, he said, only fifteen years since ■ fcbe name of the first graduate was placed on the roll of the New Zealand University, and ten years ago the number of graduates was only thirty-six. To-day there were 260 graduates and 1161 undergraduates. At the present rate of progress, the University would in ten years be the strongest in numbers of any in the Australasian Colonies. If measured by the standard of its examinations, it was already, in the opinion of competent judges, probably the most efficient in this part of the world. The conduct of its examinations by examiners in England, besides ensuring-impartiality, gave us some know- , ledge of how it compared with older and more famous seats of learning; and the , examiners reported that students allowed bo graduate in arts in the New Zealand | University had reached a standard of , learning which would entitle them to a . similar degree in any English University. J tl'ho Senate had this year received information that our University was sufficiently ’ well known to attract prizes which were in ( jthe gift of the nation. The Commissioners jof the Exhibition of 1851 had placed in ;the hands of this University the nomination to a scholarship of .£l5O a year. He <Hd not think it necessary to ask those who were about to receive their diplomas to uphold the honour of the University to which they belonged. It was not so long since he occupied the position which they occupied that he should find any difficulty in entering into some of their feelings. He tendered them the most cordial congratulations of the Senate and himself on the completion of their academic course. While congratulating them oh their success, he would ask them to allow him to add a word of seriousness, concerning what it was all to lead to. Nothing was more true than the old saying that graduation was but the beginning of learnihg. Their future studies might be pursued in a less urgent fashion, and with a happy disregard of compulsory subjects, but in some form er

other they, must continue the training o£ j their faculties if they were to do what was I expected of them. From the science students we looked for original research into the phenomena of natural history, and for practical instruction in new methods of acquiring mineral wealth. Among those who had gained honours in their literary course we expected to find a few who would eventually take a good place in the world of letters. The graduate who felt that he had no reason to he conceited about his attainments might, nevertheless, be happy as an individual, and an agreeable and useful member of society. The University would help him to both of these ends. It would, if our theories of education were sound, enable him to do better the work which he had to do, because it would teach him to do it intelligently. He (Mr_ Hay) however, was not thinking of so immediately practical an application when he said that • University training tended to make a man happier as an individual and a more agreeable person to his friends, but rather of the resources within itself that belonged to a cultured mind. He knew of no more abiding possession, than the love ■ of learning which began with undergraduate days. It was one of the few assets a man was permitted to have, which, when the worst came to the worst, was not divisible among his creditors. He kept it for all time and through I all vicissitudes —not the learning, the desire and ability to follow after learning and pursue what was called an intellectual life. • Another valuable possession which they would take away from college was intellectual freedom. By that he meant the habit of thinking right down to the bottom ,of things, of reasoning fearlessly and of rejecting whatever did not commend itself to the mind as being founded on truth. A good deal of the reasoning passing current in the world would, he feared, not satisfy the requirements of the mathematical lecture - room. Vested interests and " the wish to believe ” were a terribly refracting medium, but they knew, or ought to know, nothing of bias or prejudice hero. If the University had taught them anything, it had taught them to think honestly and dispassionately. The University atmosphere did not favour the growth of shams j and what was there in the conduct of life more to be avoided ? "I look upon the simple and childlike virtues of veracity and honesty/'’ said Emerson—and he ought to know, because he practised them —“ as the root of all that is sublime in character. Speak, as you think; .be what you are. This reality is the. foundation of friendship, religion, poetry and art.” There was a less abstract matter to which he (Mr Hay) wished to refer in passing. He did not think that he was expressing an opinion that was new, or a hope that was visionary, when he said that he trusted the day was not altogether distant when the University would send a member to Parliament. They were (probably agreed that it would be an advantage to Parliament to have a member representing such a constituency. The University undertook to enlist the interest of its students in many things, but surely in nothing more immediately and practically important than politics. No chair of political economy would arouse their attention #nd sharpen their wit to the right understanding of political problems as would a contested election in which they had the votes. Was it not desirable that young New Zealanders should apply their minds to political questions at a time when their reason was not warped by interest or prejudice ? He, for one, thought it would be an entirely good thing not only for the University, but for th e commu ni ty at large, if all political battles were fought out, not merely on the hustings and in Parliament, but in the debating clubs of the University Colleges. When the University constituency was large enough, he could imagine no valid reason why the franchise should be refused. There need be no cost to the country, for the University representative need not necessarily receive the “£240 a year, paid monthly/’ though it would be preferable that he should receive the same renumeration as other members. Nor need there beany infringement of the latter-day shibboleth “ one man, one vote,” for an elector voting in the University con"Btituency would be debarred from voting in any other. No doubt they would be brought perilously near the rocks of female suffrage, tor by what law, divine or human, could they refuse votes to the girl graduates who won scholarships and carried off University honours ? But were they not on those rocks, if rocks they were, already ? He Uid not say that the time had yet arrived for University representation, but he considered it a matter which the graduates ought to have before their minds. Before concluding he would offer a special word of congratulation to Canterbury College, of the progress of which he was the better enabled to judge by having witnessed its earliest efforts. When he joined it as an undergraduate thirteen years ago there was a staff of only three professors and two lecturers, and there was no College building of any kind. The lectures were delivered in an upper room of the older portion of the Public Library. The first two graduates of the College received their diplomas in August, 1879. The number of graduates on the roll of the College had increased since then to 10G. The number of students, matriculated and unmatriculated, had, Within the same period, increased from 74 to 391. Of the 45 graduates of the University who had taken a first class no less than 31 had been sent out of this College. He was sure the undergraduates who were following on would do their best to keep this record of success unbroken. It was gratifying to know that the various organisations which filled up the spare time of the students were also flourishing—as the Dialectic and Science Societies ; that the College had turned out some first-class dramatic talent; that the College Football Club took second place this year in the contest for the Senior Cup; and that a College graduate held the lawn tennis championship. It was usual on these occasions to offer a special word of congratulation to the lady graduates. He felt so unequal to that part of his task that he intended to take refuge behind; the' dictum -of an old 'Athenian: “Your greatest glory, O women,” he said, “is not to fall short of that nature which the gods have given you, hnd’ her honour is greatest whose name is least canvassed, whether for praise or blame, on the lips of men.” If the latter part of the sentiment had grown out of date, the formqr part might stand. Whatever opinion Pericles might have entertained concerning girl graduates, had his mind been directed to the subject, the world was now pretty well agreed that women, by cultivating their minds, did not detract from, but added to and enhanced, those special gifts and graces which nature had so bountifully bestowed upon them. He had spoken to the graduates of some of the leas obvious rewards which would accrue to them from their devotion to study during the past years. They would now receive the more tangible reward, the diploma of the University. Their names had been enrolled as graduates on its books, where they would remain in perpetuity. To-day, it was they who received from the; University ; some day, perhaps, it would be the University that would receive honour from them. 1

At the closa of his address, and several times during its continuance, Mr Hay was warmly applauded. After a song, "Diploma Day,” by the undergraduates, Mr Hay called on Mr Mason, Registrar's Clerk, to read the results of the examination. He explained that Mr A. C. Wilson, the Registrar, was suffering from a cold, and could not read aloud without inconvenience.

Mr Mason rose to read the report, whereupon the undergraduates struck up a song expressing their opinion of the Registrar. * Mr Mason then read the following:— " Five students from the College have this year obtained the degree of M. A, C, C. Plante gained at the same time firstclass honours in languages, and B. S. Bull first-class in physical science. Miss A. Tindel second-class in mathematics, and T. R, Cresswell second-class in languages, and Miss M. C. Morrah third-class m languages. Thirteen students of the College have passed the final section of their B.A. examination, and had the degree conferred upon them—Misses E. * Ainsworth, E. Bilton, C. Henderson, L, Manning, J. Prosser, M. Richmond and M. Sword, and

Messrs D. Bates, C. Hardie, H. Hutton, li. Northcote, F. Pemberton and G.Pitcaithly; whilst twenty-six have passed the first section of their 8.A.. examination —Misses' D. Cabot, S. Henderson, M. Hookham, M. Marchant, E. Stevenson, P. Stoddart and A. Tendall, and Messrs E. Beaglehole, W. Brock, M. Butterfield, L. Cane, E. Clarkson, G. Dalgleish, P Ferguson, P. Gibson, A. Gray, E. Hardcastle, G. Lloyd. P. Marshall, A. McGregor, E. Norris, E. Page, W. Pye, GH. Thacker and H. WatsoH. J. C. Westall passed the first section f the LL.B. examination, and Messrs J. Innes, M.A., A. B. Meet, M.A., M. Trimble and H: W. Weston passed the final section, and had the degree conferred. E. SJfpightpaaeed the final B.Sc. examination, and had the degree conferred upon him; whilst Messrs C. Adams, H. Kidd and P. Marshall passed the first B.Sc. examination. Two senior scholarships were gained—that in Latin and English by P. Pemberton, and that in Latin and Greek by H. North cote, and Mr P. Pemberton was also first in the examination for the Political Science Scholarship, but by University regulation could upt hold two. The John Tinlme Scholarship for excellence in English language and literature was gained by Miss J. Prosser, of this College; and A. E. Kirk gained the Bowen Prize for an essay lon English history., The College exhibij tions given for excellence in Honours work 1 at the College annual were awarded as follow: —For Latin, W. S. Harris and J. E. Bannister; for English, Miss J. Prosser; 'for mathematics, W. b. Marris and B. Eutherford; for experimental science, E. S. Buchanan; for geology, P. Marshall; for political science, P. A. Pemberton.” Those students who were to receive diplomas were then presented by Professor Brown to Mr Hay, who handed each the diploma, with a few wotdsof congratulation. The undergraduates all the while kept up an accompaniment of cheers and songs, greeting the ladies with “Vi vent omnes virgines ’•' and the men with various verses referring to their prowess in the football field or their other characteristics. AUCKLAND, August 25. This afternoon the annual ceremony of presenting diplomas to the successful students at the recent examinations in connection with the Auckland University College took place. The following were the successful graduates:—Masters of Arts, Miss S. Jefford, Eev T. Wall, Messrs George Lippiatt, D. Jackson, B. M’Laurin, B. Austin, Miss Ecolesfieid, Miss Jessie Knapp; Batchelor of Law, Mr F. E, Baume.