THE UNIVERSITY SOCIAL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 11712, 23 July 1901, Page 7

THE UNIVERSITY SOCIAL.

TO THE EDITOR. Sir,ln common with many of the general public I am reluotantly compelled to express my dissatisfaction ; with the management of the recent University social. This event, instead of giving us some idea of what constitutes the University torib, was so conducted that very many of us went away with a bitter and cynical idea of what University culture is doing for many of our youth. In the first place a charge for admission was made, in itself an illegal proceeding, and. this action was backed up by a most objectionable advertisement in the daily papers of the day before. This action might be excusable on the ground of the lack of business knowledge that characterises the average student, but,.sorry though I am to say it,' it W33 accompanied by an amount of wanton insult to visitors that has during the past week caused much' comment.* Several wellknown and intending visitors, who had attended similar functions in previous years, were pleasantly infornjed before the gathering that, if . they .attempted to enter without . the ticket bearing the words, " Admission, one shilling," they would be forcibly ejected. As a result a large number stayed away, arid oral who attended were treated with marked discourtesy. One distinguished graduate, who had submitted; to the inevitable, and the day before purchased tickets for his family, found on*arrival that he had lost his own, and on asking for a pass it was suggested to him that he had given it away, and was aspiring to be a "deadhead." Several- similar • incidents occurred, and I would not now write, preferring that the matter should be hushed up, were it not that several citizens have in conversation with me expressed their total disgust with the whole University. We outsiders judge an institution from the details that we see, apd it is all the more necessary that these should be satisfactory. Our ultra-democratic Governments seems determined to discountenance hign education and noble ideals, so it rests with students themselves to vindicate the position of the University.— am, etc., : * Zadio.