VICTORIA COLLEGE

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 8739, 22 May 1914, Page 6

VICTORIA COLLEGE

PRESENTATION OF GRADUANDS ?-TR lAN HAMILTON SPEAKS ON DISCIPLINE.

Tho presentation of tho graduandu of Victoria College took place in the Town Hall last evening in tho presence! of a largo gathering of the public.' The students, both male and female, were present in force. There was loud applause when the ■Hon. A. L. Herdman, chairman, of tha fathering, mounted the platform. Ac-t '-,.l'mpany'tn.g him were General Sir Ian 1 Hamilton, the Minister for Education (Hon, J. Allen), tho Minister for Internal Affairs (Hon. H. D. Bell), the Postmaster-General (Hon. R, HBhodes), tho Mayor of Wellington (Mr J. P. Luke), and Colonel Heard. The proceedings commenced by the .students singing “Gaudcaucus Igitui” (and “The Green and Gold.” Tho Hon. Mr Herdman, who presided in the absence of the chairman of tho College Council (Mr H. H. Ostler), introduced Sir lan Hamilton, who was received with cheers. SIR lAN ON DISCIPLINE

i Sir lan Hamilton said he had .chosen las tho subject of his address, “Discipline.” (Loud laughter.) The reasons for his doing so, he said, were quite l obvious. (Renewed laughter.) Hohad! chosen that subject because, until stu-J dents became graduates, they were) subject to discipline. When they did, become graduates, they felt a momen-l tary freedom. When they went out! into the world, they would find that discipline still surrounded them. It), entered into all branches of life, and) a man. who had no discipline was a public nuisance. (Laughter.) It would! bo beyond his powers, in a ten-min-J ntes’ speech, to enter into the whole! subject of discipline, but he would) deal with it as it affected tho soldier.. The basis of the old typo of discipline! was fear. That was the typo which', existed until —they could almost fix/ the date —1900. , Of the old type off discipline, he could quote many ex-| antples. He could go back to Roman, history, to the time of Frederick the' Great, and to comparatively recent' happenings in the British Army. But/ he preferred to tell them of a Chinese', officer who lived .300 years before) Christ, and who was the author of a, book called “The Art of War.” That man had been one of the first exponents of discipline actuated hy fear. The story of this Chinese was that in his tune there was a king who had 365 wives. They gave him all sorts of troubles. He called in the officer, who lined np the women, and showed them how to “left-turn,” “right* turn,” and “about-turn.” When he >i-..1 given them the fullest instructions ho ordered them to “right-turn.” The women laughed in his face. He again gave them the instructions, and ordered them, to “left-tum.” Again they laughed. So the officer told the king that when the order had been given a second rime, and disobedience followed, punishment must bo inflicted. Tho king protested, but the heads of the prettiest of the girls were chopped off. Then, to the remaining wives, the officer gave the orders again. They obeyed with, mechanical precision. That was a good instance of discipline actuated hy fear. But what had brought about the change in 1900? It was purely the mechanical result of the mechanical effect of firearms. The extension of manoeuvres in warfare owing to the use of arms had brought about a change. With, his men so far apart, it was necessary for an officer, to ho obeyed, to have some other moral force than fear. In the British Army now an officer did not give orders for himself; his orders were the orders of his State —(applause)—and the officer was the mouthpiece of his country. That new discipline, he put it to them, was a very fine thing. - When, they went out into the world, they sdght find that their principles did not meet the wishes of others. They need not mind; they must stick to their principles; they must carry on, and they would win through in. the long run. (Continued applause.) As Sir lan left the building he was enthusiastically cheered. SUCCESSFUL STUDENTS.

The presentation of the gradnands then took place. The following is a list of the graduates for 1913-1914: Masters of Arts (with honours in Arts).—Nellie E. Coad, Ethel M. Duff, Elizabeth M. Pigott, Jessie Tolley (Jacob Joseph, scholar), Bernard J. Gondringer, Norman M. Paulsen, Harry Banston, Harry Robson, Friedrich F. Wolter (Jacob Joseph scholar), Gordon G. G. Watson. Masters of Arts.—Gladys Q. Everett, Cyril X. Wild. Masters of Law (with honours in law). —Adrian W. Delamore, Lindsay J. Mackersey, Francis L. G. West (senior scholar). Bachelors of Arts.—Alary C. Clachan, Susanna M, Hopkirt, Dorothy L. Hueston, Mary B. McKenzie, Fanny L. Ross, Elizabeth M. Sharer, Isabelle A. Stitt, Purvis F. Armstrong (Sir George Grey scholar) Bert N. T. Blake, Frank L. Combs, Edwin T. Cox, Edward Fitz-gerald-Eager, Georg© H. Gibb, Werner Heine (senior scholar), Henry C. Hewlett, Leyon M. Moss, Kenneth Ross, George S. Strack. Bachelor of Science.—James C. MoDowalL „ , . -r, , Bachelors of Laws.—Carl A. Berendsen, Boss R. Bnrridge, Frederick T. dere, Herbert L. Griffiths, Reginald B. Hill, William A. Lyon, 8.A., John C. Morrison, M.A., Anthony C. ISathan, Ronald H. Quilham, Cnthhert H. Taylor, M.A., Gordon G. G. Watson, BjL, Henry Williams, Frederick G. Hall-Jones, B.A. 1851 Exhibition Science Research Scholar and Government Research Scholar.—-Eric O, Herons, M.Sc. PRIME MINISTER SPEAKS.

The Prime Minister, who was received with cheers by the students, said that when he ■ had seen in that morning’s paper, on the authority of a gentleman who ought to know, that there was a danger of the proceedings becoming a burlesque, ho had decided that ho ought to accept the invitation of the college council to be present. (Laughter.) The proceedings were, so far, as orderly as a church gathering, and—he did not know whether they would believe him—he thought he was a little disappointed. Ho congratulated the students on the success of their studies. He hoped that that success would spur them on to become good citizens of the Dominion. _ Much yet remained to be done in university education, but they could rest assured that in the present Minister for Education they had one who was sincere in his desire to see education in all its branches advance. The Prime Minis-

ter concluded by again congratulating th© successful students. AILMENTS OF THE COUNCIL.

The Hon. A. L. Herdman read a letter of apology from Mr Ostler, chairman of the council, who had been called to Auckland on business that day. Mr Herdman went on to say that Victoria College Council was suffering from two ailments. One was that the public did not take sufficient interest in the institution, and the other was its impecifhiosity. As for the public’s lack of interest, he did not know whether the people should be blamed. The college was situated out of the city, and the business man on Lambton quay did not have the opportunity of seeing the inner workings of the institution. Therefore he thought that in such circumstances, it was good to have such a gathering as ‘this, in the Town Hall of the city, where the public could meet the students and hear what was being done. Referring to the whom he represented on the council, Mr Herdman sard that he had come into contact with them, and it had been a matter of surprise to him that those gentlemen did so' much for the college beyond their ordinary duties. Their desire was to see the college made an institution fit to send students out to face the problems of life- The college was to be congratulated on the possession of such a body of men. Recently one or two important matters bad been dealt with by the council. The latter had recommended that the Macarthy bequest (£2000) should form the nucleus of a chair of economics at the college. The council, through the services of Messrs Morton and Ferguson, had also laid the foundation of a definite plan to be followed in the extension of tho college buildings and grounds. (Applause.) Mr Herdman congratulated the students, and wished them success in the future.

The formal proceedings ■were then closed.