GLAD TO BE THERE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 13586, 7 May 1906, Page 10

GLAD TO BE THERE.

VERDICT OP AX AMERICAN RHODES SCHOLAR AT OXFORD.

Br STAXLEr IiOVAL A SHUT.

On the very evening of our arrival I eagerly sa lied forth with a little group of lvhodes scholars to gain, despite the darkness, my first impressions of Oxford, Hearing the solemn liclls of the city peal forth at frequent intervals,' wo etrollod down dimlj-lighted byways, where occasionally a street Jump showed us the solid walls, or barred windows, or quaint entrance of some college. Venturing cautiously within ft gateway, wo surveyed the bii; quadrangles, surrounded by dark masses of buildings, in which mysterious lights slioiie ■hero and there to lielp out the strange, unpvossivc genius of the place, Finally each of us hunted up the ancient college that was to be his now homo, each man being deeply conscious probably, as I was when I peered within the walls of Merton how -far a cry it was from the home he had left beyond the sea. newcomers, however, had very Jittlo time for musing on art ..ml noetrv after term bogan. I had hardly finished with tho oild experience of stocking a fairlv complete domestic establishment and 'become settled m my comfortable, eollegc quarters when, on being introduced to sonio of my now associates, I found myself in the midst of college life. The hospitality with which I was soon favoured much impressed mo. I must say that the good old custom according to which senior men invite relays of freshmen to breakfast in order to give them a chance to ask questions about college life, to enable them to become acquainted with one another, and to givo them a start in tho traditional hospitality of Oxford is a splendid idea, infinitely better than loavin® the callow strangers to shift for themselves" Almost invariably the fault must lie in a mans own salt-if he fools lonely and oiit in tne cold while attending the university. Somo people, it is true, believe that "sociability is overdono here, so that more seri--01,8 are neglected iin consequence and this is .possibly a just criticism in the case of men to whom serious duties are of minor importance. But in all this hospitality some of us were, conscious of a certain lack of warmth. Ihis sensation was due mainly to two causes; net ljecause we were received any the less cordially on account of our nation-ahty-for I gladly pay tribute to our new founi friends in saying that we could not me been treated better if we had been born hnghehmon-but because of the eliaraeteristic difference in ihe .manners of Jjiiglislmicn and Americans, and because of certain features of time honoured Oxford etiquette As for tho difference in manners wo found those chiefly superficial, and soon iscovcred that our iiew associates could be jnst as hcartv friends, even if they did not wung our lar.ds on being introduced and •n v 7- v *'»* lO meet you." T r fMh,rcs of w!!c S° etiquette to ♦hit ,f r ® f€r - ,s a cllstonl whieli enjoins that a fresnman must not speak to a man of another year m the street unless lie is first addressed by this exalted individual, who usually forgets to notice him even after entertaining him .at breakfast. To one unfamiliar with the wavs of the place this seems pure rudeness. But we Ainoricans, who sometimes forbid freshmen to cairy canes, who sell the innocent youths tickets to free privileges,, such as riding in tho university lifUs, and who have been known to display a remarkablo amount of ingenuity in devising many other wavs of tormenting can perhaps have little to say. r , "P'Wioiw and restrictions of Oxford hie, wlnlo having- the pleasant savour of antiquity, cannot be quite so easily disiuissnl. It is no privation to be forbidden to play marble's or shoot arrows in the Wish street, nor is it very irksome to wear cap and gown 011 the prescribed occasions. Jiut to men who liavc b?en accustomed to livn where they chose during their college days elsewhere it is a decidedlv novel experience, to put it mildly, to be required to leave college before 9 p.m., if at all welling, to lie required to pay a. shilling fine for each out-of-college tnie=t derarting after 11. j, the n,lo. i„ 'ome collages, and to bo liable to all sorts of diro penalties if they stay out five minutes aftcT the clock has struck 12. Still, the wisdom of these provisions seems to liavc been proved by tho fact that- tliev have endured so long. Perhaps the most noteworthy feature of student life apart from studies' is found in college athletics. At few other universities in tho world, I venture to say. is Ihe love for outdoor sports so general as at Oxford. This desire Jo be playing at something in the open air seems to bo inherent in the naturo of the upper class Englishman, so that when ho comes to Oxford, .the home of healthy sport, he is truly in his element. Tho climate of England, far mom than any climate in tlie United States, encourages these sports; for, although England lias few but gray days for her people in winter, she has, as some one Ims Well snid, more "out-of-door days" than almost, any other land. College rivalry is also a stimulus. Since the comparatively small memlxsrship of each college is divided among sn many' different sports, it is highly desirable that'eacii man should do what lie can in some sport to uphold the athletic prestige, of his own college among a score of rivals. Thus the man who does nothing in tho way of athletics is severely condemned by college spirit; and this is as it =hoi;!d i*\

But. this widespread popularity of these sports, _ though worthy of emulation af all universities, does not teach us Americans a lesson to nn:rh needed ts does the. manner of engaging in them. Nearly' everyone has heard of (Ik- recent interft'reiiro of our President lo chock the brutality of our football game—a brutality that none of lis can deny. Unhappily, it is th-s insane desire to win, instead' of a sportsmanliko love of tho same for the eame'e sake, that' pervades all our sports. The result is that tho American athlete, unlike tho Oxonian, cannot play his anme in the afternoon merely as a little healthy diversion and ,to givo himself a clearer head, but is so dominated by the lust of victory that all other thoughts are driven from his mind.

' On actually beginning work at the university we found the atmosphere that stirrounds us—since it is so different Troiii the a.tmosphoro to wliieli most cf us have, been accustomed—a very potent influence. Among other differences, that which seemed the most marked to me was the absence of the restless spirit of industry-which is all-per-vading at home, and acts as a constant spur. The.climate of Oxford lias something lo do with this lack of stremiousness, for thu' air is damp, heavy, and relaxing in its influence. The students' comfortable mode of life also makes in the same direction. The tablo of an American boardinghouse doss not usually tempi one to linger after aineal, while at . Oxford tho custom of having several meals served in the students rooms enables congenial spirits to gather about a hospitable board in parties to pleasant that it is hard to break away from them. Indeed, the very hearth of an Oxonian's den allures to sociability. A steam radiator or on uglv stove, on the othor hand, boms so distressingly prcsaic in iteelf discourages not at all that prosaic virtue work.

I am vory willing lo give abundant credit to the Oxford freshman for boing well prepared, as a general thing, when he begins residence here, to take up the work of the university. His (raining has not been so widely comprehensive as (ho training of the American freshman, who commonly lim gained at. least a valuable point of view in a great many subjects, but tlio training of an Oxford freshman, while on narrower lines, has, I am inclined to think, been much more thorough; and his knowledge appears to have become a. more intimate Part of hill) and less a mero acquirement to be lost in time. An interesting insight into the learning of the budding Oxonian may bn gleaned from observing his library. In addition to his text-books, here will be found many works ftv such authors as Ruskin. Browning. Emerson, Darwin, Ibsen, and Matthew Arnold—a heterogeneous array of celebrities, in truth, but nil men of such profundity of mind that an interest m them betokens much.

Besides these characteristics of the freshmen, I have noted among my fellow students of all years certain traits that seem to mo typical of the. Oxford mindif there may justly be said to be such a thing as a typical Oxford Mind. Since I have found so little pedantry. I should judge that it- is looked upon with extreme disfavour. Some of the most intellectual men of Oxford, far from making any parade of learning, are so unassuming that you would give them credit, for only tho most mediocre ability, until better acquaintance reveals them to you. Only the other day a friend was relating to me how ho had disgraced himsflf by mistaking alearnod don for a freshman. Again, anything like sentimental enthusiasm is chilled by its reception. The man who goes into raptures over things liardlv exists here at all, and, if he did! he would probably be regarded with a quiet, amused kind of tolwance that would bring him earthward with a thud. Of a piecc with all this is the.'marked critical attitude of Oxford. One is tempted to say that there is such a, kwnness for - spciDg" faults and

frailties that- virtues are apt to be unjustly slighted. To destroy illusions, to show that idols are made of clay, and to demonstrate that all authorities aro but erring human t crnatnros—this seems to be a characteristic trejul of the Oxonian's mind. 1 should say that these traits, in the main, are scholarly. Thev may be a trifle depressing to the. stranger at first, but when h© becomes accustomed to them they give a stimulus to investigation, while encouraging original views rather than a blind reliance upon authority. To sum up my impressions of Oxford I need only one short, sentence—l am glad to bo here.—Macmillan's Magazine.