PROFESSOR J. RANKINE BROWN

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23365, 3 December 1937, Page 18

PROFESSOR J. RANKINE BROWN

ENJOYING HIS HOLIDAY' NEW ZEALANDERS AT UNIVERSITIES (From Our Own Correspondent) (By Air Mail) LONDON, Nov. 10. Professor J. Rankine Brown has been visiting relatives, mostly in St. Andrews and Glasgow. In the former centre he stayed with Sir James C. Irvine, principal of the university; and in the latter with Sir Hector Hetherington, Principal of Glasgow University; At St. Andrews he saw a great deal of Mr Fraser Mackenzie (Wellington), who is lecturer in modern languages.- While this university is the only university in Scotland, by the way,' that has not a professor in modern languages, it is strong in the direction of providing residential homes for the students. The procuring of funds for this purpose has been remarkably successful. Naturally, as it was in 1911 that Professor Rankine Brown was last in the Old Country, he has been immensely struck with the very, great amount of building that has taken place in all the centres which he has visited. Some' has been very satisfactory and some less so, but it is apparent that all has' been done with the object of making the inmates comfortable and their surroundings congenial. Tremendous changes have been brought about by the increased, and still increasing, motor traffic. The beauty of the countryside in England and Scotland is an outstanding impression; many journeys have been taken through long avenues of .beeches in the full beauty of their autumn tints. The trees in England are everywhere and of infinite variety, whereas in New Zealand they are mainly in the bush. A great deal of motoring was done in the West Riding of Yorkshire.

While at Gloucester the professor visited Tewkesbury—a city full of historic interest —and he had the pleasure of spending a day with Lord Bledisloe at Lydney. Lord Bledisloe extended great kindness, and showed him the museum of New Zealand curios and Roman relics, as well as the dairy. He still expresses the warmest affection for New Zealand—and this _ sentiment is shared by Lady Bledisloe. During an interesting stay in Oxford, Professor Rankine Brown saw a good deal of Mr Ronald Syme, Fellow of Trinity College and the university lecturer in ancient history;. ■ :• This week he passed through London eh route for Germany to spend the remainder of his holiday with his daughter, Madame Oertel, at Krefeld, near Dusseldorf. Last night Professor Rankine Brown took the opportunity of attending, at the Vaudeville, a performance of Ibsen’s “Ghosts.” He was very much impressed by Miss Marie Ney’s fine performance in the lead. On January 14 he will leave for New Zealand by the Tainui.