NO PASSPORT

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26693, 12 February 1948, Page 6

NO PASSPORT

TRAVELLED WITHOUT DIFFICULTY UNIVERSITY LECTURER To possess no passport and to encounter no difficulties was the unusual experience of the Rev. Henry Thornton, M.A., who arrived in Dunedin yesterday from Scotland to take up an appointment as lecturer in philosophical psychology at the University of Otago. Mr Thornton was in charge of a parish almost until the time he embarked for New Zealand and, in his hurried preparations for the voyage, he did not obtain a passport. The New Zealand Government and University authorities, however, accorded Mr Thornton every consideration and assistance. When he

arrived at Wellington, he found that the Customs authorities had been informed of his position and, again, no difficulties arose. Mr Thornton arrived in Dunedin with a feeling of deep appreciation for all the courtesy and consideration he had been shown. Born at Lochearnhead, Perthshire, Scotland, Mr Thornton attended Gdorge Heriot’s school in Edinburgh, the University of Edinburgh (where he graduated M.A. with first-class honours in mental philosophy), the University of Bonn (as an exchange student), the University of Edinburgh again (where he trained in theology at New College) and the University of Heidelberg. A licentiate and assistant minister of the Church of Scotland, he was ordained as minister of New Machar, near Aberdeen. During the war he was officiating chaplain. Church of Scotland Personnel, Royal Naval Auxiliary Hospital, at Kingseat, New Machar, Aberdeenshire. This large naval. hospital was in Mr Thornton’s parish and contained as many as 300 naval personnel as well as the patients. Mr Thornton is accompanied by his wife and young son and daughter. Mrs Thornton was the daughter of the late Karl Schwarzschild, an astronomer, of Berlin and Gottingen. She holds M.A. degrees of Cambridge and London and Ph.D. of Edinburgh. She was forced to leave Germany in 1933 because her late father had been of Jewish parentage. Mr Thornton has been engaged in the task of translating the authorised version of the writings of Professor Karl Jaspers, the eminent German psychologist and philosopher, and this work is now well advanced.