UNIVERSITY OF OTAGO.

Otago Witness, Issue 3861, 13 March 1928, Page 5

UNIVERSITY OF OTAGO.

OPENING OF SESSION. INAUGURAL ADDRESS. The inaugural address in connection with the opening of the 1928 session at the University of Otago was delivered in the Allen Hall on Tuesday evening in the presence of a number of professors and a large gathering of students. The address, which was based on “.University Tradition and Life,” was given by Professor

The chair was occupied by Professor Inglis (dean of the arts and science faculty), who extended a welcome to the chancellor (Mr T. K. Sidey, M.P.) and an ex-chancellor (Sir Janies Allen), whose good work on behalf of university education was well known. He also welcomed the old students and those who were entering the University for the first time, and expressed the hope that their association with the. institution would be profitable , to. the 2 niversity and to themselves. • Mr Sidey expressed his pleasure at being with the students on such an occasion. and said that without in anv wav under-rating the other faculties, he wished to point out that in the arts faculty Students went in pursuit of knowledge for its own sake. There were, of course, exceptions to this rule. While the students of other faculties had done well, they were no less proud of the work done by tne faculty of science. The speaker went on to welcome the new students, and expressed the hope that they would c ter into the life of the University outside the class rooms, as well as that within them. ," e contrasted the conditions prevailing c ’ a l' with, those-existing at present. When he was a student there was only o:.j students' body—the Debating Society —and he could well remember the maiden - of men who subsequently* became "famous. He was not actually advising students to take up politics as a profesbut at the same time he thought that once they had done justice to themselves ami those about them it was a laudable ambition to take part in the coun“"yf welfare. It had been his experience that the graduates who had been in Parliament had always contributed largely to the welfare of the country. The University authorities had always endeavoured to take the students into their confidence, ana he felt sure that the honour of the • University was safe in their hands. The speaker concluded by expressing ‘he hope that at some time he would have the pleasure of congratulating the students present on their graduation. In his opening remarks Dr Elder stated it to be curious that in all universities IT c U xi was . done to mark the significance v. ~h e en ® °f tsle university course, while little attempt was made to show the undergraduate who had just entered the university gates that, in passing from the -secondary* school, he had done anythin" more than leave one educational seminary for another As the curtain was about . f.® tali on the last scene in the student lite a graduation ceremony impressed the j , a t the period of training had ended and that the time had arrived when theories were to be put into practice. . Ao public- initiation ceremony, however, marked the entrance into university life’ and such knowledge as the undergraduate acquired in the course of the years with regard to the century-old traditions which lay behind university work came in haphazard fashion, if, indeed, it came at all. It was only by slow degrees that the undergraduate grasped the fact that in enrolling himself as a student he had become a unit in a vast international educational movement whose influence reached throughout the civilised world among meh of the most diverse races creeds, and tongues.’* “Wherever they might be situated and however different tneir outward circumstances might be the great universities of the world were hinted in their obedience to a common tradition ana a common aim. -. It was more strange that direct teaching with regard to this tradition and aim was so seldom given, since it was usual for corporate bodies of all descriptions to use the initation-ceremony as a* fitting occasion for the instruction of the neophyte in the general purposes of the organisation which he joined. The novice was impel cd to feel that he was about to share in an inheritance ivh:cn naif been created by the labour of others, and that it was for him not only to enjoy the fruits of their toil, but to carry on their work. In a university initiation ceremony the officer appointed to instruct the candidates presenting themselves would naturally be compelled to define the word university, giving at the sama time some account of the origins of the university* tradition, while he would conclude by exhorting nis hearers to virtue in the student life ° presenting to them the ideals after which they must strive. Such an introduction to uni versity life would, he was convinced, serve a good purpose. If one was to speak of university tradi tiou, the word university itself must first be defined. The ancient title given to a university was that of a Studiuin generale or school of universal learning, and this still answered briefly the question “ What is a university?” There were many who Xsaid, without thought, that the modern printing press had taken the place of the ancient university, and superseded the teacher. So far was this from bein<r rhe case that he should put it that the fact that hundreds of books of every description were issued in the course of a year had increased rather than lessened both the need. and the demand for that oral instruction upon which the student in the ancient university relied. The multiplicity of books was at, once an aid and a hindrance to die student. They rendered his task at once more easy and more complex, and his first desire, <when confronted with a new subject was that someone should act as guide in the strange country His friend would show him the easiest path through the forest of books and would save precious time by directing him both to the books that would best serve his purpose and to those portions of those books that bore most directly on his study, and that should therefore be read with greatest care. To teach the student how to read and what to read, to give him some ideas of relative values and the normal view, to show, him the standard by. which his own work would be judged—the university standard of work In other words—these had become the main

functions of many professors—but this was merely to say that their work had became more important, more necessary, and of more value than ever before. I would emphasise this point to the students —that the work of his university teacher was to show him how to read for himself, not to read for him, not to deliver to him in lecture form, as it were, a careful summary of various books of which he ought to have first-hand knowledge. The lecture served a useful purpose if it aroused interest, outlined the scope of a subject and directed the student to the sources of knowledge. All students found it an invaluable aid to have the main features of a topic _ presented to them so that they might know what to look for as they read for themselves It was the work which the student did for himself, however, that was of lasting value. To be satisfied merely with attendance at lectures, to make no attempt, or but a feeble attempt, to enter the field of thought to which attention had been directed was to fail to realise one of the essential features of university study. The person whose work ended when he had attended tho lectures of the day and carefully noted their content, and who felt no desire to read his subject for himself could not be called a student. His work was of little value to himself and could give him none of that pleasure which the genuine student experienced who gradually acquired delight in books and enthusiasm for knowledge. Few men had had Milton’s passion for books and study, but every student who assiduously set himself to his task in the proper spirit found his reward when fresh ideas and a new outlook upon the things of the mind came to him as he traversed “ the shady spaces of philosophy.” Gradually study, irksome perhaps in its initial stages, became itself something cf the jay it Xias to Milton. Devotion to study, insight and observation of al) things seemly, cultivation of generous arts, self-discipline—these were the ideals set before himself by the seventeenth century poet; they might well serve as ideals for the modern student.

It was true, of course, that one might bo a student without being associated with a university. But. it was equally true that the great majority of sudents had, for centuries, found in university life a great stimulus and indispensable training, the tradition of university teaching carried them back to the gatherings of eager learners around the graat masters °of thought in ancient Greece, the home of European civilisaticn and culture. Greece. The influence of the philosophers of Greece stretched forth to Rome and thus, throughout the ancient world, institutions of somewhat similar type to our modern universities arose.

The earliest universities were associations of teachers and students without definite foundation, with no charter of rights and liberties granted by king or pope. Scholars organised themselves in the corporations which were styled universities just as the merchants and tradesmen of the towns united in their various guilds. At .an early stage the presence of a succession of great teachers made two universities, those of Paris and Bologna, stand out above others. Paris became the recognised centre for theology and philosophy north of the Alps. Bologna, in similar fashion, gained prestige as a school of law. By the middle of the thirteenth century Paris made by royal charter a self-governing corporation, had organised its four faculties —law, medicine, arts, theology,—while the students had been divided into their four nations, and had as their head their rector.

A great part of university tradition was derived from the mediaeval university. Such terms as bachelor, master, doctor, rector, chancellor formed part of the mediaeval academic vocabulary. The idea that the students held a definite place in the university corporation came .from the mediaeval university organisation. lhe tradition that the scholars of all nations were united in a league of letters which was fostered so much by modern international student movements came definitely from the great mediaeval universities, to which crowded students of all ranks and conditions, from highest to lowest, some representing rich and powerful families, many poor scholars hard put to it for bread.. Finally, we noted that in mediaeval times as now men frequently sought university honours because with these were bound up careers and professional advancement, while at the same time provision was made for general culture and the study of subjects of a non-professional and technical nature. The democratic outlook of teachers and taught, the desire for independence of thought, the insistence upon university self-government — all these features of modern university life were part of the tradition which dated from the beginnings of corporate universities tn Europe.

The modern university, as distinct irom the mediaeval university, owned a great part of its spiritual tradition to the intellectual revival of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, not all mediaeval universities were sufficiently instinct with life to be able to break the bonds of convention and follow* the gleam. Many accepted the new* era with such hesitation and reluctance as cost them tlie loss of much of their influence. Ihe first fruits of the Renaissance were gathered in Italy, but there the universities, which had at first been full of enthusiasm for the new culture fell under the heel of the Church as reaction came and the Church devoted itself to the stern repression of a humanism which, preaching liberty, tended to advocate license. Hosing freedom the Italian universities became lifeless. institutions, exertin" no in , e T ce , ’ n . Public life. As the universities ®, * e " un der the domination of the Church, so those of France, which had been somewhat slow to adopt Renaissance studies, camo under the swav of the abso- • ute monarchs of France and likewise lost most cf their influence, being identified in the popular mind with the Royalist regime until the Revolution swept them away with the monarchy. The University of Paris was not restored till 1896. In Germany many new universities sprang into being as the result of the Reformation, but the devastating Thirty Yeais ” ar proved fatal for a century and a-half (o the intellectual development of both Protestant and Catholic Germany, and only at the enff of the eighteenth century did the German university begin to take the lead among modern universities. The great University of Berlin was not founded till

1810. Till the beginning of the nineteenth ceniuty also, the universities of England, Mill ormg from changes wrought upon them by the Reformation, were centres of political rather than of educational importance. The one great university, indeed which sprang from the Reformation and which retained its vigour throughout the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, was the Dutch University of Leyden, founded in 1575 by William of Orange to mark tho notable defence of the city against the Spanish troo-ps. Tho Renaissance, therefore, left this enduring mark upon the teaching of all Europear universities that the classics became the educational staple instead of that study of logic which had been the chief study of the mediaeval university. The desire to keep pace’ with modern requirements had led, in our own day, to vast developments. In a scientific age, universities had devoted great attention to the teaching of science, while, on the other hand, the growing complexity of modern life had caused them to extend the range of the curriculum on the arts side, and to offer numerous opportunities to those who wished .to study what we usually spoke of as modern subjects. In spite of all the development, however, the Renaissance tradition retained its hold, and it was still recognised that there must be a place in university studies for a type of education which should aim. not at training men for any special career or profession, but at developing their faculties in such a way as to render them good citizens and useful members of society. In Britain, the tendency is to take it that, on the whole, the arts’student has in modern times been allowed too wide a- option of subjects. In one of the Scottish universities the pendulum has swung so far that the regulation with regard to graduation in arts now read thus:—“ln making his selection of subjects, every student for the ordinary degree shall offer (a) Latin or Greek,' (b) English or another modern language, (c) logic or moral philosophy, (d) the conjoint course in mathematics and natural philosophy.” Four of the necessary five subjects for graduation were thus pres ibed. Seven courses—or seven units—must be taken, so that of the five subjects selected by the candidate, two must be studied in double courses. These regulations would come into force on October 1. 1928.

A fierce controversy had been waged with regard to the wisdom of this preset iption, and particularly with regard to that regulation which compelled every arts student to take either Latin or Greek. He would merely say that it was one more proof ot the influence of the classical tradition in the modern university. As a common tradition united students, so there /were common ideals uniting them hui 5, d " ofc & et away from the fact that tnere were very few university students in any country whose motive was solely the acquirement of knowledge. The fact however, that a man had an aim in life need not cause him to lav aside his ideals A man might make it his prime object to gain a degree which would give him the right of entrance to a profession and at the same time treat his studies in such a way as would mould his whole character and affect, his whole after-life. And it was only the student who took himself and h.'s studies seriously and who was not ashamed io hold by his ideals who would ever have that joy in study of which he had already spoken. That our universities steadily produced men whose chief pleasure in life was the pursuit of knowledge was one of their chief claims to the wholehearted support of the State and of the private citizen. It vvjas too often forgotten that if universities must teach, they must also think, ana that the outward manifestation of the thinking of a university was the work of its research students. It was the few men who were fitted by. university courses to pursue research work for themselves who were the most valuable produce of the university.

They must realise that in taking up fresh studies they were entering the apprentice stage where drudgery was required before such dexterity was gained as enabled the workman to rejoice in his skill. Ihe desire for work was not inborn. At the same time to acquire the work habit was to acquire something that was of far greater value than anv degree one may gain, especially if with the habit one gained what Locke spoke of as “ a relish of knowledge.” If in addition one left the university having learned the value of thoroughness, a stern critic of oneself and of one’s own work, with a knowledge of the necessity for concentration and° the ability to organise one’s day, one was equipped well for life. If, to crown all. one had not neglected the pleasures which came from the free-and-easy intercourse of comrades in the student world and could move among one's fellows in a spirit of generous, friendly rivalry, without any tinge of that green peril, jealousy, the university days would .have brought one that which was beyond price. In speaking of these aims of the student life, however, it was impossible to ignore the fact that a great number found it difficult owing to circumstances to enjoy that leisure and opportunity to think and read, which was essential in the student life. The student who combined a tin] day in school or training college with university classes could not do justice either to himself or to his studies. And yet, it was precisely when the student moved , among books for himself and acquired a sense of values that university . work became worth while.. In Britain the problem had most frequently been solved bv asking the university student who wished to enter the teaching profession to devote himself first to academic studies and, after graduation, to take a post-graduate course under the training centre authorities. There were many advantages in this. To him it appealed particularly that a man should attend university classes neither as a teacher nor as a person undergoing a course of training for teaching, but as a student in arts and science mixing freely with the other members of his faculty and with leisure, to develop all sides of university life.

In New Zealand the general raising of the standard required for degrees in arts and science rendered it imperative that some /solution should be found quickly in the interests of the students themselves, since it was obvious that it could never be satisfactory to attempt to serve two masters. In Britain, the remedy had generally been found in such an arrangement of work as ensured that" the student should serve but one master at the one time, the university attending to academic training, the train-

ing college becoming more and more a professional school. We were particularly fortunate here in lhe cordial relations which existed between the Training College and University staffs, alid the fact that many found themselves bearing such a heavy burden was due not to lack of desire for co-operation out to the system’ under which they worked He would say that both academic and professional training were of such importance as to demand an adequate amount of atten ticn during the period of training. At the same time there was no occasion for despondency. The university colleges of New Zealand would without doubt, adapt themselves, as the years passed to altered conditions. The New Zealand student of the future, he had no doubt, would be blessed with more leisure. They might take heart from the fact that marvellous things had been done by students of this University who faced just such troubles as now confronted them With eager minds they refused to linger in the mire of the Slough of Despond, scorned the terrors of the Hill Difficulty, and in due season reached, as the faculty earnestly hoped they all might, the delectable mountains of success. A beartv vote of thanks was accorded Dr Elder for his address.