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The Editorial Committee invites contributions, either in prose of verse, on any subject of general interest, from students or officials connected with the College. All literary communications should be addressed to The Editor, Victoria University College, Wellington.
Subscriptions, 1/6 per (1/9 posted), are now due, and are payable to Mr. N. A. J. Barker, Financial Secretary, Victoria University College.
In the last issue it was suggested that those students who read back numbers or "The Spike," would not linger over the club reports. With more truth, we should like to add, neither will they linger over the editorials.
Why do we have editorials?
It was to find a solution to this problem, that we set out to read diligently, all the editorials from the first until the last. The impression was soon borne in upon us that Martha might have done likewise, whereas Mary would have concentrated on certain contributions in verse that are to be met with in the pages of "The Spike"—verse that has grown up round V.U.C., that shows something of the life of College and something of the spirit that animated those first students. Truly we present students have much to be grateful for, to those former students who set such a standard.
The best among the verses written during the first ten years of V.U.C., are to be found in "The Old Clay Patch"—now, unfortunately, out of print. This collection was edited by Messres. de al Mare and Eichelbaum. In the foreword they write: "It is hoped that this book will to some extent set a standard-a standard which, we trust, will in the future be oftentimes reached and surpassed. We cannot help but acknowledge that we have not reached this standard. Most of us must further admit that, not having ourselves read any of these verses, we do not know even what that standard is.
First then, let us endeavour to discover wherein we fail. Each year sees an addition to the quantity; but quality is a different matter. Much of the verse published in "The Spike" during the last few years falls into one or other of the following classes:—
Let us name first that spurious kind of verse that is just "dashed off" in a hurry. Even the making of a cake requires a certain
Then there is that type of verse that closely resembles in form (and often in subject) the poem of an artist. It is to all intents and purposes nothing but a pseudo-translation of English scenes and ideas into New Zealand ones by obvious substitutions. Such exercises are useful, for they teach the observant how the poet gains his effects; but they are apt to create a false atmosphere or, at best, to attract a comparison that would be invidious.
Thirdly, there are verses on and about Love. All of us, no doubt, who have taken up pen and tired to write verse have sinned grievously in this respect. For the most part, having had no experience ourselves (we are too apt to imagine that a newly-awakened eagerness-due to spring perhaps-is the first dawn of love) we are forced to express ideas as old as the ages, in words that have been long used in such connection. As Pope would say:—
"While they ring round the same unvaried chimes, With sure returns of still expected rhymes, Where'er you find 'the cooling western breeze,' In the next line, it 'whispers through the trees'; If crystal streams "with pleasing murmurs creep," The reader's threatened (not in vain) with "sleep."
But besides all these, there are the verses that are really worth while; and these are the verses with which every student should be acquainted, for they contain those indefinable qualities known as college spirit and local atmosphere. The best way of proving this statements is quotation:
"We will be of the world and feel its heart Beat, and our own will beat in sympathy; But we will keep a little space apart And sown with rosemary, for our abode Within the windows opening on the sea. And if the dust be all about or tread, And white the glare along the climbing road, Clear thought will come of how the East was red With promise, and the lanes with blossom rife, And fresh the dew upon the lawn of lire"—
Thus writes S. S. M. in the "Ode on the Laying of the Foundation stone of Victoria College," 27th August,
Out in the field the forwards are a-lining; The backs are crouched all ready in their place. Cold and grey, with a wink of sun a-shining— It's just the day for scrum, and rush, and pace. Hard the luck that I must sit here whining, And watch another fill the vacant space: While for the fresh old fight my heart is pining, And for the times when I was in the race."
Among the best of the verses written by Hubert Church is his sonnet on "Victoria College," beginning:
Thou shalt be greater than the city that lies Beneath thee; though the waves curve tender foam Athwart her beach, thou hast a fairer home, Where mountains watch thee with eternal eyes."
In songs of jest as well, there is even more "local colour." The best jester we have had signs himself S. E. Typical of his work is "Chanson Triste," in which the ventilators, the windows and the
"The breezes all caused sneezes as they entered through Alma Mater's ventilators, as they used to do!"
Then there is his delightful "Inaugural Ode on the V.C. Officers' Training Corps"—of which the last verse runs as follows:—
"Here is the flower of our manhood in bud; See how their noble eyes blaze as they mobilize, Eager to wallow to victory through blood, Like that unholy 'un, bony Napoleon. Stealthily, creepily, whispering in shouts, Steadily, sleepily, out go the scouts. Then comes the main brigade, uniforms tell, Making a plain brigade look rather well; (Even a puny form wrapped in a uniform, Looks rather well). Bravely they thresh along, weary and hot, Sometimes it's echelon, sometimes it's not. Guns to the right of them mow them like grass, Strangely, in spite of them, onward they pass. Powder is flying around and each man'll Soon be applying his oil and his flannel Such is the sum of a warrior's toil, Oceans of trouble, and afterwards—oil."
Every English Honours' student, after having toiled through the Anglo-Saxon Reader, will know how to appreciate "Those Good-oldays"; and there are many more still, from the same pen, written in the same delightful vein of humour.
It seems as if we could quote on indefinitely from these old "Spikes"; but verse of this class appears more and more seldom, though we still have had contributions from S. E., from M.L.N., from M.E.H.; and every here and there, showing promise of better things, appear such lines as:—
"Where e'en the nesting birds From out the troubled furze sing sorrow brokenly."
These, then, are some of the verse that you will find scattered through the pages of "The Spike." The writers, no doubt, consider themselves but painstaking artificers, falling far short of their aim; but it seems to us that the tree surpassed itself in its first flowering, and never since have we had such blooms.
What is the use of such traditions if they are not pregnant with future excellence?
In this war generation, many of our number have been carrying on these traditions in a different form, perhaps, and in far-off lands, but in no unworthy fashion. And who knows but that there will be a second flowering, when they once more are with us-and when we have learnt to give of our best and to do our best for College; not content to get out of her what we can, either of knowledge or of pleasure; but realizing that if there is any special word we can do for her-well—
"It's
therewe ought to be."
The problem of the editorial is still unsolved and is likely to remain so, for we intend, in conclusion, to quote S. S. M.'s "Au Revoir":
"We have toiled through the moonlit even's We have broken tryst with the sun, That here a pass might be entered, Here first-class honours won: We have had our game together, With the journey home in the rain; We are off for the long vacation— So-long till we toil again."
These lists are known to be incomplete. Hoping that amendments and additions will be sent us, we therefore publish all the names we have, rather than a list of corrections only. Included in the "On Active Service" list are the names of those who are in the different training camps in New Zealand.
Killed in Action.
Dear Sir,—I have to thank the Association for a very excellent pair of socks which reached me yesterday. Besides their usefulness, they are a reminder that one is not forgotten, and so doubly welcome.
I don't know that I can give you any interesting information from France. I have been here for just over three months, the first of which I spent with the First Entrenching Battalion, which reinforces the First Brigade, but was then transferred to the Rifle Brigade and posted to D. Coy. of 1st Battalion. H. A. Mackenzie is in the same company. I have met a great many old students since arriving in England. G. H. Nicholls was the officer who met us on our arrival at Sling. Later on there I met C. F. Atmore, who was commanding a Reserve Company, H. R. Biss, H. Lawson, Brigade Gas Officer, Major F. L. G. West, Lt.-Col. J. L. Short, C. A. L. Treadwell, and I expect some others that I have forgotten. Atmore and Lawson are over here again now, of course. Another one at Sling was H. D. Banks, a one-time law student away back in
Over here Leslie Edmondson was in the Entrenching Battalion, and R. V. Kay and Charlie Robertson when I last heard of them. Then I have met H. G. Brodie, N. M. Paulsen, R. B. Gibbons, D. G. Morison, H. T. Fathers, B. Egley-a Q.M.S. in the Pay Office. Five parcels have just come for me. I must stop.
Great excitement opening New Zealand parcels. All eatables this time. We don't really need them, as our rations are ample, and we can supplement them from the canteen, but they are handy sometimes when we are in the line and away from canteens. That's where we should be now, but Mackenzie and I both caught this over form of influenza at a suitable time, and were left behind at a details camp. When the battalion went in, however, two new officers joined the company and so filled our places. One is J. Hinton, the Otago nominee for the Rhodes schol. last year, so we are a learned company. Don't imagine, please, that I include myself, H. A. Josy, the Auckland representative, has just joined the battalion, too, and is in C. Coy. Am afraid I can't give you any thrilling accounts of "stunts" yet, as I haven't been in any Mackenzie's account of how they filled a gap here on March 24th should be interesting if you could get hold of it. Perhaps you have done so.
The summer weather is beautiful on the whole, though there have been some very heavy thunderstorms lately. Extremely hot to-day. Mackenzie and I went for a swim in a creek a little way off. A dam above a mill a makes a good pool, but the water was very dirty after this morning's heavy rain.
With kind regards to all the committee, and hoping that I may have occasion to write again some day. I am, yours very truly,
I have seen Ken Caldwell and E. B. Tustin, S. I. Jones, N. A. Foden, and I don't know how many more besides.
Thank you very much indeed for the parcel of socks, which reached me safely yesterday. It was very thoughtful of you all to remember me, and as a matter of fact you could not have sent me anything more acceptable at the times as I had just come in from wet and muddy trenches to find that I had no dry socks. The arrival of the gift, too, almost coincided with my birthday, but I don't suppose there are any present-day students who in the pre-historic days "celebrated" a birthday with me.
I keep wonderfully fit, and have done all through except temporarily on receipt of one or two Hun donations. I do not get many V. C. students in this unit, but plenty from the College in the province from which my unit is recruited.
I understand that you have new one of my old company commanders lecturing at the College. I shall be glad if you would remember me kindly to him, but don't believe all he tells you about me—I am not as bad as that, really. I was close by him when he was hit at Messiness, and he will probably tell you that I am a most unsympathetic mortal. I refer, of course, to Capt. Jas. Thompson.
I saw de la Mare in London hospital when I was on leave some six months ago, when he was a near relative of a "sieve," but I understand he is due for N.Z., and has probably let by now.
This war seems almost interminable, and I am longing for a suit of "civies," but don't think the time is just yet. Four years is a big slice out of man's life to spend Hun-strafing, but it will be well worth it when he has been put in his place.
Once more thanking you for your kindness, I remain,
You may know better than I whether I have written to you or no since I left New Zealand, for I have completely forgotten and can call up no clear recollection on the subject. I wonder whom the meeting elected this year to pilot the Association through another period of office; I wish him luck and hope his period of office will be successful, and that he will be able to look back on some pleasant memories. The meeting may possibly be in process on this very day. I wonder if it is? It's just after Easter.
Well, I have seen much since the "Athenic" took us from New Zealand, over three months ago now, and it seems a very long time ago too. You will all know before this our route; we have seen the wonders of the Panama Canal, have passed Haital Islands, and have called at the ports of Newport, New York, land Halifax, disembarking finally at Glasgow on the "Bonnie Banks of the Clyde." We were fortunate in having some excellent weather throughout the whole trip, save about one week in the Atlantic, which few will forget. The Atlantic is famed for its storms, and it was our fortune (very nearly bad) to run into one of the worst our skipper has experienced in his career on the sea. A copy of the Magazine of the 33rds is being posted to you, so you may see there what we did and how we enjoyed what we did do.
Exactly eight weeks after sailing we anchored at Greenock, at the mouth of the Clyde, in the Firth of Clyde, and steamed up the river the following morning. There was a clear sky, and we would all have seen as much of the Clyde as of the Canal had it not been for packing, handing in equipment, etc. It was a gorgeous sight, and where there was not green vegetation there were the ship building yards. Scores of ships-mostly fairly small-were in various stages of completion, and thousands of workers, both male and female, lined the banks and cheered us; they ran from their tasks to join in welcoming the new khaki.
In the afternoon we disembarked and at once entrained for our destination in the south of England. The train took us through Carlisle, Crew, Preston, Birmingham, Oxford, and other places I lost in sleep, to Amesbury, a little station near Salisbury. Then we marched a few miles to our camp in Larkhill, where we lived till a week ago; we were in isolation there through measles having broken out on board a short time before landing.
Though we had experienced ice and a temperature just over and mostly below zero from Newport till after leaving Halifax, and a chilly atmosphere all the way to England, we felt the cold at Larkhill very much. I cannot say I am in love with an English foggy day!
All of us were treated lightly at first, for the authorities learned that it was of no use over-working a draft as soon as it landed; but soon the drill came "thick and fast." Most of us were getting our land legs back again, and into good form, when that medical staff took its sweet way and innoculated us for bronchial pneumonia. The result was that the percentage of those sent to hospital (including measles as the other cause) rose to nearly 50 per cent.! Fortunately there were no deaths here, though I hear that of those who went to Brocton Camp to join the Rifle Brigade two or three died.
We N.C.O.'s all dropped to a rank below that which we held in New Zealand, and went through a class and an exam. to keep or lose that rank. I was fortunate enough to remain a corporal.
You may like to hear of some of the old Collegians whom I have seen over here. Henry Williams is a corporal in the Wellington Battalion at Sling here; I met him unexpectedly one day, and found him the same as ever. Eric Clere was with us in our class, as he missed part of the 32nd class having had measles. F. L. G. West is a Major here, I saw him in the distance, he is still far form well I hear. H. Lawson is a Battalion Gas Officer, and put us through our taste of the real gas. L.J. Short (whom I do not know) I find is a Lt-Col., and is O.C. of this Wellington Battalion here. Bert Tucker is a corporal in the Wellington Battalion, and was orderly room clerk to our company in Larkhill. Ken Adams I saw in the 32nd Reinforcements before he left for France on 20th March. J. Ryan left on he same date. K. Archer is a sergeant in the Battalion orderly room of the Wellington Battal
We all expect to have our leave very shortly now, and when that is done, we shall be going across the France to see how this "bit push" is going. The Germans are making unpleasantly good headway now; but I hope we do not lose our leave through it!
Please give all my friends at V.U.C. my kindest regards and best wishes.
I cannot name them all in detail. I wish you and your committee the best of luck for the ensuing year and hope you will enjoy it. Please don't forget a "Spike," if I may be so bold as to ask for a copy.
With best wishes to the Association, yours very sincerely,
. . .
. . .
The history of human development appears to show short periods of rapid change followed by long years of stagnation. After an advance, civilisation, like a modern army, must wait for the more slowly-moving forces at its command before it is ready to strike again. Transitional periods, such as the one in which we are now living, are those that bear within themselves great possibilities of good or evil, advance or retrogression. The great bar to progress in every sphere of life is custom; men come to adopt the accepted view of things as if it were the eternal nature of the world; and so in all aspects of life, social, political, economic, knowledge has to fight prejudice, reform has to struggle with custom. This is the everlasting struggle between those who are satisfied with things as they are and those who are not.
To-day, however, amid all the discords of opinion, there is clearly discernible to the listening ear a common note: some amendment or recasting of our social system is necessary. Even those who, in the
My purpose to-night is to indicate briefly the problems that await solution and to suggest the part that the University can play therein. The fundamental change required is, in the language of Nietzsche, "a transformation of all values." The modern philosophy of life is all wrong. One of the pregnant lessons of Bergson's philosophy is that life is not to be valued for some end outside of itself but for the experiences and possibilities involved in living. The aim of life is to be found not in its results but in its living. Not what a man has but what he is represents his true social worth. This transformation of values is necessary in the economic, political and educational spheres.
Consider for a moment the economic organisaton which is supposed to be the achievement of modern civilisation. The characteristic of our economic system is capitalism. The history of economic development is the history of the growth of capitalism, meaning by that term the system of economic relations that rests on the use of the products of the past for the purpose of making profits for individuals. This has not always been the dominating force in economic relations and it is only within the last century that it has become the overwhelming power in society. The change of methods of production in the 18th century—the invention of machines driven by steam power—and the accompanying ideas of social relations have combined to produce the present. The governing idea of that time was that if each individual did the best for himself the best for society would result—the go-as-you-please and the general scramble. The result is a revaluation of life; no longer is life valued for its living and its possibilities. Business is the centre round which life moves. Commerce has come to set the ideals for most of our people; buying price, selling price, profits form the new trinity.
With the dominance of this spirit our social system has shown ugly features: the class struggle, the gulf between the rich and the poor, anarchy in production and waste in distribution, the reserve
If we turn to our political system, it simply reflects the meanness and injustice of our social methods. Questions of national policy, affecting the welfare of the people, are decided on purely party ground; personal or class interests are allowed to determine the course of the future of the country. The very term "politician" has acquired a sinister meaning. In this political sphere the Press plays its inglorious part, deceiving the people and stirring up class hate to achieve its party and financial ends. Money, by the power of advertisement, has captured the voice of the Press on which so many people have come to rely for direction. One of the most urgent needs of the immediate future is to awaken the people to the fact that the Press is purely a commercial undertaking—it sells news as the grocer sells sugar, only with no penalty for adulteration. After this war there is hope that the pamphlet as a means of counteracting the harmful social and international influences of the Press will become a power in the land.
It is obvious that the problem of social reconstruction and that of national education are inseparable. What part is the University going to play in this great work? It ought to be sending out into the world men and women competent and willing to take the lead in directing society into higher and better paths. What is the value of education? What particularly is the use of university education if it does not put its peculiar mark on a man? What does university education mean if you cannot distinguish the university man except by the mystic letters after his name? This same question has been asked of the older universities. Speaking of Harvard, Prof. James says:
"What was reason given to man for, some satirist has said, except to invent reasons for what he wants to do. We might say the same of education. We see college graduates on every side of every public question. Some of Tammany's staunchest supporters are Harvard men. Harvard men defend our treatment of our Filipino allies as a masterpiece of policy and morals. Harvard men as journalists pride themselves on producing copy for any side that advocate may not be found."
Why must this confession be made? Partly no doubt because the university has very different kinds of materials to deal with, but partly, I believe, because we have gone astray in dealing with some of the fundamentals of education. Mr. Bertrand Russell has put his finger on the weak spot.
"Education is as a rule the strongest force on the side of what exist and against fundamental change: threatened institutions, while they are still powerful, possess themselves of the educational machine, and instill a respect for their own excellence into the malleable minds of the young. Reformers retort by trying to oust their opponents from their position of advantage. The children themselves are not considered by either party; they are merely so much material, to be recruited into one army or the other. If the children were
Educational institutions, especially under the examination discipline, aim at teaching a doctrine merely—intelligently if that be possible, but if not by cram. What an education institution ought to convey is not merely information but a spirit. It is not mere knowledge that should be aimed at but the training of a personality. The past in not to be studied simply because it has happened; this permits all sorts of nonsense and trivialities to appear in courses. The past is to be studied that it may imbue the present with high ideals of the future. Education should not bind us to the past but free us for the future. Education ought to foster the search for the truth not the conviction that some particular creed is the truth. The absence of this spirit has blighted much of our education. Writing some years ago Schiller said: "In point of fact. . . . liberal education in England at the present day rests on the twin pillars of commercialism and competition buttressed perhaps in some few cases by the additional support of snobbishness." Russell knows well the type of education that aims merely at "good form." Of it he says: "As a political weapon for preserving the privileges of the rich in a snobbish democracy it is unsurpassable. As the means of producing an agreeable milieu for those who have money with no strong beliefs or unusual desires it has some merit. In every other respect it is abominable." I do not believe that this is a danger that we need fear; I think, however, that we could easily put up with an additional allowance of good manners for, in times of temporary excitement, some students mistake noise for humour and substitute vulgar buffoonery for brains. But on the whole the College record in this respect is admirable, due in no small measure to the character and efforts of a small band of our early students. It is from the blight of commercialism that we have suffered in the past, from which we are suffering now, and from which, unless we save ourselves, we shall suffer much more heavily in the immediate future. Education is fast coming to take its place as an annex of commercialism and to be imbued with its spirit. What meaning of the pregnant saying: "What shall it profit a man if he gain the whole world and lose his own soul?" is being lost. If education is thus finally perverted the hope of democracy is gone. Are we not among the culprits? We write up our College motto Sapientia magis auro desideranda and, having made this homage to the spirit of education, we turn to profit making. I venture to say that it would be difficult to find in the University Colleges, classes in which both the syllabus of study and the method of treatment are those which would be adopted by enlightened instructors if our educational system aimed at raining and character and not at examination results. The sciences are probably in the best position because and the practical classes allow a certain amount of initiative and freedom in work that is, however, not tested
Can we account for the attitude of authority to education? If we remember that all people, but especially those acting under strong feeling and in groups, have their actions determined by subconscious motives, I think we shall find a lot of truth in Russell's explanation—
"But if thought is to become the possession of many, not the privilege of the few, we must have done with fear. It is fear that holds men back-fear lest their cherished beliefs should prove delusions, fear lest they themselves should prove less worthy of respect than they have supposed themselves to be. 'Should the working man think freely about property? Then what will become of us the rich? Should young men and women think freely about sex? Then what will become of morality? Should soldiers think freely about war? Then what will become of military discipline? Away with thought! Back into the shades of prejudice, lest property, morals and war should be endangered. Better men should be stupid, slothful, and oppressive then that their thoughts should be free. For if their thoughts were free they might not think as we do. And at all costs this disaster must be averted.' So the opponents argue in the unconscious depths of their souls. And so they act in their churches, their schools and their universities."
This is a real danger at present. In war censorship is necessary; but the purpose of censorship ought to be to hide things from the enemy; when it is used to hide the truth from our own people it ultimately spells disaster. Verily we do need education.
The whole attitude to education must be altered. Its object must be altered: the students must become the center. The University will be judged not by the number on its graduate roll but by the type of thinker and actor it lets loose upon the world. Its spirit must be altered: not justification but inquiry must become its watchword. Its aim must be altered: it must endeavour to produce intelligent and honest citizens and not merely successful business and professional men and women.
At this great crisis in our history, if we are not to make shipwreck, the work of reconstruction will demand the best brains, the greatest sympathy, the hardest work and the most honest purpose that the community can provide. All will be called upon to play their respective parts; the future is with the people who can co-operate in this great task. I believe that the best immediate aid that the University of New Zealand can give in this important national work is to reform itself.
"An idyllic spot," remarked the sergeant.
"Yes," replied his friend, "but not always."
The two were lounging on the grass near a small orchard close to the village of Erquinghem. The river Lys drifted past here chuckling to itself as it went by. A mile or two away a badly broken church tower in Armentières showed where the German guns had been busy only three weeks before.
The sergeant turned over lazily on the grass, and closely examined a beautiful white butterfly with violet spots on its wings.
Dragon-flies buzzed around in the summer sun, and small fish darted hither and thither in the water of the river. Suddenly the sergeant sat up and the white butterfly departed hastily.
"By God, Jack! our luck has been in. We just got out of the Dressing Station behind the Church"—pointing to the spire in Armentières— "and Church and Dressing Station are blown to blazes. Then the day before we arrive here, the swine lob one right into the Ambulance "possie" here. The Aussies catch it and we haven't had a shell over since we arrive."
"Quick! Touch wood!" said his friend.
The sergeant solemnly placed finger on his chum's head.
"Great Scott! man," the other almost shouted, "find something original to do, and if you can't, go up to the A.D.S. and try to stop one.'
" My dear old chap, don't worry about anything on a beautiful day like this. Listen to them rocking it in at Bois Grenier and watch that shrapnel over Armentières. No don't. It's much better to sit and watch the butterflies and imagine you can see Milady coming down the road. I'll bet Mousqueton would have gone for his life if he had had shrapnel to assist his pace. Can't you imagine Porthos trying to get down some of the saps? I wonder if he would have found a 'duchess' in Erquinghem. By the way, it's just a little way down from here—nearer to Fort Rompu—where the man with the Red Cloak hacked off Milady's beautiful head. Will you stroll
"You silly fool," said his friend. "It's a wonder you are not sorted out by the O.C.'
"Oh, that Philistine!" snorted the sergeant. "I believe he reads Ella Wheeler Wilcox." Then suddenly, "Come on, Jack. There's bound to be something in and I'll have to send more bearers up if the fun continues at Bois Grenier.'
Together they strolled slowly through the thick lush grass, passed into the little cemetery in the Churchyard, where the severe simplicity of the soldiers' graves contrasted sharply with the decorative tawdriness of those of dead and gone French peasants and labourers. Passing a heavily sand-bagged estaminet, they soon reached the little Ecole Communale which served as a Dressing Station. On the side facing the main street (styled "La Grande Rue") a hole large enough to admit a motor omnibus had been blown by a large German shell a day previous to the New Zealanders' relieving the Australians.
Arrived at the school the Sergeant walked in to find a pretty woman of about thirty years of age trying to explain something to the senior orderly, while a small boy of about five years of age clung anxiously to his mother's hand.
"Come on, sergeant," said the orderly. "This case is more in your line than ours."
After a word or two with the woman, the sergeant learned that the little chap had been wounded in the neck two days previously by a shell fragment and that the mother had brought him to have it attended to.
While the orderly was cleaning and dressing the wound—(which was not a severe one)—the N.C.O. had a few minutes' conversation with the woman. He learned that her husband had been killed a year previously "Mais, C'est pour la patrie," added the young woman proudly.
Then her eyes quickly filled with tears as she indicated the little boy who was standing quite still while the orderly probed round the wound with a piece of sterile gauze in a pair of dressing forceps.
"Il est le dernier de mes enfants, m'sieur," she said, "ses deux soeurs—oh, mon dieu! mes deux petites filles.—sont tuées, il y a trois semaines par un éclat d'obus près de Bois Grenier."
She burst into tears, and the sergeant, swearing softly to himself, stood there awkwardly not knowing what to say. At last he managed to murmur, "Cette maudite Guerre, hélas, ne fait du bien a personne." Madame burst into a torrent of rapid French which the bewildered New Zealander could not follow. Here and there he distinguished the words "Bon Dieu" and "la Sainte Vierge," and just when he was wondering what to say, the orderly saved the situation by throwing down the remains of a bandage and saying cheerfully "There you are, sonny—that'll do fine."
Madame checked her rapid utterance, clasped her son convulsively to her breast and kissed him repeatedly. Then she put the little fellow down again. He drew himself up smartly to attention, "Quelque jour je vais tuer les sales Boches, m'sieur sergent."
"Good for you, Kiddy,' said the N.C.O., "but I hope it won't be necessary." He then turned to Madame, told her when to bring the lad for more dressings and shook hands with her. Madame spoke to the little fellow, who again stood to attention and piped in his
"Merci, M'sieur." He saluted smartly and walked out clinging to his mother's hand.
The friend of the orchard put his head round the door and called, "Coming down to see D'Artagnan and Milady, Dick?"
The sergeant sat down on a box and said to the senior orderly, "God! Smith, what a nation! The Germans could never crush the French if they fought for a thousand years."
At that moment an Orderly Room messenger came in quickly and handed the sergeant a message. The N.C.O. tore it open and read it slowly as he walked off to join his friend, while the orderlies shouted, 'Tray bonne female down at the Green Estaminet."
As he reached the door Jack remarked, "Rotten discipline you keep, allowing orderlies to call after you like that,"
"Oh! go to hell!" replied the sergeant. "No I didn't mean that, old man. I know you were only fooling. But I don't feel in the George Robey mood. I feel more like writing an epic on France. Don't you think these cross-road crucifixes are symbolic of this country?''
Jack looked up at his friend whose eyes were suspiciously wet and whose lips were slightly quivering and said, "What's wrong, old boy!"
"Nothing,'" was the reply, as with an effort the sergeant recovered his composure. "I was merely thinking what wonderful people the French are, especially their womenfolk. I do not think we sufficiently appreciate France and the French. I am learning daily more of this country and its people. Do you remember that old woman in Armentières-the one who used to sing for us? We were new to the game then and used to laugh, but we are fully blooded to it now. That song she used to sing has been running through my brain ever since I saw that young woman and her little boy. Remember it ended:—
"Mon beau pays, tu ne doit pas mourirMon beau pays, tu ne doit pas mourir."
"And by God! it won't" he burst out passionately. "Those clayey hogs over there"—pointing towards the lines where German star-shells were beginning to flicker up into the air, burst into quivering light and die slowly down again—"those swine can never break the spirit of such a people. They haven't the divine spark as the French have."
Then he abruptly changed the subject. "Just got a message from the C.O. Our fellows and the K.R.R. are raiding this evening; Aussies on the right are having a big battalion raid. I've got to get ready for casualties. Hope our boys give 'em hell. No trip to see Lady Winter to-night. You'll be ready to move up with the squads in half-an-hour. You always catch the decent job." He turned abruptly away and walked swiftly to the men's billet.
"Sentimental chap, old Dick," mused his friend. "But he's right. It is a wonderful country—except for the climate in winter." He grinned appreciatively as he recollected how the pieces of one snow-ball had trickled down the colonel's fat neck. Then, changing to the serious note again "And the people! They are superb. I wonder if 'stay-at-home' New Zealanders will ever realise what we owe to her—cette 'Franca Immortelle.' " And as he walked on to get his box-respirator and shrapnel helmet he sang softly to himself—
"Mon beau pays, tu ne doit pas mourirMon beau pays, tu ne doit pas mourir."C.
On the evening of the 29th March, 19—, I called at the home of Percy Poselthwaite, whom I had not seen for ten years. As my carriage rumbled up the grove, the gaunt, ugly trees, wreathing fantastic shapes, leered black as the coal at their roots; the glow-worms, as if annoyed by the curfew-sounding wheels, put out their lights and went to bed; the silk-worms, hushed into silence, sulked in their sanctuary. In the flash of a moment memories raced each other along the road of the years. The ball—the dim irreligious light—the tadpoles splashing in the tank—Priscilla Poselthwaite with her lovely shoulders swathed in the flimsiest creation of green tulle—the irresistible proposal between a waltz and a schottische—her remarks, à propos of everything but the supreme possibilities of the occasion—everything came back to me. Poor, poor Priscilla—she's married now. My revenge is complete.
Let me introduce myself. My name is Reginald Ffallover. Very few have heard of me, as my life has not been sad enough to be amusing nor ordinary enough to be tragical. Nevertheless, my name has appeared in print on four occasions, as the newspaper cuttings that are pasted above the shaving-mirror in my bedroom bear ample witness. A man with a mission in life, wherever I have gone, I am proud to say I have always made acquaintances enough to last
Had I but known. Twelve . . . the watchful owl uttered a piercing screech in trying to outvie the weird noises produced by the village clock. It was ten years to the minute when I crossed the threshold of the poselthwaites. As I entered the library, Percy leapt towards me (with the same motion as the hero leaps towards the heroine in any modern novel) and shook my hand in a mysterious fashion. "Alive, alive," he murmured, in a mournful moan; "something must be wrong. What disappointment. No, no. It cannot be. His spirit is not with him."
"Of course I'm alive, old spark," I retaliated, with some animation; "I haven't written you letters because you know perfectly well I have a horror of the thought of my private correspondence becoming a future classic, and therefore being used to disguise some of the ugliness and the bareness of our modern walls. And as to my spirit not being with me, well I sold the last of it at Yokohama and would have sold another hundred cases had I had them. But why whine about it now?"
Percy tuned round, coming at the same time into the light cast by a swinging chandelier of solid gold inlaid with what at first sight looked to be the most precious stones. In seeking to avoid the sway of the massive contrivance I noticed however the most were stones of Venice or very clever imitations of peach and cherry stones. Then a cold shiver played a sonata on my spinal cord as Percy tuned his moony eyes—optics not uncommon to an astronomer who has wasted his life looking for a star—and said to me, "I cannot believe you. I who am a Spiritualist have many times spoken to you, frequenter of the nether worlds. You said you were very happy—that I knew to be sign that you no longer lived. If you had known what pleasure it gave me to speak to you of old times; to argue with you and to get the last words—despite all compacts you would not have disappointed me thus. Oh, Reginald, I had better opinions of you in the other world." And with that he buried his face on his sleeve and wept most bitterly just a little on one side of the buttons. Fortunately a fire in the room removed the anxiety on my part that he would take cold.
Percy was going mad. I based my conclusions not on the fact that I did not concur with him—for I am not narrow-minded; but that he was ruining the traditions of his family by becoming morbidly serious over life. Had I heard the Poselthwaites had installed a telephone in their home I could have got over the shock with difficulty and Time would have eventually healed the wound. Yet to think that the sole surviving member of that illustrious family should waste his career on such a new-fangled idea as spiritualism! Fate and circumstance have, however, always been unkind to him. He was too independent for politics, too educated for the Army and too sincere for the Church.
A deathly silence, broken only by intermittent and unmusical sobs, pervaded the atmosphere. A cinder dropped out on the hearth, then another, then another, making I all three cinders. Silence prevailed. I summoned up my courage. "Percy, old man," I said, "it is an unfortunate fact that my being alive disproves a theory and perhaps presents spiritualism to you in a somewhat faded colour. Yet surely my presence is more welcome to you than all your theories."
"Alas, Reginald," he exclaimed bitterly, "my art was my life. To speak to you dead was to see you alive. You are not yourself. You are the psycho-spookistical representation. While that self is here it is impossible to get into communication with the other self. I feel lost and cast upon a Sahara with only sand to eat."
The metaphor pierced me to the heart. Percy was suffering-palpitating with pain. That my friend of yore, who hated the name of "tradesman," should have said this to me, that I was to him better dead than alive. Ah! How cool the atmosphere had become. Every thing was unbearable—horrible. Without uttering a syllable, I left the room. He stood there, with his back to the fire, thinking alone—all alone. . . .
Aucun chemin de fleurs ne conduit à la gloire. Fontaine is right. Greatness demands its fee. I am resolved to save Percy Poselthwaite and the glory of his house from the gloriousness of a failure. I feel that my nature is not miserable and discontented enough ever to hurl me into marriage. It is different with Percy. He is weak, and perhaps, if dazzled by the success of his theory, he may plunge recklessly into matrimony and become the father of several little Poselthwaites. I think "Reginald Percival Ffallover Poselthwaite" will be the name of the first son. If names mean anything, then surely this youth will grow up to be either a politician or a clever man.
I am about to die. Yesterday I purchased a modern work of art, but it had not the necessary effect. It is bequeathed now to maiden aunt. I am about to take my life. It will be the only thing I have ever taken. Already I can see the words "who died to save the theory of his greatest friend. Greater love hath no man." To-night I shall die, but I am not afraid. To-night the gas will be left on, and to-morrow—ah.
"To-morrow. Why, to-morrow I may be— "Myself with Yesterday's sev'n thousand Years . . ."
My poor landlady. How terribly she will fret at the loss when gas is so high. But Percy will probably foot the bill.
Every one of us has a philosophy of some kind—that is to say, we have some attitude toward the world around us. Some of us may become conscious of this attitude, others may not, but whether explicit or implicit it is present in our actions. Because we are not reasoning machines, our philosophy must be determined by our different temperaments. As our outlook on life changes with our changing moods, so must our philosophy. The worship of high ideals, of the Greek Trinity, the Good, the Beautiful and the True forms in our most exalted moods an inspiration that nothing else can equal. At times the pursuit of the Truth is the most fascinating of all pursuits. She delights us even though she eludes our grasp, while, now and again, Action-like, we gain a fleeting glimpse of her in all her primeval beauty. Then at other times, she appears rather as an elusive Maiden full of whims and vagaries and sometimes she seems to glimmer in the distance like a Will o' the Wisp only to lure us on to destruction. "Why strive for Truth," asks the Cynic-self, "when future generations will laugh at all your feeble struggles? What is humanity? A weak race that crawls between the earth and sky—one that has agreed in its feeble, futile way that the individual who helps to prolong its miserable existence shall be extolled as among the world's heroes. So poor deluded creatures, swollen with wind and the rank mist of emotional idealism set out to help this crawling race. They are despised and rejected while they are alive and when they are dead, this miserable race twists the ideals they lived and died for into horrible shapes, and sets them in a corner of its dwelling place to be mouthed at and bowed down to by the generations that follow. Better to have no crazy idealists with their dreams of worlds grown greater and more wonderful!"
There is certainly something to be said for the Cynic's point of view. There is abundant ground for pessimism in the world to-day. When we realize how little it takes to destroy a man with all his boasted intellecutal powers—a bullet, a piece of shell and it is all over—human life seems such a puny, useless thing. Yet who among us, if he knew positively that the sacrifice of his small life would bring peace and harmony to the world, without any hateful spirit of
"Life is act and not to do is death But to work in vain . . . Is bitterest penalty."
But how can we know that we work in vain? It is just this element of chance that adds zest to our struggles. The Pessimist may give up the problems of life as too complex for him, the Cynic may declare it to be nothing but a grim joke played on the world by a cruel Fate. For the Optimist the beauty of life lies in activity, in fervent striving after some ideal. To be a philosopher, in the true sense of the word, a lover of wisdom, means to be always delving in the mines of knowledge and of experience, and never tiring in the search even if the discovery of no sparkling diamonds rewards the labour. Its spirit, that of Wonder, Curiosity which forms the inner creative force, makes life a kind of noble play. We are not creatures whom blind irresistible forces drive onwards down an inevitable pathway. If we have chains, they are what we ourselves help to forge. The world is what we make it. Acting in the intellectual life means that we retain a critical attitude toward things. This tends at first to pessimism. So many philosophers, so many diverse systems, it seems as if thought moves round always in the same old circle and comes back again to the same old problems.
"Each one raises his own temple to his own god," says Royce, "declares that he, the first of men possessed the long-sought-for truth and undertakes to initiate the world into his own mysteries."
Hence so many ruined temples with the shattered fragments of forgotten gods! A deeper study, however, reveals an underlying unity—the unity of attitude and purpose. The Philosopher looks at life with all hopes and fears, doubts and courage, with a question on his lips. Philosophy teaches nothing at all if not how to live beneath the surface of mundane things, and see the inner meaning of life's problems. It is we who set the puzzles for ourselves to solve. We often play cat and mouse with our dearest other self in the process. We become critics of our own emotions and passions. Yet any solution to the problem of life must involve a unity of these opposing selves. Any conclusion which separates reason and emotion is strained and unnatural. When we realize this, we grow less confident, we are not so sure that we can spin the world out of reason. It is impossible (to use Hegel's phrase) to ignore the holy and tender web of the human affections." It cannot be done, even were we to wish to do so, for emotion and not reason is the driving force behind our actions. Aristotle saw this and showed his wisdom by identifying pleasure with activity. When we grow old and that trickling stream, instead of a leaping, sparkling fountain, then we many call the world a fraud, our youthful hopes a lying dream, and say we are disillusioned. "Vanity of vanities, saith the preacher, all is vanity." The old (I do not mean old in years alone) think they "see through" life, and settle down, believing they have solved its mysteries, but have they? Those visions grave and glorious, are they not the reality rather than the dull drabness of the world-weary Pessimist? Life
It is impossible, however, to soar among the clouds all the time. To do this is to become a mere visionary, and a false separation arises between the real world and the ideals of our everyday life to the underlying principles governing them. Thus may we seek to apply the ideals born in our exalted moments to all parts of our daily life. It is quite true this is difficult and perhaps the social conditions under which we live make it impossible. For instance, the ideal is that our daily toil should involve pleasurable activity—it should be the work we would choose before all others. But very few of us are in that happy position. Here in the University one would think that such an ideal would receive full expression. Work should be undertaken for the work's sake, it should be and end in itself and not a means alone. The universities to-day, however, betray their old ideal and instead of enjoyment in intellectual activity, there is a fevered rush to pass examinations. Education is looked on as the means of gaining better positions and higher salaries. They place a legend on our staircase for us, and teach us that the true rendering is "Aurum magis sapientia desiderandum!" Until this false ultilitarian aim is swept away, until knowledge is pursued for the sake of knowledge, education will do us no real good.
But if I stray too far into the field of social evils, I may never end. My aim, as far as there is any aim in these somewhat incoherent musing, is rather to show the necessity for an optimistic out look on life. It seems inevitive to the positives aspect, form the Everlasting No to the Everlasting Yea. Daily intercourse with our fellows, the ties of home and friendship, the everyday troubles and worries and small problems that arise in our own life and in the lives of others with whom our affections are bound up, prevent a narrow individualistic view. We dare not be pessimists in the face of Life's problems, we must be optimists. To passively accept Life is not to live in the fullest sense of word. If humanity is a weak and crawling race, we have to remember we are part of that same race, and it is only weak and crawling when the individuals who constitute it are blind to its possibilities. And if we fail—what then—we, like Endymion, have taken a sporting chance—and lost.
Jenness came to Victoria College in
Some time was spent in post-graduate work at V.U.C. and then he proceeded to Oxford, the Mecca of students. At Balliol College (Oxford) his work was excellent. I am privileged to quote from a letter written by his professor, J. A. Smith, of Balliol College, on
"In every way he has given satisfaction to the College . . . He as shown quite unusual power of arranging his work for himself and has kept both his subjects going without neglecting either. He has just satisfactory completed his course for Anthropology. One of his examiners writes:— "I think you will find that Jenness will do credit to Balliol, as a field Anthropology. We were very much stuck by his work in the Diploma Examination. He actually beat the two B.Sc. men; and beside struck us as remarkably observant, and level-headed, the two main qualities needed in an explorer.' . . . It is pleasant to see a man strike out a line for himself and thoughtfully prepare himself for it, I believe there is a good chance of his having an opportunity next year."
Next year the opportunity came and Jenness went out to Papua and spent twelve months working on the East Coast of the Island
A well-earned, if all too short holiday of five months was then spent in New Zealand. Then he was asked by the Canadian Government to join Stefansson's expedition to the Arctic regions. His position was that of Ethnologist to the party. This was in January of
He spent nearly three years in the Arctic, enduring many hardships; and his work took him away from most of the others of the party. In order to obtain absolutely accurate information he was adopted into an Eskimo family, living, eating and working with them. Of these periods he writes: "One might do it once, but never twice. The people were very good to me, and I found much in them to admire—but, their ways are not our ways."
Of his work in this region one can obtain some idea from the report on Mr. Anderson of the Southern party, Canadian Arictic Expedition,
So far was he from what we previously term civilized countries, that the war had been in progress 15 months before he heard of its outbreak, and the next information he received was when he arrived at Nome, in August,
He had then to spend six months in Ottawa writing up his notes. After many requests to the Canadian Government to be released in order to go to France, the Government at last allowed him to enlist in the Civil Service Artillery, but he had to sign and agreement to return for three years after the war is over.
To be short, he crossed to England and subsequently to France just after the middle of last year. "Here he was with the mules, orderly for an officer"; and now he is working three days in an O.P. and three days with guns alternately. The orderly for an officer is a delightful task and characteristic of our so-called Democratic army. But we know hat whatever Jenness may do, he will do it well, as a gunner, as a batman, or n whatever capacity he may act. May he see a speedy end of the war and a safe return to his work. Victoria University College is proud of him
We are very pleased to record the appointment of Mr. B. E. Murphy as lecture in Economics. Mr. Murphy, who was a Junior University Scholar, and later a Senior Scholar, gained his M.A. with 1st class honours in
* * * *
Those of us who experienced the pleasure and exhilaration of Mr. Leary's acquaintance in the days before the war, will doubtless feel as they read with gusto "New Zealanders in Samoa," that they are listening once again to his entertaining talks, with their zest, their relish of the unconventional, their genuine feeling, and also a good deal said with the tongue in the cheek. Take the book with its obvious weaknesses—its passages of unadulterated journalese; its occasional inaccuracies, and the somewhat haphazard arrangement of chapters—yet, acknowledging these, one must acknowledge too the "go." the enjoyment of life, the eye for beauty and colour, the humour, the excellent sketches of different types of colonial character, that the book affords, and one reads it all with a sense of enjoyment, and takes away from it many a sunlit picture. Every New Zealander owes a debt of gratitude to Mr. Leary for having written this unofficial account (very airily sometimes, very seriously other times) of the occupation of Samoa by our troops—a little bit of history with its humours and its drama.
Few indeed are our opportunities or reading in a bound book that "the hero walked thoughtfully down Willis Street, crossing at the corner of the bank," etc., but here the scene opens on very familiar ground—the Victoria College Tennis Courts on an August afternoon,
A very good sailor might be able to read without a qualm the story of the first night at sea on the troopship. In sheer unpleasantness it rivals Rupert Brook's "Channel Passage." All soldiers who have been "there and back," rapturously received at ports en route and perfunctorily at their destination, will appreciate the contrast in emotion felt at friendly Noumea and apathetic Suva. To quote—
"Although when at Noumea they'd ta'en the place by storm, No Suvan crowd came cheering down, as motley giddy swarm; No Suvan optic kindled at a Terrier uniform— The Suvan looked anaemic—complained that it was warm."
Samoa, naturally, was not demonstrative—more warmth of a hostile variety would have been welcome; but, as the Governor's signal read—"The Germans refuse to surrender, but will offer no resistance." Mr. Leary "took to" Samoa straightaway, and we perforce must follow as we read. In spite of his sympathetic accounts of sickness and suffering and mosquitoes, he paints so vividly his picture of green palms, luscious fruits, cool bathing pools, kindly pleasant people, that we revel in it all by proxy.
The conductor of the Capping Carnival peeps out in Mr. Leary's appreciation of the Samoan's gift of harmony. Poulter and Stumpy, strolling near the Mission Church, hear a big organ booming forth. "Stumpy, that's no organ—that's the men's voices," says Poulter. "Like a mighty diapason rolled forth the melody. Countless dusky throats, deep and vibrant, were singing the bass of a grand old hymn. Over against them stood the women, their sweet voices pouring out in the joy of life the air of the treble. . . . . Never was there sound to compel the human heart like the sound of the human voice. None of your flat-chested, wheezy sparsely-scattered congregations of the Old World, scarcely opening their months to emit the sound they seem ashamed of. This was a congregation that sang for the love of singing. No wonder in the distance it sounded like the rolling of some mighty organ! That bass—a sound that had in it the vastness of the ocean and the echo of eternity."
One of the pleasant chapters in the books is "Echoes of R. L. S.," though the frequent references to "Steve" jar a little. That chapter prompts a re-reading of the "Vailima Letters" and the desire to glimpse again the daily life of him who "gave myriad hearts delight."
One feels grateful to Ocott, the Scout, for in sketching him Mr. Leary gives us one of the best bits in the book-the description of bush—life in New Zealand-life of which Mr. Leary had first-hand knowledge.
Only those who have been gloriously drunk; those who cherish the memory of some hilarious "jag" can appreciate fully the account of palolo-fishing—and I (alas!) am not of these. Still even I can appreciate the American skipper.
In the chapter given up to the "Pull-thro.'" Perhaps Mr. Leary had in mind the quotation—
"For never anything can be amiss, When simpleness and duty tender it."
But I think even that did not warrant the inclusion of those very inferior verses on Lord Roberts. However, "Chacuná son gout." The Hiawatha excerpt from the Pull-thro' appealed more.
"Tofa ma Faleni" closes the book. And so "Farewell to Samoa." A friendly book and we say good-bye to it as to a friend, reluctantly. And to quote Stumpy, "Well, that's that!"
* * * *
(Published by Whitcombe & Tombs)
It was, I think, in "The Spike" of
Slender though the volume is, yet it serves to give one is insight into the fresh and placid flow of her verse. Freshness is the keynote of all her work; and placid as the flow of her stanzas usually is, there is here and there an angry swirl or an unexpected depth which stairs one with pleasurable but surprised emotion. Yet it is all so simple that one cannot but admire. There are no great strivings to penetrate the mystery of life, death and the hereafter, for the which our thanks to Miss Nicholls, and "whatever Gods may be."
For the most part, then, Miss Nicholls's verge is placid but facile, thoughtful but never prosy seldom impassioned and never by any chance hysterical. It is balm to the soul of the wearied one, inclined, "under the bludgeonings of chance," to fight no longer.
Here and there is a line which annoys one or jars one's nerves. For example, take the last line in "From the Deck." After the preceding lines, it is banal. I have often wondered was it inserted merely for the sake of a rhyme.
In the sonnet (Red Hibiscus in a Sydney Street) Miss Nicholls fails to reach the high level which she usually attains in that form of versification. When I compare it with such sonnets as To M.F., June Evening at Beaconsfield, In a Theatre Queue, or A soldier Dying, I find it difficult to believe that it is the work of the same writer as the author of these others. It is difficult to select one which one can say with certainty is the best (they are all of high level), but I quote one which is great favourite of mine—
"A Melbourne Rescue Home.""There stood a house square-built of warm brown stone, And over it the sky was stainless blue— While in the dainty garden round it, grew Thin holly-hocks, an olives, lanky grown. The spirit of the place I thought was shown By the sad flowers, and the grey dust too, And when the open door I entered through My soul was heavy and my heart made moan. But when a mother face there shone on me, And when I saw a little sleeping child, My bitterness fell from me suddenly: And then a golden glancing sundeam smiled In at a window, and there seemed to be Hope smiling with it, strong, serene and mild."
Of the other verses, all are fairly good, some distinctly good; but there is, to me, one hateful exception—the first three verses of A Would-be Wanderer. The others are well above the average verses that appear in a University College Magazine. Here and there a particular phrase, line or peculiar aptness of expression, or the general handling of a theme; or it may be that one feels a certain intimate application. For example, for this last reason I like the second stanza in "Depression," which, at times, appeals to me with great force:
There are two very fine verses (the last two in "Carpe Diem") which express perfectly a state of mind not uncommon to most of us:
Three—may one call them Vignettes?—are excellent, though "Poppies," true and telling though it is, savours just a little of popular magazine verse. The other two, "When I am Old" and "A Fleeting Dream," are very good. I quote the former, purely from personal preference:
Here then is a book of verse worth while, which we recommend to all lovers of good verse.
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Mr. Fitzherbert is one of the few of our University men who have directed their attention to that ever-present and ever more complex problem: the future relations between capital and labour. The need for a solution of the problem has long been apparent; but the upheaval which has rent the whole fabric of the world has rendered that need appallingly urgent. Unless some solution be found, the chaos of war between nations may become the inferno of a seething hatred and discontent within a nation.
Any such work as "Service versus Robbery" is therefore, to be welcomed as an effort to assist the bringing about of a better system of economic organisatio than that which the civilised peoples of the world now labour under.
One of the fundamental ideas underlying Mr. Fitzherbert's somewhat obscurely expressed thought is that the highest ideal for mankind is that of service of all for the good of all, and not for the good of the individual. It is an ideal which has found expression all down the ages in all manner of forms, and which to-day is as true as ever. But in his endeavour to reduce this ideal to practical methods, the author of "Service versus Robbery" is no more successful than have been all his predecessors in that endeovour.
The book, to a certain extent, is dangerous, in that many of its fallacies are so attractively camouflaged as to require close scrutiny to strip them of their appearance of truth. So stripped, however, the outline of Mr. Fitzherbert's work is after the following fashion.
He commences with an ingeniously complicated and totally unnecessary classification of various kinds of capital. The group of persons controlling capital he regards as parasites; capital is in the nature of a fungoid growth which it has sprung. It is a mere dull, inert thing, for the sue of which no reward should be given or taken. Interest in organised robbery: rent is blackmail sanctioned by the law: dividends are legalised theft. To liberate society from the suffocating grip of this evil system, Mr. Fitzherbert has a charming faith in the efficacy of the sovereign remedy of legislation.
To usher in an industrial millennium, all that is required is that a Parliament elected by and enlightened people shall forthwith proceed to legislate:
In this manner would Mr. Fitzherbert have us believe that the ideal of service will be effectuated.
Alas, he in his own fanatical belief in the omnipotence of legislation, cannot see that his proposed remedy involves the State in an orgy of robbery and plunder.
A more reasonable portion of the book, however, contains a series of practical suggestions for present day reform—suggestions which the author regards as mere palliatives to be applied only until his drastic remedy is finally used to cure (or kill) the body politic.
We desire to congratulate Mr. J. S. Barton, lecturer in Accountancy and Auditing, upon his appointment as Stipendiary Magistrate in Gisborne.
Mr. Barton was practising his profession in Wellington at the time of his appointment. In
We regret, very much, losing Mr. Barton, but we wish him all success in his new life.
* * * *
A new era is coming. Tennis players of the future may drive, smash or volley from the back-line of our courts without fear of tripping over a perambulator or injuring for life one of the endless stream of pedestrains who treat the notice "No Thoroughfare" with such hearty disrespect. The College Council has definitely decided to erect a path running outside the tennis-courts. It is to be about six feet in width, and to enable its erection, it is proposed, in some way, to build up the bank sloping down to Salamanca. Rd. A question of some importance, and one well worthy of discussion, is whether the Tennis Club should make an endeavour to have the wire-netting put back a couple of feet and thus widen the back-line, for the narrowness of this at the present time often spoils the play. Several graduates have given their opinion on this score, and they all emphatically state that if this would necessitate the removal of the hedge (which undoubtedly would be the case) then the extra two feet would in no no way compensate for the lack of shelter. The hedge, though not altogether adequate, fills its purpose, but has struggled for ten years to do so. Another way of lengthening the courts would be to concrete the clay bank on which the Gym. rests. This will some day have to be done, and the time now seems very adequate for so doing. It is to be hoped that some energetic members of the Students Association will take steps in this matter.
* * * *
"
Boanerges the sons of thunder"
The Twelfth Annual Contest for the Plunket Medal was held in the Gymnasium on Saturday, the 14th September. In spite of an unusually astute Debating Society Committee having made a charge for admission in order to boost up the failing revenue, the attendance was good. Mr. R. D. Thomson, M.A., half-filled the chair and faithfully discharged the chairman's duty of breaking in the audience before the orators commenced. The Society had on hand a nice line of assorted and variegated judges—Dr. Gibb, Minister Hanan and Honourable Rigg.
The speeches were well up to the standard of those of recent contest, and probably exceeded it in that there were no painfully weak competitors.
Mr. A. B. Croker was the first speaker. He imparted to his audience a mass of probably correct but certainly wearisome details of the life of Lord Roberts. Mr. Croker has a strong voice and a confident manner, and it is a pity he did not present a character sketch instead of a memorised biography of his hero. He should also pay more attention to the art of elocution.
Brother Egbert spoke next, and paid his tribute to Damien of Molakai, the Missionary to the Lepers. This speaker has a splendid voice and a good delivery, but does not appreciate the value of light and shade in a speech. The greatest fault we had to find with his speech was that there was too much leprosy and too little Damien in it. Like several other competition Brother Egbert was somewhat disconcerted by the unnecessarily peremptory ringing of the Chairman's bell in the middle of a peroration.
Mr. K. W. Whitehouse seemed ill at ease in extolling David Livingstone. He too gave us too many dates and details and finally made the fatal mistake of dealing with the sentimental side of his hero's character. The reception of this by the audience temporarily knocked Mr. Whitehouse off his perch, but he recovered in time to make a strong ending to a weak speech. Makalolo: Ulalala: pom: pom: pom!!!
Mr. C. G. Kirk made the most of the gallant career of Captain Scott. Mr. Kirk's matter was excellent and his delivery good. He has kill enough also to disguise the great amount of rehearsal which must have been put into his speech. This speaker was the only one of the evening who made anything like an adequate use of gesture. He has a slight tendency to be artificial, and he put too many climaxes into a ten minutes' speech. We should have thought, however, that his performance would have given the judges greater difficulty than their spokesman said they had in celecting the winner.
Mr. W. A. Sheat spoke on Sir Eric Geddes. This speaker has much to learn in public speaking but displayed an ability to think on his feet, which was refreshing amid a torrent of memorised cloquence. He should avoid a delivery which resembles a high-speed engine intermittently back firing. More will be heard of Mr. Sheat as a College speaker if he sticks to it.
Mr. P. Martin-Smith delivered a very forceful eulogy of Lord Haldane. Although probably the greater part of the audience disagreed with the speaker's viewpoint, nevertheless his earnestness held the attention of his audience form start to finish. His voice is strong and resonant, but he is inclined to use its full strength too much. He should also pay more attention to the enunciation of his words, and should avoid a tendency to sway about like a sailor in a storm. His performance was especially meritorious in that he is a first year student.
We couldn't catch the name of Mr. W. E. Leicester's hero, but a glance at the programme proved him to be Richelieu. The text of the speech was admirable, the words were well-chosen, and the arrangement good. In spite of a far too rapid delivery, every (English) word was clearly and correctly pronounced. Had Mr. Leciester used a little more dramatic art, he could not have failed to secure a higher place then the judge gave him.
While the judge were perpetrating their judgment, the audience was entertained with musical items which we are credibly informed
were good. The judges placed Mr. Martin-Smith first, Mr. Kirk second and Mr. Leicester third. After Minister Joe had lamented at length the lack of orators in and out of Parliament he handed over the medal to the winner, and the audience departed without being asked once more to implore the Almighty to save the King.
(N.B.—All writs for libel will be handed to the Librarian for safe custody.)
* * * *
"
I've a mystery I'm going to reveal!"—Bad Ballads.
The Capping Concert is always of the nature of a variety entertainment, and those who take ticket for it may be sure that they will have ample opportunity to laugh "dull care away."
On June 20th the programme included various musical items, a short duologue and, as most important item, "A Grand Opera in One Act"— "The Prof's Progress"—the creation of the combined talent of the students of to-day.
The clever little sketch "Collaborators" was presented by Miss Alba Greening and MR.V. Evans, both of whom possess decided histrionic talent. Still it is the duty of a critic to point out that collaboration is required f those who collaborate! Mr. Evans's conception of his part was on the whole correct, but as he appeared to have worked it out quite independently of his partner, the duologue resolved itself into two monologues, both interesting in their way but hardly fulfilling the author's intention. Much of Miss Greening's "business" was effective, and her interpretation generally, gave evidence of careful study. With so much talent at command, she would be well advised to take lessons in voice production, and also to make a study of the methods of the best modern actors. That artificial and melodramatic style of elocution has long been discarded by the modern stage as inartistic.
The criticism of "A Grand Opera" even in "one act" presents difficulties to the amateur critic, which at first sight appear insurmountable. Fortunately, a second reading of the programme reveals the much less alarming sub-title— "A Piffling Playlet"—with which it is easier to cope. Even if one has too lively a memory of the extravaganzas of "Capping Carnivals" of the past, to consider this last quite worthy to take a front place in their ranks, one must still offer most sincere congratulation to the students of to-day whose determination to present an entertainment worthy of the occasion, neither the shrinking of the sovereign, nor the latest additions to the War Regulations has proved sufficient to overcome.
V.U.C. is ever modern and up-to-date. The playwriter of to-day displays his wit not only in the text but in the "stage directions." V.U.C. playwrights have gone a step further and produced a programme, which one can commend heartily for its pleasant wit and quaint fancies. It was certainly a happy notion—that of "capping" Professor, those "deep-thinking, learned and kind-hearted men." "With wondrous lore and marvellous minds." And the friendly
A cast including such world-famous stars as Gaby Deslys, Charlie Chaplin, Harry Lauder and Diogenes, is and must remain, above criticism; but one feels that "Juanitor Brooke" (a bygone babbler) played by Alfred Lord Tennyson will long remember with pleasure his "1st Class Honours in mustering and draughting, with special mention for sentimental references to old students," and that "Jentle Jamey Thompson" (the three-star artist feared by Hindenburg) and "S. Hiram Klark" (a Komic Kewpie Kid) will have no doubts as to the friendly feelings entertained towards them—short as is the time during which they have been amongst us. For it is indeed a proof of friendship to receive a cordial invitation to look no, while all one's particular and pet weaknesses are paraded to amuse a critical audience!
In conclusion a word of criticism may be permitted. "The Profs.' Progress" proclaims itself a parody. Now, in order to produce true parody one must have a clear idea of what one is going to parody and must at all costs carry out that idea from start to finish. Cleaver and witty as is the idea of not only burlesquing the names of the Dramatis Personae but providing a cast who should be the most capable of playing the character, it would have been still cleverer if it had been quite clear whether the authors intended each character to be represented as seen by friend or foe, compliment or opposite. One asks, for instance, why Horsay Watson is played by M. Myers when Simple Simon in cast for Joe Up Ah Sheet? Both are amusing, but they should not exist side by side.
Again, the very essence of parody is the exaggeration of peculiarities possessed by the original. When Maurice Baring wrote the "Blue Harlequin,' one could almost believe Maurice had collaborated, so perfect is the reproduction of the latter's style. The writers of the "Profs.' Progress" did not remember this rule throughout their play and its symmetry suffered severely as a result.
The acting itself would have been more effective if there had been more light and shade. An extravaganza is necessarily boisterous and should be full of life and merriment, but contrast is always valuable and the wittiest speech is the better for being brief.
* * * *
The Graduates' Association this year again entertained the new Graduates at a tea at the College. On Friday, 21st June, Mr. G. Watson, the President of the Association, presided over a pleasant gathering of old and new Graduates, most notable among whom were Messrs. F. A. de la Mare and A. E. Caddick, both returned from the front badly wounded, but now fortunately making good recoveries. Thus already, thought our Hall is not yet with ivy grown,
"Back from the field where their work was done, We gather to cheer them home."
Mr. Waston extended a welcome to the new Graduates, which was gracefully acknowledged on their behalf by Miss K. Mackenzie and Mr. H. D. C. Adams.
Then we had the pleasure of listening to one of the most interesting and thoughtful speeches that has yet been delivered at any of these functions. It emanated, of course, from our old friend "The Frog," and dealt with his impressions to the War, not so
He commented on the inherent cheerfulness of the soldier when things are absolutely black—in contrast with the constant growl when things are going fairly well. He spoke of the tendency among men to lower their ideals in war time and to drift with the crowd. He had found that the majority of University men over there were in the grip of ideals dynamical enough to enable them to resist this drift, and to him it seemed that it is to the Schools and Colleges that we must look in the future for the regeneration of the people.
From this Mr. de la Mare went on to speak of teachers and their vocation, which he considers to be the very highest. He spoke, too, of the University as teaching the search for truth as a fundamental of life. University Graduates must face facts.
Altogether a clearly though-out and clearly expressed speech, the result of the search for bed-rock on the part of an analytical mind.
After Mr. de al Mare had spoken, Professor Hunter also made a few happy remarks, mostly directed towards refuting some nasty aspersions that had been made upon his age by the last speaker.
This brought a very successful function to a close, except that we think we saw the President remaining behind to deal with a dish of peanuts, which, by disguising itself as a pot-plant, had previously escaped his eye.
* * * *
To eulogise the Capping Ceremony would be to sink to the level of political advertisement. Someone complained a couple of years ago that students were no longer "capped," but were "presented." We can carry this even step further. They are no longer "presented," they are "exhibited." The whole performance suffered from a dignified lack of dignity. Sir James Allen was handicapped by not having a bouquet. He seemed ill-at-ease, and by his demeanour appeared several times to be about to apologise for his presence, as Mr. Watson had done previously during the evening for the absence of Sir Francis Bell—an apology that was greeted with loud applause by a number of law students who were doubtless labouring under the false impression that he had written a text-book. We missed the old familiar faces, the people whom we can always depend upon to be humorous without any apparent effort on their part. We missed them both on the platform and in the body of the hall. Still we are not complaining from the point of view of the audience (for it is remarkable with what great fortitude people will bear a performance when the admission is free) but from the point given of the students who are supposed to be "capped." Undoubtedly, they will remember the ceremony all their lives, but there is no reason why we should not strive that the remembrance should be a pleasant one. We must, of course, object to strict officialdom. This would be apparent at any time. But we would also like to say that to make the presentation resemble Madame Tussaud's wax-works is venturing perilously near the other extreme.
Well, so much for the badly handled exhibits. We now come to the noise. To the men we would like to point out that volume in music does not always compensate for lack of tune. We level these charges against those who, having good voices, are led away by the idea that provided they get off the mark well, they can do themselves
Now as to the inexcusable occurrences. Mr. Clement Watson, Chairman of the College Council, rose to speak first. The Haeremai Club extended to him the welcome that its name implies, but the members, evidently impressed by the noise they made, carried on their jollification throughout his speech—an achievement which gave them great satisfaction. Several press-reporters who were sitting very near the stage caught snatches of what he had to say. We think that there are times when the ideals of humour can be carried into the realms of bad taste. This was one of them. When the speaker treats the subject of the sacrifices of old students ad graduates through whose industry the University has come to bear the traditions that it does, then we think it is time to listen with respect. Mr. Watson showed that the war had greatly reduced the number of men students, there being in
The arrival of Hon. T. M. Wilford as the nest speaker was made the occasion of a burst of applause. He, however, throughout his speech was quite to any of the witticisms hurled at him from the proleteriat. He stated that he had no particular theme, and that he was going to pick it up from those around him. Who the ferocious intruder was we do not know—but the subject was war. Whether, with his usual good sense, Mr. Wilford refrained from speaking of the University and its doings because he knew little about the subject, or whether it was that he knew too much, is hard to say, but it is equally hard to assign any reason why he should have chosen that evening to give a little war lecturette. The subject was singularly inappropriate. To do him justice, however, what he had to say was unusual and, with the exception of the humour, was listened to with great respect. After congratulating the graduates he sat down amidst very hearty applause.
Sir James Allen, Minister for Defence, wisely refused to face such a warlike audience, and, on calling for cheers for the graduates, which were given lustily, retired unobtrusively.
Mr. T. V. Waters wielded the baton successfully throughout the evening, and his untirely efforts in training the students were fully appreciated. Our thanks are also due to Miss E. Dorrington for acting as pianiste.
The proceedings closed with the singing of the time-honoured "Final-Chorus" and the "National Anthem."
After the Presentation Ceremony, over two hundred students assembled in the Stafford Tea Rooms, where the undergraduates' supper was held. If last year's supper was of a rather riotous nature this year's was marked by a peculiar orderliness and gravity. Early in the proceedings the Presidents announced that he had received a letter from the tournament delegates, Messrs. A. E. Caddick and G. G. G. Watson, advocating the revival of the Inter-University Tournaments, and suggesting that an expression of opinion be taken at this gathering. The occasion was a particularly opportune one as there was present at the supper one who had been intimately connected with the tournaments in the past, Mr. F. I. De la Mare.
Mr. De la Mare then spoke briefly on the subject. He said that personally he felt there was only one task that mattered at the present, and that was the successful termination of the war. Though he recognised the importance of cultivating inter-university spirit, in his opinion the time had not come for reviving the tournaments. Apart from purely sentimental reasons, he considered that if the students did so, they would not be in a positions of the community.
"Don't worry—get a North British Hot Water Bottle and sleep the sleep of angular tins at 1/6 and 3/-."—"Taranaki Daily."
It pays to advertise!
"Wanted by soldier's wife, position as general." "Post."
She evidently wants the upper hand!
"Captain T. E. Y. Seddon has commenced a speaking tour of the shipyards."—" Dominion."
And the sails puffed 'neath the blast!
"Wanted, a cook-general, no upstairs work. Apply Hill Street."—" Post."
The situation still sounds somewhat hilly.
"Lost-a lamb branded like u upside down."—" Poverty Bay Herald."
Surely the eve-lamb!!
"For Sale:—Piano, suitable for Bach. Price£5."—" Post."
Evidently a bargain!
"Apparently the police strike is fairly general in London. It developed suddenly at midnight."—" Dominion."
Sounds like and engagement.
"Shepherd, married, one child, ineligible, life experience, sheep, cattle, dogs."—" Dominion."
He's on the downward path with a vengeance.
"Wanted by married couple, no children . . . ."—" Times."
Tell it not in Gath!
"In many cases the girls are not really in need of their salaries.
They are pocket money which it is pleasant to spend."—"Taranaki Daily."
They should strive to pocket not only the insult but also the insulters.
"A dance organiged by the Haeremai Club was held in the V.U.C. Gymnasium on Saturday, evening. The following were chaperones : Miss Connoll, Mr. and Mrs. Wilson, Professor and Mrs. Sommerville, Professor and Mrs. Hunter."—"Post."
Talk about women assimilating the positions of men!
Success treads on the heels of every right-effort."—Smiles.
The year
A new club has made its appearance in the College. The Women's Club (referred to in the men's common room as the "She-club") is for the women students what the Haeremai Club is for the men. It is understood to take the place once filled by the Common-room Club. The two clubs have quite a useful function to perform in the College. Although at the time of the annual Stud. Assn. meeting dark rumours were aboard as to the intention of the women students, it appears that there will be no rivalry between the two clubs. The Haeremal Club performed a real service in enlivening the Capping Ceremony; and its recent dance has received very favorable mention. In keeping alive the College spirit these clubs will do a necessary work.
During the term several Social Teas have been held. The attendances have been good; and the Debating Society's meetings have profited accordingly.
Occupation has been found on Saturday afternoons for idle males. A landslip behind the Gym. was the occasion of some strenuous pick-an-shovel work. Headed by the Chairman of the College Council, working bees have done a little more to improve the Mount Street approach to the College.
The Memorial Service in the Gymnasium on August 5th was attended by a very large number of students. Professor Adamson gave a short address. He referred to the conditions under which we met for a fourth time-conditions unprecedented in the annals of our history. Many of those who had fallen were in a peculiar sense dear to us—they were our school mates and college chums. We were not ruthlessly to avenge them, but to carry on the banner under which they fell in order that right might conquer might and "justice reign unhindered." The absorbing topic of to-day was whether international law was to be maintained—whether military despotism was to trample civil liberty under its heel. He hoped and believed that the human race would not stand for ever condemned to undergo periodic lapses into barbarism. The question was: how was a lasting peace to be maintained? He then traced through history the strivings would not be in vain, and international peace in which the juridicial order of the word would be secured.
In conclusion, he expressed the hope that the names which were about to be read over would endure for ever, not merely chiselled on pillars of stone, or engraven on tablets of brass which the teeth of time might eat away, but inscribed in the indelible, if invisible characters of human affection so that generations of students yet unborn might know for what it was that they who bore those names had fought and had died.
Finally the Roll of Honour was read by the President of the Students' Association.
A glance at the balance-sheet or a trial of the instrument would reveal the fact that the Gymnasium piano is mostly "depreciation" and very little else but "case," It is felt that unless a new one is obtained very soon we will not be able to ask people to contribute musical items at our concerts—and accordingly a fund has been started for this purpose.
On Saturday, July 26th, the T.C. Pierrot Party gave us an entertainment in aid of this fund. The stage with its green hangings had the appropriate drawing-room touch about it, and formed an effective background for the pierrots in their green and gold costumes. The singing was excellent, and encores were numerous. Much appreciated, too, was a pianoforte solo by Miss E. Dorrington, and an amusing and audacious little turn in which Pierrot Vernon, as a phrenologist and brain expert, performed upon his defenceless victims a series of particularly gruesome operations with swords, hammers and various laboratory appliances, evidently borrowed from the science building. Our thanks are due to the Pierrots for their assistance, and we hope that when the new piano does arrive, they will be amongst those to benefit by it.
At a special meeting of the Students' Assn., held on 24th July, the proposal to revive the annual Tournament was discussed. After some discussion it was decided to write to the other Colleges seeking an expression of opinion on the matter.
The following letter, embodying the reasons given by our Tournament Delegate for reviving the Tournament, was sent out:
Hon. Sec. Stud Assn.
Dear Sir,—Recently our Executive received a letter from our Tournament delegates, Mr. G. G. G. Watson, M.A,. LL.B., and Sgt. A. E. Canddick, re Annual Tournament, In that letter the delegates suggested that the tournament be revived next Easter.
The Executive decided to have these recommendations discussed at a general meeting of the Association. On 24th July this meeting was held. After a good deal of discussion the following resolution was passed:—
That a letter be sent to the three Colleges of the University asking for an opinion as to the advisability of holding tournament next Easter.
You are accordingly asked to bring the matter before your Executive and obtain an opinion.
The reasons given by our delegates were as follows:—
There are many men in our College ineligible for military service. Many of these are keen sportsmen and suffer a real hardship in being prevented from attaining tournaments honours.
Further, the holding of a tournament would do much to encourage athletics, etc., in the Colleges. At a time when physical fitness is desired as much as it is now something should be done to help sport, to help men to keep fit. Even men in civil life, it is pointed out, are bearing an unusual mental strain.
Again, it is needless to point out the benefits not only of the contests but also of the intercourse among students. Something should be done to keep alive university traditions and the university spirit.
Military service is now universal and obligatory, and no patriotic reasons can be urged against the proposal. The delegates believe (and one of them has recently returned from France) that the men at the Front would not do other than approve the suggestion.
Replies have so far been received from Auckland and Canterbury. Auckland were non-committal, but agreed that, if other colleges were in favour of the proposal, they would do their share. Canterbury were heartily in favour of the proposal. And at the present time this is where the matter stands. The attitude of Otage will be awaited with a good deal of interest.
On Friday, August 30th, the women students exposed for sale in the Hall a fine collection of flowers. Passers by in their turn were exposed to the urgent solicitations of a group of energetic flower-sellers. The proceeds amounting to£6) are to be used for patriotic purposes.
" Now conscience chills her, and now passion burns,And atheism and religion take their turns."—Pope
Liberty of thought, liberty of speech, the desire to follow truth wheresoever it may lead—these are the ideals which our Club tries to foster in our College. A great many people are afraid to form opinions of their own, perhaps a greater number are afraid to express, especially before a crowd, those opinions they do possess. We would like to see a large number of students express their views at our meetings. Still it is pleasing to find so many differing opinions put forward and such keen interest shown in the discussions, even though the circle of speakers as compared with listeners is to as large as it might be.
The last meeting of the first term took place on May 30th, when Mr. Miller opened the discussion on "Ethics and Economics." Each individual, each community, each age has its view of social life. That to-day is the day of the chattel is due to the exclusion of the ethical aspect from economic theory. Political economy must deal with man as a moral being. Economic conditions are affected by morality or vice versa. Wealth is not money, he urged, but men and life.
Miss Crabb wished to know how these ideas were to be propagated.
Miss England thought that this could be done by changing the public estimation of the value of money. Public opinion should be against the accumulation of riches.
Professor Hunter considered that business was founded on the gambling principle. A business man played his game. If he won, he took the profits, if he lost, society paid. The Press with its distortion of truth was the greatest enemy against which the moralist had to contend.
At the first meeting of the Second Term the Japanese intervention in Russia was discussed, with Mr. Mansfield as leader. Japan, he considered, is rather a dangerous ally. If here intervention is successful, the Allies will be indebted to her, and she will be able to ask her own terms at the peace table. Japan is the Prussia of the East. Her foreign policy in Korea shows that she stands for those principles against which England is fighting in Europe—expansion of Empire irrespective of the rights of small nationalities. We should, therefore, prevent Japan from intervention in Russia.
In discussing the matter, the view was expressed that it was a case of conflicting interests between Germany and the Allies, chiefly England. While the Allies hesitated to take measures to control Russia, Germany was over running the country.
The meeting was fairly unanimous that from a strategic point of view intervention seemed desirable, but from the moral point of view, it was incompatible with the principles of liberty.
Miss England opened the next discussion (August 2nd) on the "Evils of Uniformity" Her contention was that uniformity though useful in practical life up to a certain point is wholly evil in the realm of thought and in every way retards the progress of human culture. Uniformity is the refuge of the indolent thinker and organiser, hence it is beloved by officials of all classes. She illustrated these ramarks by reference to history, religion, art, literature and education. Uniformity always presupported the authority of the few imposing their will on the many. Conformity to type thus crushes individuality.
The discussion which followed chiefly centred round the position of the "conscientious objector."
"Shelley, the Poet," was the subject of the next discussion, which was led by Miss Davies and Miss Woodhouse. Miss England was in the chair. Miss Davies's remarks on Shelley dealt with the greatest of his longer poems—Prometheus Unbound, which expressed the spirit of democracy and the passion for liberty which was beginning to stir in the thought of his age. The 18th century poetry had been tired, but in Shelley the spirit of wonder and eagerness moved. This is the child-like attitude to life, and Shelley never rose higher than that. This passion for liberty meant an absence of law and the overthrow of all institutions. His weakness was the weakness of the revolutionary ideal. Miss Woodhouse dealt largely with the poet's philosophical point of view. His atheistic conception was replaced later by a broad pantheism, which bound the world into a unity. She believed benevolence and justice to the highest virtues and was therefore an advocate for more humanitarian ideals. Several points of interest came out in the discussion which followed. Whether Shelley was funda
The Gyamnasium was well filled to hear the discussion on "Marriage," which took place on August 30th. Mr. Pope, as well as Mr. Leicester, was to have opened the discussion, but as he was unfortunately ill, his paper was read by Mr. Leicester. It criticised the existing conditions of marriage. The effect of the Church was bad. In fostering public opinion against divorce, many couples, entirely unsuited to each other, were held together in a false union. Marriage was not to be tolerated after love had disappeared.
Mr. Leciester was inclined to think that friendship formed a better basis for marriage than that that evanescent emotion—love. Woman should be accounted as man's equal and the man's salary should be shared between them. Divorce ought to be able to be effected more easily than at present, an any conflict in the home is against the welfare of the children as well as inimical to the happiness of the parents.
These views were criticised by various members. Mr. Murphy thought that the divorce laws in New Zealand were quite lax enough, and greater freedom would not be desirable. Professor Hunter expressed the opinion that the before-marriage problem was the more important one. If young people were properly trained to the realisation the responsibilities marriage entailed there would be less likelihood of unhappy marriages.
There was a good deal of discussion on the economic equality of men and women. Two points of view were mainly stressed. If women received equal pay as that of men, there would be less inducement to marry, for they would then have to share between two, what one had originally earned and spent. On the other hand, it was urged that unequal pay meant that women were driven by poverty into marriage, and the proposal was put forward that, in view of the fact that a mother performs a very high duty to the State, she should receive a salary for her services and thus would not need to be economically dependent on her husband.
" Just here the bump appearsOf innocent hilarity,And right behind the earsAre Faith and Hope and Charity."—Bab Ballads.
The two closing general meetings of the First Term were addressed by Rev. A. M. Johnson, M.A., and Mr. E. K. Lomas, M.A., M.Sc. Mr. Johnson took as his subject "The Message of the Bible to the People of To-day.' Dealing first with the matter of origins he traced the historical development of the Bible. The modern critical movements were referred to, and Mr. Johnson showed that these had only served to emphasise the fact that the Bible was in a special sense an inspired book possessing a very definite message to the people of to-day. Mr. Lomas spoke on "Christianity and Citizenship" and stressed the need for the application of Christian principles in every branch of civic life.
The opening meeting in the Second Term was addressed by Professor Kirk. The Professor's subject was "A Scientific Basis for the Belief in Immorality." He dealt with it from the point of view of the origin of life and maintained the principle of "omne vivum ex vivo." The Professor showed that the most recent experiments upheld this principle though exhaustive attempts had been made to discredit it.
Rev. J. W. Burton, M.A., of Melbourne, was our next speaker. Mr. Burton is a recognised authority on the Pacific peoples and is the author of several books upon this subject. He dealt with the question of "The Problem of the Pacific," and gave to his hearers a very clear account of the industrial, educational and religious problems of these island peoples.
Bishop Sprott addressed us this year on "The Christian Conception of Human Society." The Bishop based his address on Paul's analogy between the human body and its members and society.
Other addresses to be delivered this term are: "Some Problems of Social Reconstruction," by Mr. B. E. Murphy, Lecturer in Economies; ' Christ and the Student," by Major Pettit (N.Z.M.C.), and "The Teaching of Jesus and some Modern Problems,' by Miss England.
" Till after a thousand scratches and scramblesThey wipe their brows, and the hunting stops."—Form the Swedish.
Since the publication of June issue of the "Spike" the football season has been completed, and although the success of the teams has not been all that could be desired, the season has been a successful one. The wisdom of the committee in forming a second fifteen has been proved by the numerous victories the team secured in the third grade competition. The senior team suffered considerably by the removal of the age limit from the competition, and has been pitted for the most part against older and heavier teams; yet though frequently defeated it gained a reputation for clean and open play. The annual match against Canterbury University College was recommended this season and we hope that it will not again be allowed to lapse.
The chief reason for the failure of the teams in many matches was the lack of regular practice. The forwards, especially at the end of the season, played very well against heavier backs, but many scores were lost through the backs, though good individually, failing to show the necessary combination. We desire to place on record our appreciation of the services rendered by Messrs E. K. Lomas and J. A Thomson who coached the teams during the season.
The following are the matches played by the senior team since the June issue of the "Spike":—
V. Wellington.—Won 13—9. This match was played at Petone on June 1st. The play was not of a very brilliant nature, being confined mostly to the forwards, who played a good game. Tries were scored by Scott, Aitken, and Lusk, two of which Scott converted.
V. Canterbury College.—Won 40—6. This match was played at Athletic Park on June 3rd as a curtain-raiser to the representative match, Wellington v. Trentham. In the first spell we scored rapidly as a result of good combination among the backs. At half-time we led by 32 to nil. The second spell was of a more strenuous nature, and the visitors showed better combination. Tries were scored by Barker (3), Lusk (3), Pope (2), Gillespie (1), Martin-Smith (1), of which two were converted by Scott, and one each by O'Regan, Lusk and Barker. For the visitors Jackson scored two tries.
V. Wellington College.—Lost 13—14. Played at Athletic Park on June 8th. This was one of most spectacular games of the season, being strenuously contested from beginning to end. At half-time the College led by 6—5. For most of the second spell we attacked continuously, and only the splendid defence of the College backs prevented us from scoring repeatedly. Up to shortly before time we led by 13—9, but then the College forwards broke away and scored a try which was converted. There was little to choose between the teams, but we had a little the better of the game. For us tries were scored by Smith and Scott, both of which the latter converted. He also kicked a splendid penalty.
V. Oriental.—-Lost 3—12. This was played at Duppa Street on the following Saturday on a wet ground. Very little form was shown by either team except at the end of the second spell, when we atacked strongly. Lusk scored our only try.
V. Athletic.—Lost 3—15. This was played at Petone on the day after the capping ceremony. The game was of an uninteresting nature, there being only occasional flashes of good play. During the first spell Scott kicked a penalty.
V. Petone.—Lost 13—30. This game was played at Petone on July 20th. The first spell was fast and open and we showed good form, leading at half- time by 13—10. In the second spell Petone made the play close and wore down our lighter pack. We were confined to our twenty-five for most of the spell, and our opponents scored repeatedly. Tries were scored by Barker and Gillespie, both of which Morton converted in adition to kicking a penalty.
V. Wellington College.—Lost 13—18. This match was played at Athletic Park on July 27th, but did not produce such good football as the previous one. At half-time College was leading by 18—5. Our forwards played a splendid game, but the backs were inclined to hold on to the ball too long. Scott and Gillespie scored tries, both of which Morton converted in addition to kicking a penalty.
V. Poneke.—Lost 3—13. Four of the team were unable to play owing to injuries, and this had considerable effect upon the team, especially upon the backs. The game was uninteresting. Poor collaring allowed our defence to be pierced on several occasions. Scott kicked a splendid penalty.
V. Old Boys.—Won 16—4. In this match, which was played on Kelburn Park, our long succession of defeats was broken. The ground was very wet and at times the game was a mere mud scramble. Nevertheless the team handled the sodden ball well, and at times the backs combined very well. Barker in particular, playing full back and acting-centre-three-quarters, covered himself with mud and glory. Scott, Barker, Pope and Martin-Smith scored tries, two of which Scott converted.
The team congratulates Aitken, Scott and Martin-Smith upon gaining representative honours.
The following are the results of matches played by the third grade team:
V. Athletic.—Lost 0—8. The team did not play up to its usual form, lack of practice being the probable cause.V. Berhampore.—Won 3—0. The game was evenly contested throughout. Our points were secured by Robb, who scored a try.V. St Patrick's College.—Won 8—6. Tries were scored by Tracey and Irwin, one of which the latter converted.V. Wellington B.—Won by default.V. Wellington A.—Won 8—0. Blathway scored a try which Irwin converted, also kicking a penalty.V. Poneke.—Lost 0—6. The team paid the penalty of not practising, being defeated by one of the weak teams of the competition.V. Petone.—Won 11—3. The team showed improved form, especially among the forwards. Tries were scored by Robb (2) and Tregurtha, one of which Irwin converted.V. Hutt.—Won 9—8. Tries were scored by Anderson and Tracey (2).V. Athletic.—Lost 3—11. This was the semi-final of the competition, and aroused considerable interest. The game was not very exciting, 'Varsity being on the defence most of the time. In the second spell Irwin kicked a splendid penalty.
The College team this year did not fulfil expectations. It has plenty of good material; It possesses a fast back team and a light but fairly vigorous set of forwards. On two occasions, against Wellington College and against Petone, it played up to the top of its form, the first match, according to most enthusiasm, being the best game played this season in Wellington. On other occasions, sometimes the line-out play was lamentably weak; at other times the defence round the scrum was bad, while often the passing of the backs erratic and badly Judged. A College team to be successful must be fast in both backs and forwards; it must be in the pink of condition, and therefore able to play the open game right through both spells; it must be able to keep the ball in play all the time, passing or centreing, but never finding the line.
Victoria College could have such a team if the players kept themselves up to the mark by hard by hard training, and turned out occasionally early in the season for combined play. The secret of success in football is in co-operation.
The following is submitted as a brief criticism of the individual players:
Knell—A good full-back, fast and clever attacking the ball; sometimes runs across the field too much; had bad luck in being knocked over unnecessarily by a burly Petone forward and injured in the shoulder. Needs to practice kicking further down the lines.
Barker—The fastest back in the team; needs to be given more work to do; occasionally shows a tendency to dodge going down to rushes. But makes up for it by snapping the ball when going at full speed.
Scott—A well-known fighting back with plenty of dash; has learnt to get rid of the ball, but needs now to exercise a bit more judgment as to when to pass and when to hang on; could never be accused of not doing his fair share of work; quite deserves his place in the Wellington rep. team.
Aitken is very quick off the mark, and is, therefore, always dangerous; good at cutting in and making openings, and never hesitates about getting into the thick of it defensive work is necessary; probably the best all-round player in the team. As captain, he could well afford to hustle the team a bit more.
Gillespie has plenty of speed, when he gets going; occasionally loses the rest of the backs by cutting across the field in the wrong direction.
Morton played an exceedingly fine game against Petone, scoring all the points; had very bad luck in injuring his ankle, and since then, has been inclined to hang back when vigorous tackling should be indulged in.
Pope knows the half-back game, but lately has been inclined to pass badly, either sending the ball wide or bowling it along the ground; very smart at getting marks from forwards rushes, quite a good accomplishment for a half-back to cultivate.
Lusk played in the team as 1st emergency. If he could only grow fat, his reckless dashes—reckless in one so light—would be exceedingly useful.
It is difficult to criticise forwards individually, because often the hardest working forwards in the scrums and in the tight packs get little credit for their work, so that a few observations on the play is all that is offered. Adams and Randall must be pretty fair hookers, because, in spite of the light weight of the pack, the team generally has its fair share of the ball. Adams seems to be a good "hooker" in more ways than one. The best forward, who gallops up just in the field all the time is Martin-Smith. He has played well consistently all the season. M. M.-Smith would do the team a world of good if he would practice jumping up in the air, a sort of game he would be good at, and which, at present, is sadly lacking in the play of the forwards as a whole. O'Regan does not show up much in the open, but his weight must be of good hard-working forward. The wing-forward, Low, keeps himself in good form, and follows up well, but hardly fights enough round the scrum. A wing-towards must get in the way, somehow, and protect the half. Charles had bad luck in having to stand down recently owing to injuries, because his place on the line-out takes some filling.
A bystander once remarked about the University forwards that they were all right, but played the game too gentlemanly. The team plays the game, certainly, in the right spirit, and should continue to do so, but could put more dash into it. After all, when a man is tackled, he must come down, and come down vigorously; its part of the game.
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Be swift like lightning in the execution."—Shaks.
We are quite well aware that the time which has elapsed since our Notes appeared in the last issue of the "Spike," is not what is commonly known as the "tennis season," but nevertheless, we feel that, to those few students who have paid winter subscriptions, we owe an apology for the condition of the courts during the past months. As a rule, winter brings to older students memories of many pleasent afternoons spent on the tennis courts—not forgetting the refreshments which are eargrly devoured n the men's Common Room—while to a large number of "freshers," it brings a keen desire to partake of these joys. This year, alas! Very little enthusiasm for witner tennis had been shown by either old or new members.
It is fully realised that the weather has not in the least tended to improve tennis property—the heavy rains of June and July having been resposible for the transference of large masses of clay from the vertical plance of the bank, to the horizontal plane of the courts—but we think that this scarcely excuses us, as a committee, for the lack of interest which we have taken in the general appearance of the courts.
We have visions—may the near future transform them to a reality!—of the time when the concrete wall is crected in the south-east corner, when the courts are top-dressed, when the nets are renewed, and when the path for pedestrians completed.
While speaking of this path, we desire to express our thanks to the College Council for their having decided to get it constructed. When we heard of the glad tidings of their decision, we immediately thought of the possibility of extending the courts at the north end, so as to make them the regulations length, but, on obtaining expert advice, it was learnt that the foundations would not permit of such a scheme. The only way of increasing the length of the courts would be by undermining the Gymnasium, but instead of advocating such an action a this, we can exercise our imagination sufficiently to picture to ourselves, the time when the hills behind the Gymnasium have become plains on which an ideal set of tennis courts is built.
A detailed criticism of individual players cannot yet be given, but from what little play has been seen, we are of opinion that the Tennis Club will be the proud possessor many promising players.
For some time past, our ladder—in a most dilapidated condition—has presented a very imposing spectacle t the eyes of those who admire the various adornments of the Gymnasium walls, and t it is suggested that at the earliest opportunity, an up-to-date ladder be formed, also that, if possible, Yankee tournaments or inter-club matches be arranged.
From experience, we can speak of the benefit derived from meeting players better than ourselves, and we advise younger members that one way of attaining a higher standard of play is assiduous practice combined with keen interest in ladder matches.
"
We're models of propriety"—Capping Songs.
This club, although just in its infancy, has proved itself to be one of the most flourishing and popular of all College institution.
After a very successful inaugural meeting at the commencement of the first term the Haeremaites have not looked back, and have, as a body, done much to improve College social life generally.
It was arranged that a dance should be held during the second term, and the evening of August the 24th was eventually chosen for the celebration.
At this point it would not, we think, be out of place to record how pleased we are to see that the women students of the College have formed a kindred club—now known as the Women's Common Room Club, which it is understood is also meeting with marked success. Apropos the dance it was thought that this occasion would be an opportune one for the two clubs to meet; and the members to the Women's Club were accordingly invited as the guests of the evening.
The function was, we think, a success in every way, and a very enjoyable evening was spent by all. A number of the members of the College staff and their wives were also present.
The Haeremai Club is run on lines similar to those of a Savage Club, and a most encouraging factor is that during the year we have carried on almost exclusively on our own talent. Before the term ends it is hoped that a final "korero" will be held.
The foundation for a permanent institution has certainly been laid, and there is no doubt that next year, with the influx of new members, the activities of the club will become even more popular and extensive than have been those of
"
No dancing girl, some other sport."—Shaks.
This term practices have been held on Kelburn Park in the afternoon and also in the Gymnasium on Thursday evening. Great interest has been displayed by the members, and the practices have been well attended. Although the season is well advanced, we have obtained several new players this term.
On June 13th a practice match, Freshers v. Seniors, was played in the Gymnasium, which resulted in a win for Freshers, 6—3.
On August 6th a match was held in Kelburn Park, Training College v. Victoria University College. After an even game V.U.C. secured a win, 4—0. Goals were thrown by G. Trolove and E. Smith.
The most interesting match was perhaps that played against the football team on August 22nd. Contrary to expectations the game was not a very rough one—due no doubt to mutual respect or fear, which also probably accounted for the fact, that some of our players did not play their usual good game. With the exception of the goal throwers, who crowded too much, our team gave their best exhibition of combined play. However, in this, the men far surpassed them. In spite of their unusual places, they showed their football combination and swift and accurate passing. Such passing should be an eye-opener to the girls, who have never reached such heights. The women's team put up spite of an extra number of penalties from the men's mistakes, it was easily defeated by the men, 15—5. Our visitors seemed to be captivated by the game—so much so that they insisted on continuing in friendly game after the match.
We were pleased that Mrs. Mackenzie and Mrs. Somerville were able to come to the match.
The Committee would like to take this opportunity of thanking Mrs. Mackenzie for her kindness in providing supper.
On August 29th a practice, Arts v. Science, was played in the Gymnasium. In the first spell the game was very even, but in the second half Science had the best of the game, and succeeded in winning, 8—4.
" For even at this day,Though its sting has passed away,When I venture to remember it, I quail."—Bab Ballads.
Following on the successful Evening Sport Meeting of last term it was proposed that a similar gathering should be held between the football and cricket seasons. After further consideration it was reluctantly decided to let the matter drop, party on account of the heaviness of the tracks at the present time and partly on account of the close proximity of the Degree Examinations.
However, there is very prospect of the annual Inter-University Easter Tournament being re-established next year, of which athletics are, of course, the main attraction.
It will therefore be necessary to hold a meeting as early in the new year as possible, so that the representatives of this College many be selected. In any case the customary evening meeting will take place, even if it found impracticable to hold the events for the New Zealand Shield.
" This is no worldTo play with mammets and to tilt with lips.We must have bloody noses and cracked crowns."—Shaks.
Since the last doings of the club were chronicled in the "Spike," the activities of our various members have been somewhat vague and varied. The usual phlegmatic and punctilious progressiveness of the club has of late been rather intermittent. Occasional zeal in the way of the bouts, spares, and three-minute rounds at odd hours and places goes well to show that we still have a few enthusiasts for the noblest of all pastimes. Although the Gymnasium has been the witness of a few (too few) battles royal this season, regret must be, and is acutely, felt that the usual deterioration in the gloves is due largely to other causes than hardened profiles, although, hist! it is rumoured that fresh blood was but lately discovered on a badly misused glove. (This has been subsequently proved by a microscopical examination of the blood corpuscles in the lab.) so much for the actual activities of members.
The annual general meeting, held amidst uproar and applause, was a great success, and succeeded in installing several new members amongst the venerated ranks of Victoria's pugilists. If the enthusiasm shown by these new members is any criterion as to the subsequent doing of the club it bodes well for the successful career of the Boxing Club this season. Of that we shall see anon, as subsequent events will undoubtedly prove.
However, regret must be expressed by the executive that, owing to the continuance of the War, it has not been possible to carry on the activities of the club as energetically as could be desired. A strong appeal is made to present students to increase the membership of the club. Indeed, the executive feels sure that if members will make a determined effort, many new names could be added to the membership roll, and the club strengthened both financially and numerically, and the good work done by the Boxing Club considerably increased.
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His industry is upstairs and downstairs; his eloquence the parcel of reckoning."—Shakes .
The report of the Society which preceded this expressed feelings of shame that we had fallen in such evil days. After the witness of the last three months we cannot but retract such sentiments. We cannot remember more spirited encounters or a higher standard of speaking than this session has produced. On no occasion have there been the long breaks with which former sessions have made us familiar. If Mr. Sheat were given to the phraseology of our schooldays he would frequently have to record that the combatants "rose freely." It is often quite difficult to "catch the speaker's eye!" Among the newcomers who are with one another to draw Mr. Thompson's gaze are Messar. Croker, Moore, Aayon, Pope, Jackson, and Whitehouse.
Early in the session the Chairman of the Society, Mr. E. Evans, found it necessary to relinquish his duties and Mr. R. D. Thompson, M. A., was appointed to the position.
The second debates of the year was given up to a discussion "That Science has done more than literature to forward the interests of mankind." Messrs. C. G. Kirk and F. W. Martin, B.A., undertook to support the motions; they found more or less willing opponents in Messre. R. R. Scott and P. Martin Smith. They were followed by an eager succession of speakers from the body of the hall. The debate took place so long ago that we don't remember much about the details. We have, however, quite pleasant recollections of a sally by Mr. Martin n the matter of wives and arts and cookery. Mr. Scott didn't seem impressed. The judge, Mr. H. F. Von Haast, M.A., LL.B., placed the speakers in the following order:—Martin-Smith, J. H. Sheat and W. A. Sheet, Leicester, Kirk. The motion was carried.
At the next meeting of the Society opinions were aired as to whether "Interference with Liberty of Speech and Discussion is in the best interests of the State." Messre. H. G. Miller and W. A. Sheat were quite sure that such interference was very bad. Messre. G. T. Saker and W. E. Leicester, in opposing, had quite other opinion. The movers took their text from the gospel according to J. S. Mill, and gave some very abstract reasoning, which the judge had doubts about. The opposers vainly struggled to bring the matter down to earth. I delivering judgment, Mr. Mazengarb gave the speakers what we thought to be rather dubious advice, and placed the debaters as follows: Leicester, Kirk, Saker, Martin-Smith, and J. H. Sheat. The meeting endorsed the opinion of the movers.
On Thursday, August 18th the Presidential Address was delivered by Prof. T. A. Hunter, on "The University and Social Reconstruction." An account of this is given elsewhere in this issue.
The 199th meeting of the Society was faced with the peace problem. The motion was; "That a lasting Peace can be secured only by adherence to the principle of No Annexations and No Indemnities." Messrs. P. Martin-Smith
The motion "That the Present Tendency to Assimilate the Activities of Men and Women is not in the best Interests of Society,' roused great interest. The Society established a precedent by appointing a lady as judge. However, Mrs. Atkinson gave a quite clear account of her own opinions, and delivered what we thought to be a very fair verdict. Mr. S. A. Wiren and Miss D. Bingham supported the motion and Mr. J. H. Sheat and Miss E. R. Davies gave reasons for opposing it. The attendance was large. The speeches were quite good. Miss Bingham especially gave a very breezy account of her views; Miss Davies also in opposing made some good points. Mr. Wiren was dry, and Mr. Sheat, in his opening remarks at any rate, was very ragged. Mr. Sheat picked up in replying. Mr. Wiren supplied some interesting emanation to the received account of Jewish history. Mr. Leicester, as is his wont, rattled out some glowing periods; one of his "purple patches" fairly convulsed the audience. The vote went to the opposers. The order was: J. H. Sheat, Misses Bingham, Davies and Purdy, Leicester.
On 31st August representatives of the Wellington Social Democratic party paid the Society a visit. This year Messrs. P. Fraser and G. Brindle were entrusted with the good news. The motion was; "That Socialism will bring universal peace." Messrs. Miller and Sutherland opposed the visitors. The audience was composed largely of adherents to the Social Democratic Party. On the whole the debate was quite interesting, and was certainly less acrimonious than these debates are accustomed to be. The supporters of the motion were not lacking in enthusiasm or arguments; with one or two exceptions the opposers were coldly sceptical. Mr. Fraser, in opening, contented himself with expounding the economic conception of history: wars and everything else were due to economic facts. Mr. Miller was prepared to recognise the value of the emphasis laid by Socialists on the social side of human nature. But this emphasis was not familiar to Socialism. Its distinctive feature was its political programme, a change in institutions. No mere change in institutions would avail to develop the social instinct, and to lead the other instinct of pugnacity which underlay war into healthier channels. Mr. Brindle elaborated Mr. Fraser's argument. Mr. Sutherland in replying made a speech of the evening. The "real war" was a war of ideas. A change in institutions was not enough; movers were claiming too much for Socialism.
From this stage onward discussion did not flag till closing time. The Socialists fastened on to the "instinct of pugnacity" and handled it pretty roughly. The Varsity speakers were not for taking the matter very seriously. According to Mr. Martin-Smith the Capitalists weren't so bad anyway. We discovered that our old friend Mr. Schmidt was a humorist. More of this, please, Mr. Schmidt. Mr. Whitehouse was rather flippant. Mr. W. A. Sheat and Misses Neumann and Purdy also had something to say, while interjections from the body of the hall were frequent. The visitors had no difficulty in carrying their motion.
" Although I'm quite a ladybirdThey take me for a lark."—Capping Song.
It has long been felt that there is need for a closer esprit de corps among women students; and as a result a meeting convened in the Gymnasium on August 5th, decided to form a Women's Club, to encourage keener college spirit and to further the social life among the women students—more especially to make it possible for present students to meet the professors' wives and the past women students of V.U.C.
There are to be at least three meetings each session—the first meeting in the year to be held as soon as possible after the opening of the College.
At each evening a committee of hostesses is to be elected to run the next evening—one of the hostesses being a member of the committee. Thus it will be possible for all to take an active part in the affairs of the Club. The first evening to take place on Friday, September 13th, will be run by the committee.
The election of officers resulted as follows;
Patrons—The professors' wives.
President—E. R. Davies.
Vice-President—D. B. Maclean.
Representatives of Ex-women Students—Mrs. A. H. Bogle.
Secretary and Treasurer—E. Smith.
Committee—A. Harle, N. Norman, H. Esterfield.
The membership at present stands at well over a hundred.
The Club made its first appearance at a dance given for it by the Haeremai Club. It was exceedingly kind of the men to extend such a hearty welcome to the new Club, the members of which all thoroughly appreciated the most enjoyable dance.
Then they began to singThat extremely lovely thing"Scherzando! ma non troppo, p p p."—Bab Ballads.
The Glee Club opened this year with a large membership, which unfortunately has gradually fallen off. However, the lack of quantity is made up the quality of the singing, and by the well sustained interest and enthusiasm of the regular attenders.
At the end of last year the Glee Club gave two concerts at Trentham, which were very successful judging by the appreciation shown by he soldiers. We also entertained the inmates of the Porirua Mental Hospital with a concert, at the close of which the Hospital staff invited our members to supper, and to dance in the large hall. This year, so far, the Glee Club has had only one function in the form of an opening social evening. Arrangements are at present being made for the annual concert at Treantham, and also for one at Porirua.
Our thanks are due to our conductor, Mr. F. P. Wilson, who has willingly given a great deal of his time to help forward this club, and who has shown enthusiasm throughout the year. Also to our very few male members who have done valiant service in providing the tenor and bass parts of our glees.
" With a far-dashing stroke, and exulting, drawing deepThe long suspended breath!"—Byron.
We commenced the season with great hopes of adding still another Cup to the collection in the Hall. But our desires were not to be fulfilled, for we lost to three of the competing teams. Our membership not being as large as last year's, we were able to enter only one team for the Competitions; nevertheless all players were very enthusiastic.
The game against College A was looked forward to with much interest, as the result determined our standing amongst the other teams. Our captain sustained a dislocation of the knee during the first few minutes' play. Since then she was not able to take her place in the team. College defeated us by two goals to nil.
Another interesting match was played against Ramblers A. We were again unlucky, because we had to encounter another strong team on the last Saturday of the College term, and no one was in good form, due most probably to much 'burning of the midnight oil." We again suffered a defeat, the score being nine to nil.
In the rest of the matches, except that against Public Trust, who defeated us by two to nil, we managed to come out victorious. We defeated Base Records, Huatahi, Pay Department, College B and Ramblers B.
On August 13th a friendly match was played against the Training College men on Kelburn Park. Although the men gave us a very busy time the game was most enjoyable. After the match we had afternoon tea, which was kindly supplied by Miss Hetherington and Mr. Lomas of the Training College staff.
The following players were selected to play in the Wellington B Rep Team:—P. McMurray, A. George, H. Eastefield, D. Chamberlain and E. Hostick.
Early this term a notice was to have been sent by the Magazine Committee to each of the clubs requesting them to discuss the following motion—"That it is in the interests of the clubs as a whole to have one complete account of the year's work of each club—this account to be published in the October issue of the 'Spike.'"
Unfortunately, four of the clubs did not receive their notices. Six of the ten clubs who did receive a notice have sent in replies: two of these six were in favour of the motion, the other four were against it. Those clubs who supported their decision with arguments (three, this time, out of six) submitted the following reasons against any change:—
That the reports in the first issue of "The Spike" are of great use in encouraging interest in the different clubs, and also in informing new students that such clubs exist.
That the life of the College is represented in these reports, and that an issue containing no club reports and therefore consisting largely of literary contributions would be one devoid of all interest.
That no change is desirable, and any alteration in the present system of reporting the activities of the clubs would result in a loss of interest in "The Spike," and also in the activities of the clubs.
These arguments leave me entirely unconvinced. It is not in the interests of the clubs, I should think, to use "The Spike" as the chief agent for advertising the various clubs,—half the college year has already passed when the first issue of "The Spike" appears—hence it would be rather late for new students to discover then that such-and-such "club exists.'
Neither is it altogether fair to state that "an issue consisting largely of literary contributions would be one devoid of all interest." Some of the clubs, evidently, do not realise how dependent we are in many ways on those students how have some slight literary bent. Still less, apparently, have they grasped the whole crux of the situation. It was not primarily with the object of encouraging the literary contributions that the motion was put; but that the club reports themselves should be comprehensive acounts of a full year's work—such accounts would be of infinitely more value than two disconnected reports. So here the matter ends for the present—each side firmly convinced that the other side is unable to see its point of view—in short, that it has:
"
An angle tongue which no man can persuade."
"
Quanti est sapere!" Ter.
Dear Spikessa,—Amidst the interesting and instructive studies set by Prof. Mac I have found the following derivations which might prove not unentertaining to some of your readers.—Yours ever,
Senate of course comes from senes, meaning old men (or women).
Chancellor has had a curious history. It comes from Lat. Cancer "a crab," which became the name of a kind of grating, e.g., of a chancel. Cancellarius meant the usher of a law-court whose station as ad cancellos, at the bar or grating which separated the public from the judges. From the same word comes the Fr. Chanceler, to waver to totter.
Professor is from profiterl, "to proclaim publicly," e.g., at Alexandra Hall. Lecture means reading. (I am indebted for this last to Prof. Adamson).
Free Discussions comes from dis-cutere, "to shake to pieces, to agitate" (freely). By the same token debate is from L. L. battere "to fight."
Hockey is probably from Fr. hoquet "a crook—not in the slang sense but the staff of some gentle shepherdess! In Mid. Eng. It meant a feast of hockey cake or sed cake.
Cricket is derived from criquet, a stick used as a mark in the kindred game of bowls, while tennis is from tamis "a sieve," in which the server bounced the ball before striking it, or more probably from Tenez, "Play" The origh of golf is a mystery. Some say it is an invention of the—
For the sake of the "divvies," parson is from persona "a mask," through which an actor "sounds" to hide his real identity. Students is from a Greek word, meaning haste or zeal; scholar is from schola "leisure." (We who have no scholarship appreciate the difference.)
The origin of Carnival is "carnem leavare," the putting away or removal of fiesh or food (on the eve of Ash Wednesday). We now put it away at other times.
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Dear Spike,—In the corner of a remote country there stands between the mountains and the sea a hillock, on which is built a bleak brick brick cottage. In this cottage hovers eternally the goddess self-complacency. She is garbed in jealous green and selfish gold; in her eyes is the smirk of precocity, in her heart a blustering confidence; her mouth is full of words, empty words.
Each of her pupils has heard tell of misery and suffering in the earth, of sordid commerce and tyrannic parliaments. Each reads a little pamphlet and plans anew the social fabric, to be worn of virtue and liberty. Each forgets that he or she knows nothing, is nobody. A pupil so ornates his plan,
The Free Discussions Club meets, it would seem, in the clouds of Utopia. A dozen come with a dozen solutions of the problem. All draw to a close and sit down, satisfied that they alone are right. Somehow no one is convinced or varies his opinions. If you debate you must advocate a change and all the world supports you. Contend that there is something good, something to be preserved in what exists and one will say, "Nice chap, Sparkeion. Pity he's so conservative."
The greatest feature of debates is their lack of humour—I mean of conscious humour. Coryphaeus reads epigrams and drama and retails their conceits. His speech is verbiose, exuberant, so much that none can understand him. It does not matter. The same thinks himself in love. Indeed he is—his passion centres round one Coryphaeus. Episcopos I proud of knowing both sides. Eh agrees with both; he gives them in his speech. A mind incapable of deciding is probably vacant. Silias so much fears misstatement that he says nothing save a few halting sentences. These are always incoherent. Scotus employs one fraction of his brain, his memory; learning, wit and intellect are crowed out.
The Christian Union alone is trying to make life better. Its Exec. Despises the vain activities of others and lives in the intellectual retirement of addresses and study circles. So doing, it makes itself ignored.
The Prof. Board writes in disapproval of certain notices. One suggests profanity, another is disrespectful to the Librarian. Yet these are preferable to the empty puerilities of the Scrawlers. A short time back the Debating Society read "The Earth," by J. B. Fagan. One genius added "Dickens," a second preferred ' What the," by," a third thought of exclamation marks.
These are some of the pupils of the goddess Self-Complacency. The worst I leave to the last. His name is
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Dear Spike,—When I bought your last number I thought I would write and say how charming your new cover looked. After inspection of your interior furnishings it struck me a lot more might be said.
Oh Spike! What a sombre, sober tone you have assumed! Why have you discarded the sparkle and snap which, in former days, set off even the most prosy editorial? Is it that all your contributors are "literary," and cultivate a "literary style," and eschew all things human and humorous; or is it the censorship? Alas, the probable trouble is that yours truly is not sufficiently "literary," so does not appreciate a polished "literary style" which is exercising itself in smothering a scarcity of ideas with superfluous verbosity (Deep breath, please!) Or perhaps I have never been sufficiently in love to feel the melting appeal in some of those love-lorn lilts which stick your pages together.
Anyhow, Spike, why not have a bit of a row? Why not discuss in the sacred editorial column something which even your humblest readers have sufficient interest in to want to contradict you? You think hard, and you will find students are interested in lots of things beside "Swot" and Greek Drama. You ask some of them, and you will find that some of your last contributors have caused many a mental iummy-ache and dislocated jaw.
Suppose you start row by publishing my little piece, and then snort at it?
The Editor begs to acknowledge with thanks the following exchanges:— "Canterbury Agri. Coll. Magazine," "The Taranakian," "Canterbury Univ. Coll. Review," "Otago Univ. Review," "the N.G.C.," "The Wanganui Collegain," "Hermes," "John Bull's Register," "Adelaide Univ. Mag."
Miss B-k-r; We have read your touching little "Lament." We share your regret for those lost medial consonants. If the truth were known, a phonetic more or less . . .
Gl-nd-n-ng: We appreciate your position. Library cards are an insupportable encumbrance, and we can assure you that your general appearance is not that of an infant. For further information re The Reverend Gentleman we would refer you to Mr. Brook.
J-n p-rk: we are glad you rose to a point of order. Certainly, under the circumstances it was right to limit the members to be embraced by the Women's Club.
Mr. Th-mps-n: We are sorry that the Council has been unable to meet your needs re seating accommodation; but we notice that you have not yet attempted to balance yourself on the railing. After all, you know, there is the final resource of the peripatetic.
W. E. L-c-st-r: We cannot but admire the way you are attacking the subject. By means of pen ad tongue you have never ceased to air your views. Your theories no doubt are all that should be. It but remains for you to put them into practice.
E. Ev-ng: Your resignation came as a pleasant surprise. But really, P. & G.'s caustic remarks on the age of certain students should not be taken so seriously.
S. A. W-r-n: We have gone into the matter pretty thoroughly; but are forced to admit that you are wrong. Even in the Biblical days there was a law to the effect "that a man may not marry his son." Under special circumstances, however, he is allowed to marry his daughter—to another chap.
J. H. Sh-t: So our lady judge referred to you as "a sprot"? perhaps it was owing to the big dividend you drew at the debate. Don't let it alarm you unnecessarily, however. She might easily have taken greater risks.