The Spike: or, Victoria University College Review, October 1917

Free Discussion Club

Free Discussion Club

"Syllables govern the World"

—Selden.

The first meeting of the second term was held on July 20th. The subject was "Conventionality versus Sincerity," and was opened by Miss Braddock. She claimed that conventionality from its very nature tends to promote insincerity. Conventionality is to the group what habit is to the individual, and like habit, is a good slave but a bad master. Authority, fixed institutions, fixed ways of thinking or acting, render the individual unable to think for himself and be sincere and honest in the highest sense. A greater diffusion of the scientific and critical spirit is necessary to promote truthfulness and to do away with the conventional lies which exist in the present state of society.

Discussion followed, which chiefly centred round the question of the so-called "lie of necessity."

At the next meeting (August 3rd) an interesting lecture on the subject of Secondary Education was delivered by Mr. Caughley, Assistant-Director of Education. He defined education in the wide sense as "all the influences which bring the individual into complete and beneficial relations with his environment." This includes pre-school and post school periods. At these times the spontaneous activity of the child or youth along his own line of interest gives development. Therefore the things taught (1) should be of vital interest to the child (2) should encourage self-expression. These principles, he held, were recognized in the kindergarten and primary schools. In the secondary schools, however, these were not the avowed principles. Latin and Mathematics were quoted as examples of useless activity for the larger number of pupils studying them. There should be a wider study of English and History.

In the discussion that followed, Mr. Caughley's criticism of the secondary school was generally agreed to, though in regard to the primary schools, some held that development by the spontaneous activity hardly received recognition. At the close Mr. Caughley was accorded a hearty vote of thanks on the motion of the Chairman, Professor Hunter.

Christianity and War formed the subject of the next discussion (August 17th). Miss England acted as leader. Her treatment of the problem was mainly historical. The Christians of the first four centuries interpreted Christ's doctrine of love as fundamentally opposed to war, either for defensive or offensive purposes. When, however, Constantine, for political reasons, embraced Christianity, the Church lost sight of its early ideals of love and brotherhood. If the world would but realise and reinstate the spirit of the Primitive Church, war, she held, would be no more.

A very lively and interesting discussion followed, some opposing, some upholding Miss England's thesis.

At the fourth meeting of the term on August 31st, the plays of Ibsen were discussed, Mr. Leicester acting as leader. His opinion concerning Ibsen was that he was a realist rather than a moral reformer. "The Doll's House," "Ghosts," "An Enemy of Society," were briefly sketched, and the problems they raised formed the matter for the subsequent discussion. The development of Nora's character (Doll's House), and whether she acted rightly in perjuring herself for the sake of her husband, and afterwards leaving him because he refused to sacrifice himself in a similar manner; and the attitude of Dr. Stockman to democracy were among the more interesting of the problems raised and discussed.

The last meeting of the term will be held on Friday, Sept. 14th, when Mr. L. K. Wilson will lead the discussion on Rationalism.