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I have just received from New Zealand a cutting from the "Dominion" of 29th September which quotes a Manifesto adopted at a Student's Association meeting. It is a clever statement couched in the best Free-mar Watson technique of some years ago, but I have a feeling it would be described as "specious" if Kingi Tahiwi could have attended, and I am certain it would not have been adopted nemine contradicente if the "300 fellow students" who are mentioned with such possessive pride had been present.
I do not, of course, suggest that the University Red is a "spectre" or a danger to anyone, and I am in favour of a proper answer being given to stupid critics of the College. But is the Manifesto the opinion of V.U.C. to-day? What I object to is, first, that Communist propaganda should dominate the Manifesto; secondly, that the Manifesto should claim that people who "give the Universities a
One cannot help but smile at the complacency of the writers of the Manifesto who set themselves up as prophets in their own land. They
As I finish reading the Manifesto once again I marvel that it could have been passed unanimously by a V.U.C. Students' Association. I see it was done "as the conclusion of a recent meeting." I suppose such things are possible when coffee "and biscuits are in sight!
[It is not surprising that the writer of this letter sees the bloody hand of the Comintern of work in the Manifesto. The phrase, "onward march of the common people of all lands towards their just and true inheritance," which apparently strikes him as the nadir of Marxist demagogy in the document, is a quotation from a broadcast delivered to the French people on
La vraie place de la femme, elle est a la maison, au foyer. Le role de la femme est essentellement d'etre mere. Evidemment il ya des femmes qui, soit par vocation, soit par necessite, choisissent le celibat on elles peuvent faire un bien immense elles ont toutes notre admiration Mais dans l'etat normal des choses la femme la
Ever since the outbreak of war, many students have tended to regard the University as an institution where the search for pure learning, free from all partisan bias, has continued unaffected by the immense social changes at work outside. We have been in fact a neutral.
This session opens in a new phase of the war. The alignment of the democratic nations in one solid anti-fascist bloc removes all doubt as to the progressive nature of our war aims; removes all fears that the war may be "switched" and become a war to aid the fascist aggressors. The entry of Japan makes action urgent on the part of everyone.
The University must become a vital part of the nation's war-effort. Already many students are away fighting; some have given their lives. Others are helping in Home Guard and E.P.S. These students are part of the University, putting into practice those concepts of freedom and right that they have acquired here. Our studies are no less part of the struggle. We may learn science to make the war-machine more effective technically; we may study arts to give the lead in social questions, to press for army education, for the better organisation of soldiers and civilians in the struggle. At the same time, those cultural values which are a vital part of the civilisation we are defending must be maintained.
"Salient," as the reflection and mould of student thought, will take the lead in this aspect of University life. Other years editors have been bound by the diversity of opinion at the College—have had no standard which they could call College opinion. We are fortunate this year in suffering no such disadvantage. The manifesto adopted by the Students' Association last year provides us with a clear guide in this matter.
New students, by taking as active a part as possible in University life, will find that in so doing they are taking an active part in national life, and will come closer into contact with the people. This should be a chief end of University education.
In England, Paul Powell and Cedric Wright are with the Navy; George Culliford and Kingi Tahiwi with the Air Force. Lea. Gandar has now left England, and the last news of him is from South Africa. Arthur Oliver, visiting Suva recently on one of H.M. Ships, met Stan. Lowe and Jim Croxton, who has tramped and clambered over most of the island. Hep. Downes is also in Suva.
Lloyd Stuchbery is in Canada, where, in gaining his commission, he registered the highest average marks yet to be obtained on Uplands air station. Garth Wallace has joined the hordes of V.U.C. men in Egypt mentioned by Lara Sandford in a letter to "Salient" last year, and Roy Johnstone has joined the Public Relations Service there.
The Prison Song echoes from Germany, where Henry Ngata, Bruce Ashe, Bob and Bill Bradshaw are prisoners of war. In a certain Oflag Frank Benouf has attained the giddy rank of Dean of the Faculty of Commerce.
Ron. Baird is now safe in Colombo.
The Records Officer, V.U.C.S.A. is at present compiling an official list of V.U.C. students and ex-students on active service with H.M. Forces, and would be grateful to receive names and present addresses of such.
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A motion was passed at a special meeting of the Students' Association last year that "Salient" be supplied free to students of the College, the Association fee being raised to 27/6 to meet this expense. Even with this increase our fees would be lower than those of the other colleges in New Zealand.
This motion was rejected by the College Council. It is apparently felt that a University newspaper should stand or fall by its own merits (an argument which might equally apply to sports and other clubs). Unfortunately there appears to be a vicious circle, students being unwilling to support "Salient" until a more pretentious format is adopted, which in turn is obviously impossible until the students support the paper.
Your continued support will alone be able to improve our position and to make possible a return to a printed "Salient."
So Buy Your Own Copy of "Salient."
Get a Subscription Now.
The war interrupted a brilliant career of service to ideals, and his bitter opposition to Fascism over several years has reached its climax. His political understanding alone led him to drop everything, and now the end is still to be attained. In his last letter to me he explained his "charter."
"If we can win the war quickly we can then endeavour to win the peace. (I've got a mental note of a number of arch- b——s who should be shot before they can gather round a conference table). All I want now is the right to live a decent life and to be left in peace to do just what I like. I haven't become an anarchist, but I don't want to be 'mooked about wif.'"
Jack would hate
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In August of last year the Executive formed a sub-Committee to investigate the problem of Cafeteria organisation. This Committee, after three months' careful investigation, stated that the Cafeteria in its present form was completely inadequate for cooking and kitchen work, and that a good healthy and satisfying all-round menu could be supplied only if certain alterations and installations were carried out.
The report was endorsed by the Executive and placed before the Council, who agreed to grant £200 and lend another £200 to be paid back over a period of years from the profit of the Cafeteria.
The report had strongly recommended that the management of this new Cafeteria be in the hands of a woman qualified in Home Home Science. To this position Miss Tira Griffin, graduate of Otago University College, was appointed.
The work has now been completed, and all the time the wants and needs of students have been considered, the prices are reasonable and the hours have been arranged to suit both lecture times and the employees.
One of the greatest problems facing such an organisation is the labour question. Both the situation of the College and the hours of work are a great handicap, and students are asked to realise and consider the demands of these people.
As regards the menu—morning and afternoon teas, with soup and other light extras, will be supplied; also luncheons of eggs in all forms, entrees or light savouries, and a hot dinner in the evening.
To enable the meals to be well cooked and well served in the small kitchen space available, the aim of the Committee has been to concentrate on one choice of hot dinner each night, with plenty of vegetables. From day to day, however, the menu will be varied.
Much thought was also given to an artistic appearance of the Cafeteria and the serving of meals. "Then why," they question, "the check table cloths?" The only reply, "That checks check big cheques,' and after all, there are the flowers.
Eat at these times, consider also the difficulties of a new organisation, and co-operate:
"We believe they're looking for the chap that painted all those 'Don't buy Japanese Goods' signs. Nothing political. It's simply that the paint lasted longer than the pedestrian crossings, and, they wanted to know what the mixtures is, see?"
The signs were painted by the Communist Party in
The part that students can play in an anti-fascist war was shown by the students of Spain, and is still being shown by the students of China. Our Universities have been "given a fine example by these two countries, and they themselves have a long tradition of anti-fascist thought and activity, which augurs well for the future. In Moscow the students are working harder. We here must do the same. But we have a bigger task than the Soviet students, for there the "students' contribution to the war effort is fully acknowledged by everybody. We have here to convince the rest of the population by our actions that the British students are equally important and second to none in their desire to play a full part in the national effort. We have to justify our claim that the Universities are a vital part of the national life of a democracy, and that in vivid contrast to Fascism the preservation of culture is compatible with fighting a war, but together with this we have to show in what ways the Universities can be useful, not only to the students, but to the rest of the population.
Fascism is not a European monopoly. This is clear from news from Argentina, which reports that the Argentine Youth Congress which was called by 300 Youth organisations, representing 80,000 young Argentinians, has suffered severe attacks from the Minister of the Interior and the Police. 1,200 young delegates were jailed and the members of the organising committee were condemned to thirty days in prison. All this happened in Way, but the Argentine Youth were not to be intimidated, and the First Argentine Youth Congress was planned for July, and has the support of almost all the youth of the country.
The enormous importance of maintaining internationalism has always been realised by students. In the past they have had better opportunities than most people to visit other countries and study other languages. To-day, in wartime, they have opportunities which are not fully appreciated. There are many refugee students at our Universities, and there are a number of colonial and Dominion students, who have never been fully drawn into the life of our Universities. Contact with other countries is difficult, but it is still possible to hold meetings to discuss international problems, and in the spirit of the great Albert Hall Rally for victory, to learn to appreciate the attitude of other countries, for it is only in this way that we will be able to
A booking of the Opera House for
Without scripts there can be no Extrav. If you think Extrav. should go on, begin to write now.
Its Up to You.
I looked at a stream running over rocks and wondered whether the water really moved; it may very well be that it was only the waves at the surface. I do not believe that anyone is sincere past a limit; ideals, demonstrations or symptoms of sickness. Rather, I cannot conceive otherwise, no deeply sincere affections, because that would force me to admire, to build a new mode of life. Our whole existence would be changed if it were possible "to advance one honest mind," one image to trust, one man sincere beyond our own restrictions.
No, comrade, do not read Hous-man. Yeats said: "It has sometimes seemed of late years as if the poet could at any moment write a poem by recording the fortuitous scene or thought perhaps it might be enough to put into some fashionable rhythm: I am sitting in a chair—there are three dead
There is a great emptiness since we cannot admire it really. We take this substitute for emotion, since we ourselves are too inept to experience any emotion, real or unreal—it is the same to us, if it is unreal it makes it
We could not understand Baude laire's "Une Charogne"; perhaps his comparison to une femme Iubrique. But what does son ventre plein d'ex-halaisons mean? We can admire female abdomens in "Pix," "Life," "Illustrated," wherever we wish, and of New York ballet girls too—we really cannot comprehend what cruel mystery there could be in this woman suddenly showing her belly. This cruelty is no Victorian conception, a surrender of great horror, danger ously sophisticated, merely not visible to those who enjoy tragedy only in substitutes.
We also fail to understand Dawson's "Flos Lunae": I would not alter thy cold eyes. What are cold eyes; what are warm eyes; what are wild eyes? These may to some be prim ary conceptions, but I would have to see eyes and have the sensation that they are cold before I can follow this line. I would need to know what expressions are in any eyes. To us eyes are things to look through. There is no culture in eyes, know ledge of slight nuances, refined varieties.' Such eyes as expect affection are distinguished by a commercial twinkle, a stupid uniformed gladness, but not no that we might say "glad eyes,"
But, comrade, do not read Housman. Stand up and end you, if your sickness is your soul. We think our love has died, and how sad it would be if it had really died—the head that I shall dream of, that will not dream of me. But we will not do anything about it, "smooth our hair with automatic hand, and put a record on the
Auden consequently described him in an imitation of "The Vision of Judgment":
Housman's sedentary existence, im passive and dull, could only lend itself to artificial stimuli and, au fond, artificial excitement.
This is the logical conclusion of the poet's tendency to substitute for "a current of ideas in the highest degree animating and nourishing to the creative power" his books and "a kind of semblance of it in his own mind."
It should hardly be necessary to emphasize the difficulties that face the literary section of "Salient" under war conditions. So far as these difficulties arise from the ab sence of many of our contributors on military service they are unavoidable, and must be endured. So far as they are due to the belief that literature is a rather more elegant alternative to horse-racing that should be tactfully abandoned for the duration of the war, they are unnecessary and should be eliminated.
There are obvious reasons why it is difficult to write well in war-time, but it is also obvious that, once these obstacles have been surmounted, something may be achieved of greater worth than would have been the case under more peaceful conditions. Those same circumstances that make it so difficult to secure the tranquillity necessary for the production of anything of artistic value provide at the same time a body of experience which, if it can be assimilated, may be of incalculable value to the writer In our present situation we must cither take the neurotic's way out by abandoning the aims of adult life for the less complicated standards of the nursery, or we can make an endeavour to be honest with ourselves and achieve some sort of unity between what we have done and thought and read in the past and what is happening to us now. It would be foolish to pretend that this struggle will find artistic expression with most people, but it will with some, and their work has a chance of being both less "private" and more profound than that arising from the less justified feelings of more tran quil days.
But we will not achieve anything by forcing ourselves to write only "war poetry" or seeking to deal with the immediate situation without reference to the deeper issues that lend them significance. In particular, we must avoid the disastrously provincial tendencies that are encouraged by the cessation of overseas contacts and the stimulation of patriotic feelings inevitable in war-time. If a genuinely
But our greatest need is for original contributions, both verse and prose. We need the co-operation of all students if "Salient" is to fulfil the hopes expressed above.
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Don't worry, Juan; the American students will help us.
The "New Statesman and Nation" recently held a competition for re marks to which no rational reply was possible. We quote:—
What's the average price of an old master? But 48 hours a week! That's only two days out of seven. My husband is really not at all interested in sex. Somehow Stalin seems to have be come much less red now. Of course we send George to Eton. No great man is really great, do you think? My brother says that the only way to win this war is through moral re armament.
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"Adult Education and Democracy" was the subject of an address delivered to the Wellington Rationalist Association in the Association's rooms at 30 Courtenay Place on March 16th, The attendance was a record even for this usually well-attended weekly function.
Before we can achieve real demo cracy, said the speaker, we must regard education, not as a painful period of youth which must be hurried through as a preparation for "real life"; it must be a means throughout life of meeting the ever-increasing demands which modern society makes upon the citizen. Only by making education something more than mere training for a job can we
Dealing with the immediate organisational details of adult education, the speaker stressed the need for small classes with the utmost contact between lecturer and student. Rigid authoritative methods do not attract adults—discussion is essential. The furnishing of educational buildings might also be expected to re ceive some of the care lavished on wool-stores and banks.
Speakers from the floor were numerous and enthusiastic. The anti-progressive effect of many radio programmes and of popular novels, the dependence of lecturers on vested interests, the need for education in the Army, and Russia's great strides in adult education, were mentioned. Some thought that no great changes for the better could be effected in education without first of all achiev ing a radical change in society.
We announce the first issue
And don't think you can conciliate us by concessions. Remain rigid (as the Communists did) and far distant from us, also open to those who want to change radically and lose their doubt; who seek religion as converts seek it, fanatical, different. In short have the courage to be different.
An S.C.M. Hike took place on Saturday, March 14, in excellent weather and spirits; there were 18 people present. We had tea with herbs in Wilton's Bush, and our abundant community feeling, in danger of thickening into a complex, was resolved in rain by "almost communistic," W. Newell said) mutual distribution of fruits and cakes. Hubert Withe ford tested Christian charity by bringing nothing but a symbolic packet of ginger nuts, and was not disappointed. We played some games in Wilton's Bush, amongst other things an attempt in finding new methods of progression. So inventive was the company that after the third round, when some of the women had already displaced themselves along the ground in various unladylike fashions, someone thought of running across.
The day was concluded by a very pleasant social evening at Beryl Brown's home, where we sang and played games, and it was again asserted that Hubert W. looks exactly like the Japanese War Minister (even in this dangerous hour) and Jean Holmes as coming out of the first illustrated edition of "Pride and Prejudice." It was typical that looking for the words to be formed from the letters of "schedule," we found everything except "seduce." Mr. Engel gave an interesting account of the early history of the S.C.M., and also expressed some unfounded hopes. He announced an S.C.M. study circle, led by Mr. Miller, every Monday, 1-2 p.m. (See notice board.)
On Sunday, the 15th of March, a University service was held at the Kelburn Presbyterian Church. Supper was served in the hall afterwards, and there were large numbers of Training College students present as well.
The back page of "Salient" is usually devoted to Sports news. This issue, very little news has come in. These notes are the responsibility of the club secretaries, and should be sent to the Sports Editor, "Salient."
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The Tennis Club held a Yankee Tournament to welcome Freshers to the Club on Saturday, March 7, in fine weather. The standard of play was reasonably high, and some promising talent was noticeable. The final was won by John Moloney and Avis Reed against Earl Crewdson and Mary Bell. The Committee hopes to see more players in the future, and a specially warm welcome is extended to all Freshers.
At a huge Youth Rally held in Moscow the following message (reproduced in part) to the Youth of the World was broadcast on September 29th:—
"Youth of the whole world!…Irrespective of your race, social status, religious and political views, we, the youth of the Soviet Union, appeal to you. Over us, the younger generation, hangs the threat of death. Our freedom, happiness, and our young lives are being menaced by the Fascist monsters who bring death and destruction. Hitler has enslaved and plundered Czechoslovakia, devastated Poland, mutilated Norway and Jugoslavia, trampled the fields of France and burned the cities of Greece. He sent his bandits to bomb the peaceful cities of England. Now he has hurled a tremendous army on our peaceful country… Youth of the world! Fascism is our deadly enemy. We now have a common task—to smash Fascism. Only the smashing of Fascism will give the peoples a chance of breathing freely, of building up their own states and culture… All our strength, all our thoughts and aspirations are for victory. With contempt for death, in the name of victory, we must hurl ourselves on the enemy at any cost! We shall, give the army new and fresh reserves —everything to ensure victory… Students have always been a mighty progressive force, defending the freedom and independence of their peoples. In these days of historic battle, let every university become a mighty fortress of struggle for the people; let every student, wherever he may be, become a fearless fighter for the cause of his people… We call upon the youth of the world to strengthen this united front of struggle! Fascism will be crushed. Victory will be ours!"
Science is a part of human history, and scientific development is conditioned by social development," said Professor H. Levy in a talk to 150 Science students at the Cambridge Congress. "Science at different periods is a reflection of the history of human processes. It represents a steady development of information, experience and application. Ideas develop with experience, and practice is transformed by ideas. This interaction of theory and practice is vital to Science.
"The problems confronting the scientist are those of his own day, not problems in the realms of abstract thought. The focus of interest of scientific men differ at different periods. In the seventeenth century scientists were busy only in a few small fields, but a hundred years later the distribution and field of scientific energy had changed.
"Just as the scientist gets his problems out of society, so the way he tackles them depends on his education. The placing of statements, laws, etc., into rigid logical categories—all false or all true—is stultifying to science. The 'All False school say that nature is hopelessly fickle and everything is indeterminable. This anarchistic outlook has developed during the social stress of the last 15 to 20 years. It leads, to mysticism. Denying that there are scientific laws of society, it results in a reactionary social outlook of hopelessness.
"The 'All True' school, which was dominant until about 20 years ago, develops a very mechanical outlook and regards people as machines. Hence the view of the factory-workers in the nineteenth century as just part of machinery.
"We must put the two views together and ask ourselves in what circumstances any statement is false or true."
The Scientist cannot keep aloof from politics, but must play his part as a citizen. This was the feeling-of the Science Commission, which found that the present system of production based on private profit, does, not make full use of scientific knowledge for the health and happiness of the community. It protested against the recent lowerin
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