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"At that time, when the Germans wished to show the whole world that France had been crushed and that the upper government circles were collaborating in the creation of the New Europe, it was once again the students of Paris who went out into the streets to cry out their indignation, showing the whole world that they were still the bearers of a great revolutionary tradition: On
November 11, 1940 , scorning danger, the students of the Sorbonne, led by the communists among them, walked up the Avenue des Champs Elysees in a demonstration..."
Any form of Armistice Day parade had been strictly forbidden by the Nazis, but the students went out and marched in procession to the Arc de Triomphe, demonstrating for de Gaulle and a, free France. Twelve of them were killed that day and an immediate order sent out fur the arrest of all communist students. Those who did not succeed in "taking the maquis" were imprisoned and shot at the infamous Chateaubriant concentration camp at the beginning of
This was the stirring beginning to the story of French students and the war, as told to "Salient" by Mile, Ginette Delmas, who is in charge of the French press bureau in Wellington. Herself a student, Mlle. Delmas received a diploma in medical radlology in
Back in the pre-war days, and during the period of the "phoney" war, Mlle. Delmas told us, students were largely apathetic about the European situation. It was however, an apathy which varied considerably according to Faculty. Students in science and medicine were especially lacking in interest, largely because their courses had little contact with the political scene. The two great communist professors. Prenant and Langevin, were forced by a corrupt government to confine their political activity to meetings outside the University. In the arts faculty, on the other hand, there was considerable political activity among students, especially among those engaged in the study of history and philosophy. Probably 50% of these, said Mlle. Delmas, were communists. Student organisations largely consisted of the various Christian Youth movements, strictly divided into Catholic and protestant, the Communist groups forming part of the nation-wide Communist Youth Movement, and the Socialist Party Youth Movement. Reactionary and future Fascist organisations like the Croix de Feu and the Action Francaise had little influence in the universities, but drew a considerable following from the écoles superieurs and the military academy at Saint-Cyr, the Ecole polytechnique, and the Navel Academy at Brest. On the whole, students were not very interested, the effects of the defeat of the progressives' cause in Spain being largely pessimistic.
Occupation, however, changed the picture almost immediately, and the above mentioned demonstrations took place. This, said Louis Aragon, from whom our initial quotation comes, was the signal for the resistance movement to start. Communist students, of course, had immediately to go underground. With everyone, "prendre le maquis" became a normal everyday phrase. But the maquis, as Mlle. Delmas carefully pointed out, was often Paris, and very successfully so, too. The first two months after disappearance meant almost complete inactivity, in order, fully to allay
Early in the occupation, in
University work largely lapsed, but some continued, and research, for example, was still carried on, although in secret, and its results never reached German ears.
A University National Front was organised by the Communists and largely directed towards the 12-18 year olds. Those older than 18 had already decided their course of action and were already at work. The basic necessity was to train the younger ones to extend the work of the resistance and to take the place of those who fell. The education of this section of French youth was carried out by teachers and school and college staffs generally, not however in the schoolroom, but by action in the resistance movement—a policy which proved its worth a hundredfold.
In
On November 25, 1943, the Nazis gave proof of the important part students were playing in the resistance, and wrote another foul page in their records. Back in 1939 the University of Strasbourg had been moved south-west to Clermont-Ferrand, in the "unoccupied zone." Now the Nazis acted. They surrounded the University, shot any students or members of the staff who did not immediately obey their orders, and arrested 4-500 people. An eye-witness reported that during "proceedings" he saw a Gestapo agent rubbing his hands together and saying, "This time, I think, the goose of Strasbourg University is cooked." The Gestapo were greatly aided in this act by a traitor.
On being asked about the number of collaborators among students. Mlle. Delmas told "Salient" that there were very few among either students or staffs. Writers on the other hand probably showed a greater tendency to turn traitor. The shooting of Max Jacob by the Nazis and the sterling reputation of Aragon and many other writers however, shows
Then came the rising of the people of Paris and the liberation of France by the Allied armies. In a very short time, any teacher who had shown any collaboration at all was removed from his position—even at junior schools the children boycotted classes until suspected traitors were replaced.
Out of the long struggle against Nazidom the students of France gained a new insight into their responsibility as students to their country. Their principles crystallised in the formation, in
From discussions with Mlle. Delmas, the reading of an information pamphlet on French political organisations, produced for the
De Gaulle, Mlle. Delmas points out, never had in France the reputation as a political leader that he gained abroad—the successes of the Free French forces were well written up and appreciated in the clandestine press, but those inside France were too busy fighting Nazis to worry over the political views of the French leader outside France—and his political eclipse, while materially affecting the influence of the MRP, has not affected the other two parties. There is every possibility that the proposed merging of the two main parties will have taken place by the next elections. In this the students of France, in alliance with the whole Youth Movement, will have played no small part.
With little doubt it can be said that Victoria College contains the best university library in New Zealand. We alone are favoured by the Carnegie Bequest—the Atkinson Bequest has also helped considerably; but in comparison with European and American standards our 60,000 volumes must show up in a poor light. If a University is the fountain of knowledge, then the library must be its reservoir. A student in England in his quest for information might have some 250,000 books at his disposal—from the stack room a book may be produced almost at will. Many VUC students search in vain for those which they require.
Typical is the French book selection. For those students of classical French literature the collection is excellent; but few additions have been made over the past thirty years. Similarly the English class library has had few accessions made since the day of the foundation professor. Neither do conditions improve with time. The newly formed Geography Department recently handed in suggestions for books which will cost some hundreds of pounds. By the time these additions are finally made the problem of space will be acute. It will be remembered last year how crowded the library became before the final exams. Already in
The present librarian, realising the limitations, has in view plans for a separate library building, but it will be unlikely that any present students will see its erection. Meanwhile what steps should be taken?
The provision of substantial temporary accommodation is absolutely necessary. Professors should further their interest in current publications and see that their classes are provided with all manner of literature—this applies even more so to graduate classes. Finally—the education grant in New Zealand has never yet been adequate—it is of little surprise that after five years of war we should find the effects of prolonged starvation rapidly provoking a crisis.
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With the College roll swollen to a record level, the question of board has become more acute than ever and emergency measures are clearly indicated. In order to gauge the extent and gravity of the problem "Salient" is preparing a questionnaire which will be available shortly in the entrance hall. All students, satisfied or otherwise, male or female or otherwise, are requested to fill one in, on pain of being filled in themselves.
A suggestion has been made as to one possible remedy, that is, the erection of a transit camp adjacent to Weir House. There is a type of Air Force hut partitioned in rooms which would be eminently suitable for this purpose. The huts have showers and conveniences attached and furniture could be obtained from the War Assets Realization Board at negligible cost. The building would more than pay for itself during the short period it would be required.
Priority would certainly be obtainable for erection and there is the further advantage of speed. Spartan living, no doubt, but conducive to high thinking and the economy in living costs should be welcomed. Servicemen, remembering some of the more pleasant features of communal life, may support this project.
Once we get the facts, we can attempt to persuade the College Council and the Rehabilitation Department to get mobile.
Assuming that the contributions to "Rostrum" for
In the midst of a welter of normal prose, "The First Page of my Journal" shines out with short, essential statements, each one of which sends me into a trance of contemplation, an extraordinarily sustained volley of staggering sentences, the culmination, it seems, in the juxtaposition of every term and phrase in the vocabulary of philosophy. One must concede that the writer has crystallised a great deal on to one page of his journal, and it is a source of some regret to me that in this elaborate and considered synthesis I find no significance whatever.
The path I am following is straight and well-defined, and I realize that at some future date I am likely to be the target for a heavy metaphysical barrage from Mr. W. H. and those who publish excerpts from their own similar journals. They will perhaps feel justified in answering that such an article does not impress, influence, or have any meaning for me, because I am not intimately familiar with its heavily charged philosophical jargon. While I am tempted to dismiss this with the scorn which it deserves, I must nevertheless confess that it is their strongest argument, but on the basis of it, Mr. W. H. is surely writing for his own amusement, and his article belongs inside the covers of his journal, or among the dog-eared essays of a last-year's honours class in philosophy. To publish it in "Rostrum" seems to me patent exhibitionism.
In all languages and in every age, the best and truest in literature has resulted from the spontaneous expression of ideas and sentiments conditioned by the times and the particular stage of human development, and that which is precious, academic, and detached has always remained so branded. The significant movement of our time is the world-wide struggle of the masses of the people to whom we belong, against external forces which have hitherto completely dominated our history, a struggle which is finally nearing its climax. I believe it to be the manifest duty of the artist, the writer, and the philosopher to express and interpret this movement, and to identify themselves with the people, who need their guidance. Urged on by this most powerful of all forces, we must follow the strong main current of its development to the end, and leave the clutter of detached intellectuality rotating in its backwaters and eddies.
I therefore dismiss Mr. W.H. feeling that he has voluntarily segregated himself from the battle of his age and that his essay shows him to be wandering in a maze he has created for his own delectation. Further, reading it and evaluating it many times as best I can, I am convinced that, in spite of the studied nonchalance of the title, there are no other pages in his journal.
For the person whose imagination and dramatic sensitivity is restricted by logic, the Gilbertian comedy is undoubtedly an acquired taste. A taste, moreover, which it is recommended to indulge at long intervals, lest one become somewhat dazed by the satirical mace which characterises such examples as the Mikado.
I use the term mace advisedly since the body blows of Gilbertian satire belong to an era when the subtler, more mature forms of social criticism were not in vogue in the theatre. While the wit of the Mikado may be naive in content it has, certainly, that succinct poetry which is the essence of all the operas. Gilbert and Sullivan seasons are so infrequent that in giving judgement there is a danger of setting up arbitrary standards of comparison. This danger is accentuated if it is not recognised that here is a unique type to which the traditional criteria of musical comedy are inapplicable. For safety then, the Mikado may be viewed entirety from the standpoint of the spectator, hoping for his four shillings worth. The two clearest characterizations were given by Koko. Pooh Bah and Yum Yum and the dimmest by Nanki Poo. The latter especially reminded me of a husky adolescent reciting The Boy Stood on the Burning Deck. Undoubtedly the pleasing performances of Koko, Pooh Bah, Katisha, and the Mikado were aided by the fact that they were the only ones who were consistently audible towards the back of the theatre. In spite of his awkward technique and lack of flexibility
The costumes were vivid and colourful and the lighting was skilfully arranged in colour and brilliance to suit the occasion. Of all the players. Koko, in providing some touches of slapstick showed that spontaneous sense of timing which is the mark of the true artist. My excuse for writing this opinion in retrospect is that this final production of the Armed Services Operatic Society has been another milestone in the development of the theatre in New Zealand. Although it has the defects inevitable in an amateur company it is yet a symbol of the upward movement of individual and national culture.
Hollywood has an idea that if a genial and democratic son of Sam meets a conservative Englishman and smashes him in the upper dorsals saying "Hiya bud." the Englishman's repressed face will relax into a coy smile, thus demonstrating that, behind it all he really wants to be cheery and pally to the world In general. This and other theories of similar value are used in the above movie to set off the lovable rascality of a genial American moron who batters
In the early stages the embryonic bruiser falls in love with the good girl of the story, and it is early-assured that her hallmarked fidelity Wi11 get him in the end: so there is no interest there. However, when it becomes evident that John L is cherishing the ambitions engendered by an over-active pituitary, she attempts to persuade him to lead a more respectable life and is thrown out in favour of the Bad Girl who is more amenable to boxing ideals. It seems that John L. felt an urge to stave in the prominent chin men of the day in order to re-establish his uneasy ego. And so there follows a sequence of fights in which the hero batters down a row of incompetent British and Continental pugilists thus illustrating the plucky dauntlessness of American manhood. Gregory McClure as John L was appropriately inane, and Linda Darnell added no colour to a platitudinous role, but Barbara Britton might have been better in a reasonably intelligent story.
This is intended as the first of a series of musical jottings which. I hope, will appear regularly in the future. What form they may take, whether dissertative, critical, or merely appreciative. I do not yet know; however, the purpose is quite definite: to emphasise and enforce personal realisation of the considerable influence, impact and importance of music in modern society.
It is quite fatuous and indeed absurd to deny this force. Music is characterised by Its ubiquity, and the continuity of its effects on our lives is often overlooked. Paradoxically enough, music has become so much absorbed into the general background of our regular social intercourse that we tend to forget its presence. Consequently it seems odd that so little mention is given it in these columns.
We have had occasional reports of recitals, but, more often than not, notable musical events have been ignored. There has never been anything in the nature of a regular musical "corner" such as we have in "Craccum." We intend to include in this column notes on music of all types. As far as possible we will use non-technical terms, for the benefit of those relatively unfamiliar with musical jargon. Any contributions will be welcomed, but next issue will probably contain solicited notes, just to give you an idea of what we want.
I was one of the fortunate who was presented with a war-time copy of this Illustrious work of art. My American friend remarked to me: "It's really groovy!" So with an acute sense of expectancy I settled comfortably to follow the exploits of red-haired Miss Amber, alias Lupescu. The life of a simple hut beautiful country girl who works her passage all the way from Marygreen to Whitehall. Great exploits with plenty of stimulation for the adolescent leader. A book which glorifies the inferior economic position of women but holds out compensation for the beautiful ones with oomph. A best-seller in the States. Opium on a gigantic scale. My compliments to the British censor. But why ban The Well of Loneliness? Radclyffe Hall certainly has presented greater values to the reading public than Miss Kathleen Winsor, Tor whom I can only recommend a change of beat.
The well-attended Annual Meeting of the VUC Debating Society, held in the Gym on Wednesday, March 6, marked the opening of what promises to be a very successful debating year. The swiftness and harmony with which the business of the meeting was conducted even surprised the retiring chairman, Mr. S. Campbell.
Following his opening speech of welcome, Mr. Campbell asked secretary Marie Marshall to read the annual report. This showed that
Mr. O'Brien, with customary lightning speed, presented the balance sheet which showed a surplus of £1/19/0—the first for many years. The society could be proud that it had not had to ask for a grant from the overburdened Stud. Assn.
Officers for
Patron: His Excellency the Governor-General.President: Prof. Lipson.Chairman: Mr. N. Taylor.Vice-Chairman: Mr. D. Cohen.Secretary: Miss L. Leicester.Treasurer: Mr. K. O'Brien.Committee: Mr. H. Dowrick, Mr. J. Ziman, Miss J. Priest, Miss J. Patrick.
The general business mainly centred around the proposal that the Plunket Medal judges should be asked to furnish their definitions of oratory so that intending speakers might have a guide in making their speeches. The spirited discussion which followed augurs well for the standard of debating this year. The main points made by speakers may be summarised thus:—
The proposal, when put to the meeting, was rejected.
The evening was completed with a most interesting documentary film, "Battle of China."
Two fine Christian men have recently visited New Zealand—General Sir William Dobbie and the Bishop of Singapore. They both come from islands that were vital to our defence system, one of which fell, while the other did not. The General conies to tell us that in his view Malta did not fall because God prevented it.
This poses a problem which it is better not to dodge. Are we really to believe that God intervened for places that held, like Stalingrad and El Ala mein, and not for places that fell, like Bataan and the Channel Islands? Does God win battles for us?
I suggest that the thesis that our own success in war, or any other enterprise, is synonymous with the will of God is at the best unproven and at the worst presumptuous. It leads to the kind of prayer which is the mere naked assertion of our own will. This is illustrated with peculiar poignancy when parents pray for the safety of a soldier son. If he comes back they feel that their prayers were answered, but if not . . .
Because of our imperfect knowledge and our wrong choices we run into disaster, we suffer defeats and disappointments. But never let us forget that out of the defeat of our interests God can bring victory for His enterprise. Singapore fell, and the Bishop of that city was tortured by the Japanese. When the Japanese asked why he did not curse them, he replied that he was "a follower of Jesus Christ and must try to love them." In other words, God won a victory for His purpose in defeated Singapore which He could not win in inviolate Malta.
The Tramping Club has got away to a good start this year, having already run a Sunday trip over Cannon Point to Karapoti and back to Akatarawa, and a two-day trip to the Tauherenikau Valley. The annual meeting will be held within the next week and after that a detailed syllabus for the rest of the year will be published.
A new trip for this club was chosen for the inaugural tramp. Advertised as an easy walk, the route first climbs the Wellington fault near Upper Hutt to Cannon Point, which provides an excellent panorama of the Tararua Range and the Hutt and Mangaroa Valleys. Unfortunately for the easy walkers, the lead was taken by Geoff Milne, sometime student guide at the Hermitage, and by Peter Coleman, Milford Track repairer. Unfortunately, because the uninitiated felt it their duty to keep up with the leaders, and arrived at the top red-faced and panting, only regaining their wind in time to hurl abuse at the club committee who had ambled lazily up the hill, far behind the main party. After lunch on top of the hill and a headlong descent to the Campbell's Mill stream, a short swim was very welcome until various small boys and cantankerous females on the bridge above began to hurl insults and apple cores at the bathers. A billy of tea was made, not without a certain amount of acrimony; subsequently two Forest Rangers declared the fire well and truly extinguished. The return to Akatarawa was made along the road, some on the milk lorry, some on the feet A wheelbarrow found on the roadside was spurned as antiquated.
Singing in train, bus and lorry, is traditional in all VUC clubs and the Tramping Club considers it can beat all comers in this activity. We are looking forward to Extrav.
Tauherenikau Hut last Sunday morning presented a rather unusual scene. Most of "Salient" Staff was transported there on Saturday and the following morning proceeded to hold their laying out meeting. Scissors and paste, galleys and paste-ups were dragged out of sundry packs and soon floor and table were covered with scraps of paper, the air was filled with curses and cigarette smoke, and a facsimile of the paper you are now reading soon appeared. At lunch time some people thought the paste might make a tasty addition to the dessert, but this suggestion was overruled as the new regulations regarding the disposal of Stud. Ass. property would not countenance such undue consumption. This tramp was only the second for some years for which lorry transport from Wellington was provided. The advantages, financial and social, of lorry transport are overwhelming. The club is now allowed one lorry a month and as a result will be able to run far more varied and interesting trips, as well as several skiing trips to Kime and Holdsworth in the winter.
Being a young women extensively travelled who has men men of all types and nationalities, I feel I am well suited to give an opinion of the males of this country. It should be quite clear to any woman with the slightest glimmering of intelligence or fastidiousness that there is something very radically wrong.
The majority are so repellent that one is prejudiced in the first place; only a very few can talk intelligently without being conceited; the rest so nauseatingly egotistical that they would make any self-respecting woman sick on the spot.
The average New Zealand male looks like a cross between Herr Goebbels and the Apeman, anyone having the slightest claim to good looks automatically having spectacles or false teeth. Their mentality varies, of course, but as a general rule conceit is directly proportional to the degree of intelligence and pleasantness of appearance.
But it is when these young men are drunk that words really fail me. Never have I seen more disgusting sights in my life than at one of these New Zealand parties. Never have I seen a more degrading and revolting exhibition than that given by a young New Zealander at a very correct and proper cocktail party a short time ago. Young men in this country seem to go to parties with one thing in mind. Not to meet interesting people, not to talk intelligently, not to dance, but to get through as much beer as is humanly possible, and then to get rid of it all over the floor.
Is it fair. I ask you, that the young New Zealand women should be saddled with these slobbering apes and grotesque caricatures of a God-patterned being? It is very sad indeed to see lovely girls enduring these men. If they—the girls, had ever met men from other countries they wouldn't have anything to do with these youths. They are fundamentally talkers. It provides an outlet for their smutty little minds to be able to indulge in grandiose talk about the more fundamental things of life, but I guarantee you that a German corner boy, age fifteen, could knock spots off our students.
It is a well-known fact among the more worldly women "in the know" that out of eighty-six boys at Weir House only three have the beginnings of a polished technique.
I can't give you any more criticism than I have already, and how you make out depends on you, and you alone. As a bit of vague advice try to combine the charm, low cunning and fatal fascination of the polished German, with the warmth and passion of the Irishman and the tact and Innate good taste of the Englishman. How you make out depends on yourselves alone, and not on what anyone says or does to you.
You're not quite past hoping for . . . but, oh . . . so very nearly!!!
The Drama Club will present "Mr. Bolfrey" in the Concert Chamber on Friday and Saturday, April 5 and 6
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(Heard in tram passing War Memorial the other day)
Small Child: "Mummy, what's that for?"
Harrassed Mother: "That's the War Memorial."
S.C.: "What's it for?"
H.M.: "It's a memorial for the fallen."
S.C.: "What—fallen women?"
Consternation!
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Friday the 12th saw the Green Barn bulging and sagging under the onslaught of a mass of humanity seeking amusement at the Freshers' Welcome. It is estimated that at least half the patrons celebrating the occasion sought out their diversions within the hall itself.
By midnight the mob had dispersed sufficiently to allow the diehards to dance in comfort. Judging by the expressions on the faces of
Dr. J. C. Beaglehole said that, as doorkeeper, he had actually had the skin torn off his knuckles ? while trying to hold the door against late-comers, during an item.
Greer Garson's newest presents the class struggle in a way calculated to induce the leftist lads to gnaw their dogma books and emit hollas about the Bourgeoisie and that. On just such an issue of class clevage does Garson make her decision in the valley. She bows to the unbridgable social gulf between the haves, and the never have hads, and rejects her man for his own social good. A likely story I must say. But the escapists are sighing over it, due I think to G. G.'s rather convincing performance. The plot is long and somewhat involved, but this is what makes it interesting; this element of what next? So I shall avoid too much light on what happens in favour of a general outline.
There is an entrepreneur American family, whose dough is in the steelworks and who possesses the usual handsome son. Greer Garson is the daughter of a worker who blames the entrepreneurs for the loss of his legs and when she goes to their mansion to serve as a housemaid he becomes rather nasty and stays that way throughout the story. When the rich scion follows the behaviour pattern, his family refuses to countenance such a marriage; and what with love, and prejudice on both sides, mental conflict, both personal and dual, labour strikes, and even a triangle there is no ingredient lacking for a really grim drama. And having regard for the one or two reservations above the fusion has been passably well done, though the plot is rather confused in parts. Lionel Barrymore wore his Dr. Gillespie coat beneath the clothes of the crippled worker, and very often you can see it. Barrymore's irascibility is becoming somewhat boring after all these years. But Gregory Peck as the scion and Gladys Cooper as a corner of the triangle are quite bearable supporters of the leading lady.
The introduction was, to say the least, highly unconventional, but then, by all standards, he was an unpredictable character. The small room was suddenly possessed by a Presence, the powers of darkness pressed in on us, there was a crash of thunder and a blinding light, and the unspeakable one manifested himself, top-hatted, impeccable, with umbrella poised in delicate fingers, but in his eyes flashed the fires of hell. When the screaming was over, and we had controlled our anxiety neurosis—always aggravated by these untimely pyrotechnics—the unreality of the situation became apparent, and a swift curtain terminated it none too soon for us.
It seems the Celtic twilight is traditionally thronged with uncanny influences, from leprechauns to what have you, and the excuse for the whole action is that anything can happen in the highlands and this time it did. However, it is rather unreasonable to us that a combination or little doglatin and chaldean, a chalk circle executed charmingly in reverse by Jean, and a modicum of hocus-pocus with a Knife, should dream up anything so impressively positive as Mr. Bolfrey, lead to a titanic struggle With a Calvinist minister for the souls of four people, and finally vaporise no small portion of the ocean off the Western Isles.
The point we should like to make is that the play has no connection with any reality, but nevertheless is not intended to be a fantasy in the strict sense. This is obvious from the device of Mr. Bolfrey's umbrella, which is discovered the following morning and inexplicably levitates itself out on a window, taking with it our last hope that the extraordinary events of the night were the figments of a dream. One realises, however, that this was necessary to point the moral, which is the triumph of Faith over the powers of evil within us and without, and the fact is, then, that the play cannot be judged on a basis of reason, and will already have been dismissed by the materialists as the phonus bolonus. For example, Mr. McCrimmon, in expounding his basis for religious faith, exhorts us to look around for evidence, and makes the statement that reason is a poor instrument for the apprehension of spiritual truths. We agree, and are reminded of how Heine said that Kant's Critique of Pure Reason is the sword with which he decapitated the Deity.
For a' that an a' that, it played remarkably well, and we congratulate Pix Hurrell and his charming cast for a production which, with a little more polish and publicity, could draw packed houses outside VUC. Bruce Mason as Bolfrey enjoys himself hugely in an outstanding interpretation of an exacting role, and we want to see a lot more of him. The Calvinist minister McCrimmon is portrayed with deep conviction by John McCreary, whose acting is better than ever, and we like Betty Arya as Mrs. McCrimmon. Geoff Datson's clowning is original and good, though we think his technique of osculation isn't up to much, and maybe Cath Crosse agrees with us. Diana Mason as the sophisticated Jean is altogether charming, and her poise adds a great deal to the success of the production. We present a bunch of forget-me-nots to Huddy Williamson for creating the Manse.
This collection of talented players is the best in a long time, and we think the Drama Club really has something. All the more reason then for selecting plays with rather more vital and forceful significance, which shine not only in production but in their content. And where are the crowded houses of our pre-war days, when first-night sessions were jammed to the doors? There may have been too little publicity, and some people are still preoccupied with settling down, but we recommend these Drama Club shows unreservedly, and predict a very successful year.
Dear sir.—A large number of students propose to form a Socialist Club in the College this year. The matter has been widely discussed but for the benefit of those who have not heard we ask you to publish this letter for the purposes of information. The purpose of a club of this kind is to bring together in purposeful discussion and activity the many people of the University who are interested in the study propagation of socialist opinion, who desire to encourage students to organise for the fulfilments of their responsibilities and the maintenance of their rights and who wish to discourage the "Ivory Tower" idea that students are isolated from the rest of the people and are unaffected by the great social problems and upheavals. This attitude of isolation is only too prevalent in New Zealand but one against which we must act, in view of the magnificent record of the student movements of the world in the last few years. Students as a body were in the forefront of resistance in all occupied countries no matter what the difficulties or the dangers. Even in Germany itself an underground movement of the students of Munich University was uncovered by the Nazis in
In all the great British Universities such clubs exist. They first appeared during the great depression of
"Where does the Students' Association fee go?"
This is a question which is often asked by freshers and is of interest to all students.
The revenue from this source, after a small deduction by the College office of a collection fee, is administered by the Executive which is elected annually by students.
A predetermined part of each fee goes automatically to the Building Fund, which one day will be spent on a Students' Union.
The major portion is used in grants to sporty and cultural clubs; the running of social functions (including tournaments, tea dances, balls, under-grads' supper, Extrav., Capping, etc); the issue of College publications (Salient and Spike); and in administering the cafeteria. The wages of the office assistant and payments for upkeep of the gym., etc., are also charges met by this money.
The 'Students' Association caters for a wide diversity of student interests as will be noted from the list of Clubs given below.
Victoria's fee is extremely reasonable when compared with other NZ University Colleges, where extra fees are paid for joining each club.
On payment of the Student's Assn. fee you automatically become a member of all the following clubs, all clubs welcome new members:
Sports Clubs
Culture, etc.
Watch the notice boards and the cafeteria for announcements of meetings, and practices.
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A meeting or the Biological Society will be held at 7.30 p.m. on Tuesday. Match 26. This will be followed by a talk at 8 p.m. by Dr. Hamilton of D.S.I.R., who will speak on "Herd Improvement Methods and Their Results." In this talk he will discuss such subjects as Artificial Insemination. Disease Control. Breeding, Nutrition.
Starting with a spectacular win by default at water-polo on Thursday night, varsity followed up with a decisive victory in the four-a-side relay at Riddiford Baths the following Saturday.
At the same time prospects for Tournament have looked up considerably. At the club night on Wednesday, May 14, some promising performances were seen. Neville Turnbull, old VUC man, came back from the war to swim 50 yards in, at most, 26 secs. Dick Daniel was timing three people with one watch, so complete accuracy was not possible.
The same evening Margaret McKenzie swam 50 yards in 33 secs. With some practice on the start, and turn, she should better this figure, which compares favourably with the average N.Z.U. winner as it is.
Sickness has so far prevented Pat Cummins (N.Z.U. 50 yds. title-holder) from attending club nights.
Club members will be glad to know that Mr. Bob Hall (ex VUC Student) has consented to come to club nights on Wednesdays at 8 p.m. to coach our swimmers.
The Club will hold its annual Carnival on Wednesday, March 27 at Thorndon Baths. If possible it will start at 7-30 p.m. but the Wellington Learn to Swim Campaign may stand in the way, in which case the Carnival will start at 8 p.m.
A highly attractive programme of events has been devised including:
Men's 50 yards invitation scratch, men's 100 yards championship, women's 50 yards championship, open 100 yards breastroke handicap, open 100 yards backstroke handicap, scratch width and back, dive (standing, running, and awkward entry), Feet first width (very funny!!!) 331/3 yards freestyle handicap, inter-faculty relay (2 men and 2 women.)
A water polo game will be arranged If enough keen players are available.
Finally the spectators will be permitted to enter the water.
All this entertainment will cost only sixpence.
At the first practice of the Club held on Monday, 11th, the following committee for
Club Captain: Shirley Cole.Vice-Captain: Avis Reed.Sec.-Treat.: Pat Cummins.
The Club is busy preparing for Tournament and would like to see more players attending practices in the Gym on Mondays at 7 p.m.
We are very fortunate in having Mrs. Irma Smith as coach this year. Mrs. Smith started coaching from scratch the Island Bay team which is now among the leaders in Wellington Association matches.
The team for Tournament will be a strong contender for the Basketball Shield, which they held for three years in succession.
We will be entering at least two teams in the local Association competition.
This year the Club will be extending its social activities, which should draw the members closer together.
An invitation Is extended to all basketball players to roll up to
After six years' recess the Defence Rifle Club shot again on Saturday. Vance Henderson dug out the records and a number of old .303 stalwarts last week and called a general meeting, which elected the following committee:—
President: R. H. Johnston.Vice-President: A. T. S. Howarth.Secretary: D. V. Henderson.Treasurer: R. G. Anson.Committeeman: H. M. Sansum.
Their Immediate aim is to produce a team to shoot for the Haslam Shield at Redcliffs this Easter. With the aid of a number of club members from pre-war days the club should soon be launching out with all its old vigour.
There is a match shoot this Saturday, the first club fixture. Last week they shot as guests of the Suburbs Club at Trentham. The club's rifles have been returned to the army and have been put into good order again. Ammunition is available from the army.
This club is run by misogynists, and they refer all would-be markswomen to the Miniature Rifle Club.
Easter Tournament will show whether VUC riflemen can recapture the Shield which we held in
Thanks to the spirited support of the teams by past players, the Soccer Club of 1946 is well-established and ready to enter a first-class team in the Winter Tournament. The Club intends to achieve the victory it achieved last year. Like all clubs, however, it cannot for ever rely on the support of old members, and is therefore preparing to welcome freshmen who are anxious for a year's sport, and a possible trip to Auckland for the Winter Tournament. Waste no time in contacting one of the Club's officers, namely:
The Victoria College Swords Club is in action; this year the Club should be able to increase its membership to approximately 40 members.
During
Despite handicaps, the first year of the club was definitely successful. In Winter Tournament, where we had to meet the experienced teams from other Colleges, the team performed creditably in winning 22 bouts to the 27 won by the winners of the competition, Otago, to whom we extend our congratulations. The result was far above expectations and augurs well for the future of fencing in the College.
The club started operations in June, and to have a team ready to go into action by August was an example of the keenness and excellence of our instructor Mr. Norman Dixon, whose energetic interest and support has carried the club over its most difficult period. Fencing was continued through the long vacation and there is already keen competition for places in the team for Auckland in August this year.
The last Olympic Games were held ten years ago and the film on the subject has been in the country for six years without being made available to the general public. The reason is that it contains a small amount of Nazi propaganda and it is possible that a screening during the war would not have been desirable. However, it is now being made available to sports bodies and other interested organisations.
At the screening I attended a message from Mr. Fraser was delivered beforehand advising the audience to ignore the propaganda aspect but Mr. Fraser need not have worried. Hitler's appearances were greeted with laughter, and the emphasis that was placed on the exploits of the German, Italian and Japanese athletes cut no ice whatever. There was a tendency to under-emphasize the achievement of the Negroes but their obviously outstanding performances defied the attempts of the producers to discriminate between the "White Race" and the "dangerous black boys." In any case, most of the English commentary was supplied by announcers from the British and American broadcasting services.
The producer of the film was Leni Reifenstahl, a prominent Nazi, but an accomplished artist. She was reported to have been Hitler's mistress at the time and a popular joke among the anti-Nazis concerned the story that Hitler slept on spring steel, not on a mattress. For translation of the lady's name see any German dictionary.
The film begins with a half hour of impressionistic shots, carrying one back to the Greek Olympic Games and leading up to the carrying of the Olympic torch from Athens to Berlin. For anyone interested in film technique I can recommend this sequence without reservation. However the inclusion of a similar long sequence at the beginning of the second part and again at the end, seems rather unnecessary.
The screening takes nearly four hours. My only comment on this is that I am not normally interested in most of the sports included in the Olympic Games, but I did not lose interest in the film for half a moment. Most of the events are shown in full, even the heats being included in some cases. It soon became obvious that one sees far more in a film than one does in seeing the actual event; the camera is able to follow the sprinter right round the track, to climb to the height of the pole vaulters' cross-bar, and to go underwater to examine the swimmers' style. It would take a whole book to give details of all the events shown, but a few are worth special comment.
Lovelock's amazing burst of speed in the late stages of the 1500 metres brought a burst of applause in the theatre. The organisers of the games were quite unprepared for a New Zealander taking a record—the Union Jack was run up on the winners' flagpole, and the band played "God Save The King"—perhaps a reflection on N.Z.'s overseas publicity.
The most spectacular event from the photographic viewpoint is the pole-vaulting. The Olympic record in this event is about three feet higher than the New Zealand record, and the grace and precision of the performers astounded the audience.
In the swimming events, the film is not so valuable as a demonstration of technique; one is left to assume that the speed is faithfully represented. However, a number of underwater shots should provide considerable interest to swimmers. The diving was a special thrill, although cutting the shots before the diver hit the water tended to leave the audience hanging in mid-air also.
The film is of unquestionable value to all sportsmen and physical education specialists, but the purpose of this article has been to persuade that it is also worth the attention of all who are interested in film as an art.
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This year, for the first time, the Men's Hockey Club is running a ball to be held at the Roseland Cabaret on Friday, March 30, commencing at 8.30 p.m.
Unfortunately we are strictly limited in the numbers we can admit and there will not be a large number of invitations for general distribution. Our advice is to get in early if you desire to come along and join in a really good night's entertainment. The ball is of course a strictly private one and admission (by invitation only) is free for the nominal charge of 10/6 double. Consult the notice boards for the time and place of obtaining invitations. Please make sure you write your name on the invitation when taking delivery of it.
A special welcome is extended to Freshmen and Returned Servicemen.
In the post two seasons, and especially during the one now drawing to a close, the University Rowing Club has been steadily rising to the position it held prior to the outbreak of war. With many old members returned, and with a steady influx of newcomers, the club can look forward to its future with some confidence. The renaissance of Easter Tournament and the holding of various inter-club regattas have played no small part in this revival, and although the club has not as yet been as successful as might be desired, much valuable racing experience has been gained.
As we have not yet attained the dizzy heights of owning a clubhouse of our own, the Star Boating Club plays host to us and our equipment. Varsity members join the Star Club, and are to be found in all Star crews. A perusal of the Star regatta roster for the season would reveal the names of many men from the College, including G. Ward, G. Honore, W. Osten, G. Marryatt, D. Thomas, and D. Hartley. The Star youths' crew at both Picton and Wanganui regattas was composed entirely of men from Victoria, although neither crew gained the success expected. As is usual at all regattas, the traditional hospitality and fellowship of rowing was enjoyed. If dimly remembered, by all. A rowing regatta may be recommended for a really rowlocking time.
The crew has already been selected which will represent the College in the Inter-University Eight-oared Boat Race, to be held in Christchurch during the Easter Tournament. It may he said to be a very strong combination.
Stroke, S. Kidd; 7. G. Stuckey; 6, G. Marryatt; 5, W. Osten; 4, S. Glllon; 3, G. Pownall; 2, R. Connal; bow, G. Honore; cox, G. Ward.
The crew is very fortunate in having a fine old rowing man as coach. Mr. Barners will be recalled by older students as the man who coached the VUC crews in
On Saturday, March 23, the crew will be racing in the Junior Eights event at the Inter-Provincial Eights Regatta on
We understand from local papers, including the "Sports Post," that our Senior XI is doing exceedingly well and is almost certain to win in the competitions. We also read that Oakley has been making a name for himself.
Apart from the above we know nothing about the Cricket Club, as they have omitted to send in any club notes for this issue.