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Salient. An Organ of Student Opinion at Victoria College, Wellington, N.Z Vol. 3, No. 5.

No Man's Land

No Man's Land

No Man's Land

No Man's Land

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Dear Salient,

Re "For Freshers Only". May one be permitted to add a few points for undergraduates in general?

1.Freedom of thought, as the first step to right action, since the world is infinitely complex, and only a person himself knows his own circumstances.
2.Tolerance, as the first necessity in making freedom of thought possible.
3.Humility, both because otherwise we so easily, consciously or subconsciously, influence the freedom of thought of others; and because opposition invites opposition, whereby we lose our own freedom.
4.Open-mindedness, both to that with which we are in sympathy and otherwise.
5.Judgment, which implies a capacity for selection and discrimination among things, so that we may draw therefrom what best suits ourselves and our most harmonious relations with others, that we may neither encroach upon their freedom nor irritate them to encroach upon ours.
6.Sympathy, without which harmonious relations are impossible.
7.Love, which is active sympathy and makes our relations with others not only harmonious, but dynamically so, and hence fruitful, thus making for right, true and beautiful actions in ourselves and to all, as being the goal to which, it is taken, we strive.

A. M. Isdale

Dear Salient,

May I, per medium of yourself, be allowed to advertise the fact that Sunday, 16th June, is the date arranged for the annual Universal Day of Prayer for students and universities.

In many overseas countries, centres of higher education have suddenly almost ceased to be, and, though the result that this fact will have upon the culture of future generations must as yet remain unknown, the prospects may well be disturbing. First in China, then in Spain, the majority of the universities became nonexistent, while the present war has already meant that a large proportion of the student population in Europe will be unable to continue studying. While we in New Zealand can have no real idea of the difficulties under which students in less fortunate parts of the world are endeavouring to further their studies, there are ways in which we can help.

Firstly, we can support by means of donations, the work of the International Student Service. This body in the last year or two has not only done a great deal to alleviate the suffering of refugee students, but also it has enabled many specially selected students to continue their studies when this would otherwise have been impossible. Now, when the work of the I. S. S. is so very necessary, it seems probable that most of the donations upon which it relies will not be forthcoming. Those students who may wish to promote the work of the I. S. S. may do so by making a donation either through the College branch of the S. C. M., or the Students' Association.

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But there is another way in which Christian students will want to help, and that is by prayer. Sunday, 16th June, will be a day the world over, when students will unite to pray for God's blessing upon the work of the universities, and for the sense of His near Presence to those of their number who are suffering, or whose lives may appear to be doomed to failure.

In Wellington, the Day of Prayer will be observed by a service organized by the S.C.H. in the Terrace Congregational Church, at 4 p.m., to be followed by a tea in the Church Hall. All students are cordially invited to attend these functions. Those who will be unable to be [unclear: present], and asked to join in the united intercessions of Christian students the world over.

H. G. Bowyer President, V.U.C.S. C.M

Dear Salient,

The composition "Lest We Forget" whose author cringes behind the alias of Rollo, must not pass unchallenged. Disgust fades into contempt and contempt into sneer pity for the man who can use the words "Lost We forget" - pregnant as they are with the memories of sacrifice and devotion of a gallant host, who did not hesitate to appease and propitiate the hideous war-god of Imperial Germany with the supremo offering of their lives.

Their sacrifice may have been blind - "the million sightless eyes that lie beneath our cenotaphs" have paid dearly for that blindness. Grant them, however, that their sacrifice was sincere - tragically sincere - the long white fields of little crosses that span Messines Ridges give silent witness to that.

Rollo and his confreres would still have us believe, that this present conflict is a gigantic capitalist intrigue, a gargantuan game of political chess with the working class as pawns. Seventy years of German militarism, tyranny and conquest have not sufficed to convince Rollo that this war is no more political fabrication. Ideologies evolve slowly. In Germany, Bismarck's doctrines of force are only just [unclear: beginning] to bear their full fruit today in Hitler's bid for world domination. This war is a death-struggle between two conflicting ideal [gap — reason: illegible].

How long must we [unclear: tol] these [unclear: intellectual] scorpions, who, not content with hurling their [unclear: exploded] myths at our heads, violate the art of poetry with their bawling [unclear: cacophanies] and inane jargon?

C. B. Woodward.