Polonaise

To hear about the history, customs and methods of famous Polish uni versities from a former professor at one of them was the good fortune of those who attended the lecture by the Consul-General for Poland in New Zealand, Count Wodzicki, arranged by the Biological Society. After dwelling for some time on the universities' invasion-ridden history, Count Wodzicki told of the organisa tion of the faculties and the various clubs, both of which seem to receive more serious consideration there than here. Part-timing in most courses is virtually impossible, except on the basis of working one year and using the money earned for studying the next, and so on through the course, while the Count remembered return ing home at three and four, in the morning from heated discussions at various clubs. This makes even the most enthusiastic of ours look pretty milk-and-watery bodies. As far as can be recalled, the Haeremai Club is the only one we have had whose mem bers habitually negotiated the home doorstep at that hour, and their [unclear: reasons] were not exclusively academic.

An impression left by the Count's address, and his answers to questions from the audience, was that Victoria would do better if she cried to develop along the lines of [unclear: such] universities as Cracow and Warsaw, rather than of the semi-canonised ones of Britain. Heaven knows, we are hopelessly be hind either type as far as student life goes, but we can at least try [unclear: 'o] improve. It seems both from the Count's remarks and from what we have heard previously, that there was an enthusiasm in the Continental uni versities before the war, and it will [unclear: return] again, which is not to be found at Oxford or Cambridge. And en thusiasms and vigorous beliefs are sadly lacking at V.U.C.

At supper after his lecture the Count was even more interesting as he discussed Poland herself, her [unclear: economic] problems, and her relations with other countries, especially the Soviet. His opinion, punctuated with apposite references from Marx, was that the Soviet's invasion of Poland was no more justifiable from the Polish point of view than the German invasion, but when the Soviet had been drawn into the conflict Poland had been the first of this war's vic tims to let bygones be [unclear: bygones], and extend the hand of friendship to the Soviet.