Enter the Harriers.

The fourteenth of April will be engraved in the annals of Victoria College—the inauguration of the Victoria University College Harrier Club. The season was officially opened on April 23rd at Karori by the President, Dr. Henning. at the residence of Mr. W. P. Shorland, vice-president, in the presence of Messrs L. C. King, C. B. Allan, and A. D. Monroe, vice-presidents. Since then the interest shown has gradually increased, and there are indications of a very successful season.

The activities have been modest, but intensive. Brooklyn and Miramar, Worser Bay and Wadestown have seen the familiar colours flitting up the hills, down the grassy vales and over stony stretches. Occasionally a faint trail gives a welcome respite, and the hounds fall into an easy walk till the scent (of afternoon tea?) dilates their nostrils and—. Club events have not eventuated owing to the recency of the foundation, but it is hoped that the near future will enable club aspirants to reveal their mettle. The syllabus for the next four runs is: Kelburn, 28th May; Seatoun, 4th June; Karori, at the invitation of the Brooklyn Club, on 11th June; and Northland on 18th June.

All interested are asked to communicate with F. B. Shorland, M.Sc.

Honours await Victoria. Numerous laurels, calling for speed, endurance and moral qualities of a high order await Wikitorian harriers. The Dome Cup. to be competed for at Hutt Park on July 2nd. is the first, followed by the Provincial Championships, the Bennett Cup Memorial road race, the Shaw Baton relay (milers required), the Vosseller Shield cross-country, and last, but not least, the Olympic of 20 miles at Trent ham. Further afield there is the Marton-Wanganui road-race and the Kennett Cup cross-country, at Christchurch.

What should be of great interest to intending harriers is the prospect of a race between Auckland University College and Victoria. It is anticipated that Auckland will visit Wellington for this specific purpose; so all have a chance to be a Victorian representative. Potential Wizard Smiths or Phar Laps come out of hiding and enter the lists.

The club is just started, and has a long way to run to build up a tradition and prestige, while the optimism and enthusiasm of members will rank Victoria College harriers along with those of Auckland. Canterbury and Otago.

Hockey.

The outstanding event of the year, as far as the Hockey Club is concerned, is the annual tournament scheduled to take place here on June the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th. Auckland. Canterbury, and Otago Universities are each sending a team of men and one of women. For some time it was very doubtful if the other colleges would be able to enter women's teams, but at present all intend to be represented. The southern people will arrive on the morning of the 2nd. So far the Aucklanders have not notified us of their arrangements, but they will probably arrive on the limited a few hours after the others. V.U.C. teams always have a rattling good time at the other Centres, so, as many as possible are asked to turn out to welcome the visitors. N.B.—Don't forget to bring your car.

With regard to billeting, everyone, whether a " hockeyite" or not, is invited to lake in a guest during the tournament. As only 70 odd billets are re quired, you are. urged to get in early to avoid the crush.

Four games will be played by the men's teams at Newtown Park on the 2nd and 3rd, and on the 4th a selected N.Z. University team will meet a Wellington Provincial eleven. The girls' programme is slightly different, as they are playing their rep. match on the 3rd and their tournament finals on the 4th. The N.Z.U. Hockey Council will meet on some day during the tournament.

Apart from sundry dinners, etc., the main social function will be the dance in the Gym. on Friday, the 3rd, this promising to be the best turn-out of the year. (And the supper! Another fruit salad, Helen—gentleman's order!)

Getting down to the main object of the tournament. it is probable that the Seddon Stick will come to Wellington, as our first eleven is in great form (I suppose that by the time this number is printed the Seniors will have had their fourth consecutive loss). As for the girls, well, you should see them f raining.

However, best of luck to both teams.

By the way (with apologies to 2YA), training for the Club is held in the Gym. every Thursday night at 8 o'clock.

Football.

The Football Club is again the biggest in the College. Fight teams have been entered in the Club Competitions, as against the seven of previous years. The new team entered is the Junior B team.

Up to date of writing neither of our Senior teams have had a win, but both hope to open their score at an early date. In defence of both teams we must state that both have been playing the leading teams in their Grades.

Our Junior A are one of our strongest team's. So far they have had only one defeat, and that by the leading team. They hope to beat this team in the second round and draw level again. We must congratulate them on their showing this season. Junior B. have not done so well, but have not been beaten by any large scores as yet. Third A are one of the leading teams in this Grade, and if they carry on playing the foot ball they are now playing they must end well up the Championship Table. Third B are not doing too well, but can be said to be enjoying their football. The Fourth A are again very good. They have had one loss, against Petone, the leading team. They should end up among the leaders of the Grade, and with a little luck may be the actual leaders. The Fourth B have won 50 per cent, of their matches to date, and look like settling down page 7 into a good, solid team

The Club's injury list is heavy, and the Committee stresses the need of tit players being available every week, and not refusing to turn out under cover of flimsy excuses.

The new ground is ready for sowing, and will be sown in the early spring by a qualified man. The Club needs to raise a considerable sum to meet its liabilities this year, and hopes that all the members will be behind it in its financial undertakings.

The notice of Club members is drawn to two functions— the Dance to be held in July and a Smoke Concert to be held at the end of the season.

The Club will be playing Massey College at Wellington on June 8rd. and Te Ante College at Waipukurau on 20th August. All members under 21 are eligible for selection for this last match.

Tennis.

While tennis is now taking a back seat in many quarters, and tennis discussions are being cast aside to make way for such momentous subjects as when the Senior A football team will win a match, the Tennis Club is by no means asleep, and the new courts are getting quite a bit of use. The last few week-ends have seen several hardy members enjoying the rare experience of being able to seen re a court as soon as they arrive, and hold it, undisputed, for the rest of the afternoon.

It is unfortunate that the Club Championships were interrupted by Tournament and the several weeks of its preparations, and now remain unfinished. ft is hoped, however, that outstanding matches will be played-off early next season.

An encouraging improvement has been observed in the play of some of the younger members of the Club during the last season, promising well for Varsity's tennis next season. Don't be bashful about putting your name down for the Inter-Club matches; players in all grades are wanted, and women particularly. In past years the support given to these matches by the women has not been as good as it might, but it is to be hoped that their success in the University Tournament at Easter may make them a little less shy and retiring next season. The experience gained in these matches at Miramar is invaluable, and this is a necessary preliminary to Tournament representation and a New Zealand University Mine. More use could also be made of the Club ladders. Not only do the ladders provide a splendid source of match practice, but also they are the only indication the Committee has of the relative merits of players.

To descend once again to the sordid subject of money.' The next Club activity will be a bridge evening to raise a little more cash for the debt on the courts. The last Tennis Club bridge party was quite successful, in spite of the dirty weather, but this one is going to be a really bright show. So keep your eyes on the notice board and be ready to help the Club by bringing along your friends And their money.

Lesser known activities of the Tennis Club:

Several men have been making exceptional progress lately in wielding a broom clearing water off the courts. Mr. Hutcheson. particularly, has been getting in a considerable amount of practice, and is developing a pleasing style of unusual freedom and grace, ft is comforting to think that if the City Corporation staff unexpectedly went on strike, the University would be in a position to supply capable men to fill some of the lower but none the less important positions.

Dramatic Club,

The activities of the Dramatic Club have been necessarily restricted owing to the production of the Capping Revue, no readings being held during the past month. However, a syllabus for the year has been drawn up, and, when printed, will be distributed to the students.

The next reading will be on June 10th, and the play set: down is "Mud and Treacle," which was considered for production last year. At present the work of the new committee centres round the annual production in the city. The choice of play was made after much deliberation and consideration of the merits of other new plays, the task of selection being, a particularly difficult one. This year the Dramatic Club will present "Mr. Faintheart," a romantic comedy by Ian Hay. This presentation should prove very popular with the Wellington and student public, as Ian Hay's work in the field of dramatic comedy is very favourably known. The production of the play is in the extremely able hands of Miss Mary Cooley, whose talents in this direction need no introduction to the play-reading public.

Free Discussions Club.

A certain amount of interest was aroused among students last term by the abandonment at a day's notice of a Free Discussions Club meeting, advertised for the 14th April, which was to have taken the form of a debate on the subject, "That Communism would give a better social order." This action was the result of a letter from the Chairman of the Professorial Hoard cancelling the permission already given to the Club to use one of the rooms in the College, unless he was assured that one of the speakers at the meeting would not be allowed to speak. The meeting for the 1Mb was accordingly abandoned. Since this action of the Hoard's raised a question of principle affecting the future activities of the Club, a letter was addressed to the Chairman inquiring under what circumstances the Hoard would be likely to refuse the Club the use of a room. Were any subjects proscribed, or any classes of individuals? Owing to the uncertainty of our position with regard to choice of subjects and speakers, it was decided to suspend future meetings of the Club until more definite information was to hand. Towards the end of the term a reply was received which defined the position of the Club. No topic which was a subject of real human interest would be proscribed, but the Hoard wished the list of outside speakers at. any College or Society to be first submitted to it and approved.

Meetings of the Free Discussions Club will be held weekly throughout the Second Term, in order to make up for the suspension of meetings during the first term. By the time "Smad" is published, members of the Club will have had the pleasure of hearing Major Pharazyn speak on "Soviet Russia." This will be followed the next week by a discussion on the "Value of Christianity" by Messrs Hurley and Riske, and in the third week Mr. R. J. Reardon will speak on "Ireland and De Valera." Other meetings in the near future will be Dr. T. I,. G. Sutherland on "The Latest from Russia," and Dr. Henning on "Do we need a Censorship?"

Members of the Club and others are again reminded that the Club purchases and places in the Library several periodicals dealing with current events, namely. "The Adelphi," "Harper's Magazine." "The Hibbert Journal," "New Republic," and "New Statesman and Nation."

Heard after a Psych. Lecture.

"You Kant do that!"

"I Wundt if I could!

Literary Society.

On Tuesday, April 26th, the Literary Society was entertained by Mr. J. R. Elliott's amusing paper on the highly controversial theme of "Detective Fiction." This popular subject brought a large audience to listen to Mr. Elliott's eloquent defence of a foully slandered branch of literature, which, he said, had committed the unpardonable sin of being popular. So spurned was it by the intellectuals that many who wished to enjoy this harmless recreation and yet retain their rank above the Philistines were forced to read shamefully by stealth, and when caught, were as guilty as if they had been "found playing marbles on Lambton Quay."

Mr Elliott set out to prove that detective fiction was "not a modern mushroom but a pedigree plant," and to this end read examples from the classics where the "punishment was made to fit the crime." Apparently he often relieves the tedium of Latin proses with the adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Father Brown, hence his fine enthusiasm for this, the truest form of story-telling. What, he asks, would the Saga writers have thought of Mr. "Forsyte? Who cares what happens to Tom in the "Mill on the Floss," so long as it happens quickly?

For detective novels fulfil the first essential of a novel—they tell a story. They provide us by proxy, with experiences which never would occur in fact, satisfy our love of the chase, and supply adventure in its most attractive form. Besides this emotional appeal there is the in is textual one. They add to the age-old blood and thunder a problem to solve; one character at least, must be clever enough to contort with ourselves; there are usually two clever characters—the criminal and the detective.

Report can give no impression of the charm of this paper—the most witty and amusing the Society has ever listened to. Its only fault was that it was read so quickly that many points were lost while one was chuckling over the last. The feast of good things was too good—there was no pause for audience-reaction.

Our Chairman enlightened the discussion which followed by attacking, with his customary energy, the whole tribe of detective writers. be illustrated his remarks with the sad story of how he was led, one wet afternoon, to part with six shillings for "It Walks by Night." Poor Mr. Reardon is still lamenting.

Our next meeting will be on Tuesday, May 31st, when Mr. C. G. Watson will speak on "Anti-Religious Poetry." Christian Union and others invited.

Relief of Distress.

Despite all the efforts to alleviate the distress of unemployment, there are still numerous cases of families in the city, where existence is maintained only on a starvation level.

There are several cases known to members of the S.C.M. where relief in the form of foodstuffs and clothes is urgently required. We therefore offer the Students the opportunity to assist either by contributions of money, goods, or services. A regular weekly contribution, however small, is the best method of assistance. It is intended that the assistance be given personally, so that students themselves may ascertain the extent of the need.

If further information is desired, please communicate with Misses Joyce Sewell, Phyllis Linton, or Messrs E. B. Davies, C. I. L. Dixon, or the undersigned, or any member of the Executive.

Executive Letter.

Dear "Smad,"—

Sidelights on the Great.

• Scene: Karori Park. Saturday afternoon.
• Dramatis Personae: George Simpson, of Hockey fame; Lady Hockey fan; Sinbad, her fluffy Dog.

Sinbad, tiring of watching the game from the sideline, dashes on to the field. His mistress cries excitedly: "Sinbad, Sinbad, come here!"

George Simpson detaches himself from the match and canters up with an eager look: "Did you want me?"

It's always delightful to know the pet names of our famous men—it gives that human touch.

It is not known whether she said "Sailor boy, go hang!"