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Unveiling of Portrait of Sir Robert Stout

On the afternoon of Thursday, September 8th, a portrait of Sir Robert Stout, painted by Mrs. Tripe, of Wellington, and procured by the Council through funds pro-vided by public subscription, was unveiled by Professor MacMillan Brown, Chancellor of the University of New Zealand. There was a representative gathering of representative citizens. Mr. Levi, Chairman of the Council, presided, and speeches were delivered by the Chancellor, who had been a lifelong friend of Sir Robert and a member of the University Senate during the many years when he acted as Chancellor of the University, and by Professor Rankine Brown, who spoke mainly of Sir Robert's connection with Victoria University College, and by Mr. Fair, who dealt with his relations with the students.

It is right and proper that the first portrait to be placed in the College Library should be of a man who, in addition to his great services to University education and to the Dominion generally as a politician and Chief Justice, has more than any other man contributed to the foundation and development of Victoria College.

On June 23, 1885, in a reply to Mr. C. J. Johnston, then member for Te Aro, who had asked him as Premier if he intended to introduce a Bill for the purpose of establishing a University College in Wellington, as recommended by the University Commission in 1879, he stated that he had advocated the establishment of such a College in 1878, and still approved of the proposal. In an important and well-considered statement on education generally, which he made in introducing the report of the Education Department in the following year, he again referred to the matter, and in 1887 proposed a Government measure for the establishment of a University College in Wellington. This Bill was passed by the House of Representatives, but was thrown out in the Legislative Assembly, and as the Stout-Vogel Ministry went out of office toward the end of the year, no more was heard of the matter for some time. It is worth remembering that when proposing the Bill of 1887, Sir Robert represented one of the divisions of Dunedin, and so proved his ability to rise above provincial jealousy, which has more than once been prejudicial in connection with University education. In 1894, being then out of office and one of the Wellington members, Sir Robert proposed the Middle District of New Zealand University College Bill. This Bill was passed by Parliament and so became an Act, but as the Seddon Government did not at the moment make the financial arrangements required to make the Act operative, the matter remained in abeyance until 1897, when Mr. Seddon, in commemoration of the sixtieth anniversary of the accession of Queen Victoria, passed an Act providing the necessary funds, and so enabled Victoria University College to come into being. The members of the College are thus justified in regarding Sir Robert Stout as to all intents and purposes the real founder of the College, and ought always to honour him as such.

Not only did he do so much to create the College, but he was an original member of the Council, and served on that body until he retired in 1923. He acted as Chairman in 1900 and 1901 and in 1905, and to the wise administration of Mr. J. R, Blair, the first Chairman of Council, and of Sir Robert, combined with the careful manner in which Mr. Clement Watson, as Treasurer for many years, husbanded the very inadequate original endowment and other funds of the College, Victoria University College will always owe a deep debt of gratitude.

The severance of his official connection with the College made little difference to Sir Robert's interest in the institution. On the occasion of the celebration of his golden wedding in 1926, he founded a scholarship for men students, whilst Lady Stout established a bursary for women students, and has since then practically presented the whole of his extensive collection of books to the College, including many volumes of valueble and rare pamphlets dealing with the early history of New Zealand. It is also an open secret that it was Sir Robert who advised the late Mr. William Weir to make the munificent gift to the College which has led to the erection of the "Weir House."

It ought to be an inspiration to all present and future students to have in the Library the portrait of a man of the high character, noble ideals and pure life of Sir Robert Stout.