ANNIVERSARY ADDRESS. 53 



and women of the first year particularly require assistance — they 

 have recently left school, where they were under constant control ; 

 they are now left to themselves, and for most of them the sense 

 of freedom is too great ■ they are not strong-willed enough to give 

 the attention to their studies that is necessary, and the best of 

 them want some guidance. 



Another question seems to me well worthy of attention. Some 

 students, while showing fair proficiency in certain subjects fail in 

 others when they come up for the year's examination, and they 

 then have to enter all classes again the following year if they 

 mean to persevere in their university studies. Why should 

 they have to recapitulate those they had successfully passed 1 

 I admit that some restrictions must be enforced, but is it not a 

 waste of time to have to attend lectures over again, and an un- 

 necessary expense to pay fees in those subjects they have already 

 passed in. Perhaps if the student's progress could be properly 

 gauged from time to time during the year there would be fewer 

 failures at the end. 



I think it is acknowledged that in the second year of our 

 Engineering School the extent of study prescribed is too great ; 

 what it would be were the classes large and the interest taken by 

 the professors and lecturers less, I do not know, but in the School 

 in question the personal influence and assistance of the teaching 

 staff is very great, and the student finds his difficulties consider- 

 ably smoothed down. I am sure it would be better to allow the 

 student to divide the work of the year if he prefers to do so. 

 What is to the advantage of the student is to the advantage 

 of the university. To make the three years' course into a 

 compulsory four years' course, might be too hard on the brilliant 

 but not too affluent student, though it would suit the slower, 

 more plodding, hard working student. As it stands at present 

 if the second year man fails to make himself proficient in all 

 subjects, he has to go over every one of them again another year, 

 which is not only hard but in part waste of time and money. 

 Could not the system be made a little less rigid % 



