Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957), Wednesday 17 March 1875, page 7


UNIVERSITY LAW EXAMINATIONS.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE ARGUS

Sir-This University authorities who direct the course of legal studies and examinations at the institution, have lately surprised those who attend to its affairs by the inexplicable nature of many of their arrangements. At first sight, one would think that someone was amusing himself by managing matters in an odd way. Their latest is this They have one set of men to lecture in law, and apportion to each apparently that branch of which he knows least for example, a Niai Pt nts practitioner to lecture in Equity, and an Equity man to explain police court procedure Then they got another set of men to examine in the subjects that the first have lectured in If these latter were themselves trained lecturers and examiners, it would not be so bad, but, in fact, they are clever practical men who are totally ignorant of the science the very special science of teaching and examining in subjects taught They have had no experience whatever in the difficult work of setting examination papers You might as well expect a staid professor to badger and put properly confusing questions to a witness in a jury trial, as require gentlemen whose talents have run in that channel, to write a set of fair and accurate questions for a class of students The result is that everybody's at sea The lecturers ate all the year teaching according to their method 1 he examiners, in total oblivion of what has been going on, snatch a few hurried moments from the toils of their daily practice, and with their heads full of the quibbles and points of our inns, jot down such powers as occur naturally to them, and time for poor students who have learnt only theory and principles from professors all the year also examiners do their best, no doubt, and quite fairly', too, but bad IS their best Hence we see at examination after examination the students are victimised, the other day, of 21 examined only three passed, and I believe that all acquainted with the facts are aware that this result arises far more from the inaptitude of the examiners than the ignorance of the scholars My card, which I enclose, will show you that I am not min of the students. but merely

AN OBSERVER.

March 16.

A lamentable accident by fire at Rocklands is reported by a correspondent of the Hamilton Spectator. A young girl named Leslie Cameron, a guest of Mr. Learmonth, set fire to her dress by going amongst Some burning stores, and died the next day from the injuries she sustained Mrs. Learmonth and Mr Turnbull had their hands burnt in endeavouring to extinguish the flames.

The Portland Guardian of Friday reports : -" A fatal case of blood poisoning occurred on Monday to the wife of Mr. John Rankin. Mrs Rankin bad, in doing a most kind and neighbourly act to a sick woman suffering from this disease, unwittingly allowed a burnt finger to come in contact with the pus from the patient, and sad to say, after seven days' suffering, she succumbed to the fatal disease. Much sympathy is felt for the husband and family under their painful be-reavement