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OFFICIAL ORGAN OF THE ARCHDIOCESE OF PERTH. Registered at the G.P.O., Perth, for transmission by post as a newspaper. NO. 2,265.
PERTH, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 8, 1947,
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ESTABLISHED 1874.
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'PHONE B6950 450 Hay Street,
PRICE THREEPENCE
Peon. Box Ali, G.P.O., Perth. SEVENTY-FOURTH YEAR
The Adult Education Summer School (Real Culture
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.
and Sham Intellectualism
(Written Specially for "The Record") Each year at this time the Adult elephantine grace in the moonlight Education Board, imaginatively led Technically it's known as folk -dancby its enterprising Director (Arm*. ing, caste -Professor Fred Alexander), The Summer School this year is offers to the public what most be being conducted at the University regarded as the most genuine at- proper instead of, as formerly, ar tempt at cultural expansion in the the adjoining St. George's College. State. From far and near people Resident students are housed in the come to the University of W.A. for University Students' Hostel, which a fortnight or so to pool their ideas is perhaps better known under its on a number of subjects and assi- original title of B.O.Q., or Bach. milate that increase of knowledge elor Officers' Quarters (United which must follow a rubbing of in - States Navy). All Summer School teller Dual shoulders. activities are held in the University Moulder -rubbing in the normal buildings. sense brings its own reward, too. The idea each year is to get hold It's just not possible to preserve of some fairly distinguished person an oyster-like isolationism when to act as Leader of the School, This you're surrounded by all sorts of year the Leader is Dr. Lloyd Rose, people who insist on talking to you lireetor of Public Relations in the without being introduced and who )epartment of Post -War Reconhave that holiday spirit glittering struction. The Leader's duties inin at least one eye if not both. So clude setting a tone and acting as a gradually you loosen up. Your ton- co-ordinating authority as well as gue loosens, your face loosens, and chairing the more important conferences. For the Summer School, despite its festive side, is fundamentally a serious business. Each day has imetable of work, and the Adult RONALD EVANS, B.A. it: Education Board strives, aceording to its lights, to present to all memas long as your morals don't loosen bers of the School under various and you manage also to avoid ;he guises a central theme of current extreme folly of folk -dancing you interest. This year the theme Is "Democan expect to go home a man for the way is thrown open for as many as have axes to bring them along," woman) much relaxed and with dig- cracy's Defences in the Atomic Age." The underlying thought is, nity unimpaired. Man's dogma is reviled as a hateful thing. Over the years, and particularly to quote the Director, "that, as far sive policy, and a tribute, too, to :hat enriches the mind. during the war years, a number of as laymen can now judge, the only the solid staff work of "The Wiz- spirit is uplifted when, for how- Young men and women-scarcely effective defences the ard" (Prof. Alexander) and his ever short a rime, he is given the more than children intellectuallyagainst pseudo-cultural and pseudo -intellecatomic bomb will be the resistances able lieutenants. opportunity of sharing in the vision are blandly told to think for themtual movements have mushroomed democratic communities splendid seen by a great artist. selves, while all the while they are in Perth. Bur the Adult Education which ADULT EDUCATION'S REAL themselves own develop in their These welcome breaks hi the dull led by their elders, who ought to be Scheme has no odium attaching to SUCCESS political and social in institutions, grey skies of our humdrum exist- their teachers, down a track which it, and the Annual Summer School their I consider it is in the organisarelaway life and their of in ence serve a dual purpose; they leads to a mental vacuum. is entitled to be regarded as an tion of these tions musical with other and peoples." dramatic imulate and they educate. Who and honest effort to maintain The sad part of it is that the In addition to the "all -in" see - treats for the public that the Adult ,ro, say where the effects of even spread worthwhile attitudes among teachers themselves are befuddled Education ,'ens School Board (when the as a whole achieves its greatone such revelation will end? the people. If the sponsors have and have tio dynamic philosophy of of est success. From time to time By contrast the value of lector. an axe to grind it is certainly not sinks its teeth into some aspect fife to sustain them. In a Comthe: central theme), provision is first-rate concert artists, such as lug is a shadowy and dubious quan. a very blunt and obvious one, and munist university the teaching Mr. Paul Schramm, who is now in tity. made a of a daily for follow-up A lecture at its best reprethe way is thrown open for as 'elected line of study. Thus at the Perth under engagement to the sents one man's view of what is would be Marxian; in a Catholic many as have axes to bring them one time there are several activities Board, are heard either in Winthrop usually a complex problem-very university the teaching would be Caalong. The Communists, of course, tholic and therefore truly Christian. At its bring battle-axes, and they come in progressing, each of which may be Hall or in the Somerville'Auditor- often an "imponderable." school -within -a ium, the Everyman's 'Music series werst a lecture can confuse and de- In either case the teaching would battalions, each man with his axe regarded as a students -school. There is a School of 1.as become a regular feature, and ject and even be a means of spread- in purposeful and the slung over his shoulder as if it were would know where they stood. But These are the crypto. Music, a School of Drama, a Course letterly the Board has turned its ing grave error. My own experia spade. a university established' in line Cemmunists, to coin a description on Elementary Library Technique, attention increasingly to drama as (owe of sitting in on many lectures with the worn-out liberal tradition Century a means of fostering an interest in -especially lectures dealing with suggested by Professor Fox's refer- a Course on Twentieth of Western democracy, there can be Current cultural pursuits. We will not international affairs and their many They Chemistry, a Course on ence to crypto-Fascists. nothing but confnaed thinking and Events, on a Course Arts and readily forget the bold experiment mplications-is that an scarcely the old friends are, in fact, our The die-hards Crafts (Practical Work). Groups about this time las; year wren sev- original idea emerges; and rarely, if dreadful inaction. Pink Brethren. students go their own way in oral accomplished vocalists from ever, does the lecturer adopt a firm of liberalism, though no one doubts these mattefs, but come togcnlier Adelaide were imported in order to position to which his own thinking :h'eir goodwill, are reluctant to reHOW DOES IT WORK? The scheme works this way: You, a: regular intervals for a resump- strengthen a local presentation of has led him, If the lecturer has linquish the search for a via media provided you're over sixteen, can ties of the onslaught on the cen- Mozart's "Cosi Far, Tutte." The an opinion of his own he is usually between left and right, when, in exists. The become either a resident student or tral theme, or "motif," of the Sum- occasion was unique, as the spon- re- some pains to conceal it, or else fact, no such road a non-resident student on comple- mer School in general. sors defied all convention in rem it is so innocuous and of such little whole world is fast splitting into two camps, and those Who do not tion of the prescribed enrolment The evenings are given over to (bring Mozart in English and in the practical value that his listeners de. form and on payment of ff3 15s in entertainments or other functions open air. That seemingly mad gam- spair of getting anywhere in a dis- put themselves on one side or the other will 'be swallowed in the the former case or 12 in the latter. of a community nature. The pub- ble has been repeated with over- co:as:ion of it. abyss. The time for theorising is At any rate, those are the fees lic at large is encouraged to come whelming success within the last past, and the call now is for "AcTHE FAILURE. which apply to the current Sum- in on these ventures, and so last few days. tion stations!" mer School, which commenced on Saturday night about two thousand The appreciation by large audiThe failure of lectures and disJanuary 2, and will conclude on people watched the initial perform- ences of high-class stage entertain- cussion groups within the UniverNo doubt t will be accused of January 15. There are no known anee in the Somerville Open Air ments is a tangible and a heart- sity can be attributed largely, I orer-dramatising the situation. Yet impediments to enrolment-not Auditorium of Humperdinek's Fairy- warming thing. Per medium of think, to the regrettable fact that I believe myself to be nearer tho even mild insanity, judging by the tale Opera, "Hansel and Gretel." 'be stage or concert platform the the University has abdicated its au- truth of the matter than rhe rudway some people dress; and judg- Not a bad testimonial as to the Adult Education Board can bring thority to teach. In the realm of derless prophets of a new golden ing also from the manner in which widespread public approval of the treasures of our cultural heritage Arts it is certainly true that no era when all men will love each others of solemn mien cavort with Adult Education board's proms. to a populace starved of the food dcerine is inenleanad. Indeed (Continued on Page 10.1 I I
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