SPEECH BY THE PRIME MINISTER THE RT. HON. R. G.
MENZIES$ UPON RECEIVING AN H6NORARY DOCTORATE
OF LAWS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF ADELAIDE ON
APRIL, 1961
Mr. Chancellor and ladies and gentlemen:
You have just been reminded that this is not the
first occasion on which I have received what I must properly
describe as an unearned increment. ( Laughter) Indeed I look
back over some of those events with great pleasure, and with
particular interest. Perhaps I might begin by telling you why
it is so interesting to me, once more, to be in a position where
I am receiving a singular compliment and to look back on some of
these occasions that I have referred to.
I remember in 1941 when Winston Churchill was
Chancellor as perhaps he still is, of Bristol, and the Council
thought fiZ to confer a Degree, or Degrees, upon Mr. John
Winant the then American Ambassador to Great Britain, and
myself. A few hours before thc ceremony Bristol was bombed and
the ceremony which was to have t,. ken place in the Great Hall
took place in the Senate Chamber, and the members of the
Council and the Professorial Board arrived with their academic
robes over battle dress. Thoy ware all smoke-stained the
Hall was still blazing; and there were fires raging in the
streets radiating out from the University. That was a most
memorable, unforgettable occasion. Unforgettable, ais I know,
to Sir Winston Churchill himself. Certainly to me. And
memorable in this respect: that in the middle of all the
destruction and the war was then in its very crisis with
all its destruction the Universities and the University spirit,
and the University radition wont on. That to me has always
been a tremendously significant thing. It was, in a sort of
graphic fashion, a proof of the indestructibility of the
things that we all hope to stand for.
Reference was made to Malta. How I ever came to be
given a degree at the Royal University of Malta I don't know,
But I was. And it was a very long full day of d~ riving around
Malta, having the experience, previously and subsequently
unknown to me, of being checored by people in the streets,
( Laughter) When I began this journey somebody thrust into my
hands not an elegant piece of English, but a long oath in
Latin, at least 100 to 150 words. Well, of course, that would
appal anybody. I have a certain native supply of impudence,
but 150 words of a Latin prayer, this seemed to me to be a
little hard. When I arrived I whispered eCagerly to the Vice-
Chancellor Vice-Chancellors being, as you know, the fount of
all knowledge en these matters " Old pronunciation? or new?"
( Laughter) He gave mec the most superb piece of advice I have
ever had. He said " lIt's all right; mumble it." ( Laughter)
And I did. ( Laughler)
Then Sir, you referred to the French Canaidian
University in uobec Laval. 41ell that was something that I
remember pretty vivid. ly because although you allow me to
address you here in uihat passes for ihglish I felt very
strongly that at Laval portion of my speech ought to be in
French. From my point of view, it was. ( Laughter) I must say
that was the most polite audience for at the end they all
nodded to each other with appre ciation and you could hear them
saying, " 1Mram, il essaie, il essaie". 9 0 there we are.
The other occasion that I want to mention is that at
Oxford the year before last I had the misfortune, as it turned
out to be first in the list to go up for a Degree at the h1ands
of Lord Halifax. The public orator was there, ready to give us
our Citations in impcn~ able latin modern pronunciation. But
when we reached the Divinity Scho~ 2. and were being marshalled
for the event, I was given a sheaf of paper which contained on
one side Latin and on tho other side the Engl. ish, but of
course I didn't have time to road it because I had to go off at
once, you soe. The others all sat down and read carefully, in
English, so that they could thereafter pretend to have
followed the Latin. I didn't have this oppirtunity; I had to
stand up first and listen to it. And I want to say that it is
a remarkable tribute to the truth that the older you get the
more you remember of your early days, that I practically
understood it all. ( Laughter)
Now, Sir, may I just turn to this University, this
rermarkable place. It isn't the first time that I have spoken
in this magnificent Hall but this magnificent Hall
characterises what I want to say about the University of
Adelaide. There was an itinerant book writer, some of you may
remember, John Foster Fraser, who compiled that immortal
phrase, " Adele'. ide for culture Melbourne for business Sydney
for pleasure". Oddly enough there was something in il.
Because when Sir Keith Murray was out here presiding ever the
Universities Committee of Enquiry, had finished taking his
team around Australia, and had almost completed his report I
was having a long discussion with him about the problem.
that time he told mie that in the true essence of what a
University meant he thought that Adelaide was pre-emninent in
Australia. Now that interested me enormously, because he
didn't rmean that Adelaide had enormous buildings, surrounded by
spacious grounds and gardens, vast sporting arenas and an area
of land such as that which enriches the University of British
Columbia. But I think I do know what he meant, and that was
that this University almost uncomfortably placed as one might
occasionally think, right in the heart of the cily, without the
elbow room that one would like to see, has succece: 4ed in
attracting the interest, the help, the enthusiasm of the most
eminent people in this city, and in this State. There is not
that kind of remoteness about the University which one
occasionally sees in Australia " Well that's an academic
place; nothing to do with us; letts go on with the business;
let's get on with our profession; we've finished with all
that." I don't observe that sort of thing in Ldelaide because
year after year I have seen men of the greatest distinction in
the life of this city serving actively in the University,
maintaining what is needed for a Univarsity -an outlook by the
University on the world, and inlook by the world into the
University. You have only to see here my tuo old friends the
Chancellor and the Deputy Chancellor, to realise that In this
city, in this State, men have not forgotten this place when
they have gone out from But they have come back to it,
and worked for it.
Now, Sir, you have been reminded that I have had some
small part to play in the furnishing of funds for the
Universities. The State Governmients have aided on the great
scale, but my own Government has, progressively, entered into
this field and I think very properly so. I am sure when may
sponsor, my learned sponsor, threw out that slight but
delicate hint of favours to come ( Laughter) I'm sure that he
was right. Because when Sir Keith Murray's Committee brought
in a report, we having beon in the habit, at that time, for a
few years of spending about f-lm. a year, or œ 34p. a year by
3.
way of subvention to tho Universities, found ourselves with a
recommendation that amounted to about œ 2lra. over a period of
three years. If it hadn't boon for a certain aim-ount of rather
devious conduct on my part I don't know whether it would have
been approved. I won't go into the devious riethods, but anyhow
Treasury approved and that is a great milestone in the
history, not only of the Universities, but perhaps other people.
Then we appointed a Commission under Sir Leslie
Martin. And they brought in their report, not long ago. œ 21
million in a trienniura, that shocked us. This time it was E+
million for the three years! What it will be in the third
three years I wouldn't know. But I will be quite safe to
consider that it will vastly exceed any figure that we now have
in mind. It is a groat pity in Australia that Universities
should have become so remarkably dependent on Governments on
the decisions of those in politics, on thei particular outlook
on Universities their status, their freedom, their future,
which may be possessed by some current political uind. I would
like to feel that in Australia, as in the United States of
America more and more will we find people who have wealth to
dispose of looking to help the Universities. Having so said,
and before I conclude, I would like to-offer a few perhaps
platitudinous remarks about why I believe so deeply myself in
the University structure. tJhat does it stand for? What must
it aim at? It is a trite observation that it exists for mere
than the training of people for professions; although so bs
it that it does its job it will train them not only in learning
but in character and in wisdom.
The first thing that is needed and this is gZoing to
be no easier as the years go on is to preserve the highest
standards in objective study and enquiry, the highest standards.
This vast pressing undergraduate population which we can see
coming alongl over the next 10 years, over the next 20, is going
to put the most enormous strain on Universities, not merely on
their buildings, not merely on their breathing space, but on
their capacity to teach to lead, to guide, so that the
standards rise all the lime. I hope, Sir, that in the course of
those processes, and particularly under the pressure of miodern
events we will not neglect " useless learning", as it has been
called, useless learning. which has contributed so mch to
civilisation, to tolerance, which is the same thing, and
furnishes the minds of'men and women for hours and days of
great importance to them aond to others.
I an always prepared to make a plea for what is now
called " useless lozning" l. Not, of course, that we are to
neglect the tremendous impact of science on the world and the
clamant demand upon Universities to produce people of science.
These two things are not irrencoDncilable. The great danger
would arise if we preferred one to the other so exclusively
that we failed to strike that balance of the min-d, and that
balance of interest, that balance ofcontribution by a
University which the world so much needs.
Finally I would like to say this: to those who are
the academic people of this audience it is a 3reat pity that
the word " academic" should have acquired a sor., ewhat contemptucus
connotation, " Oh he has an academic mind; lie lives an
academic life; these academics, yo) u know they are not strong,
practical, sensible follows like us". We have all heard this
kind of thing said. The truth is that without these who devote
their lives to academaic work this would be a pretty sorry place.
They perform an enorrous service not only for the University
but for the cormiunity. They incur two dangers. If I state them
I will leave it there.
One is of becoming so completely absorbed in their
own discipline, in those fascinating matters of the r: Lnd which
we have all experienced who have been students, thcse 1: i tters
which comnand the whole of a man's intellectual onthusiasm and
interest, that they may be tempted to be rather coitm( rytuous of
ordinary men and women outside. That would create a gulf of a
dreadful kind. The second risk is that in order to avoid developing
what I will call a somewhat academic contempt for unacademic
people there may be a disposition to go to the other extreme
and be too much influenced by tho opinion of people outside,
too much afraid of what the politicians may do, of what the
public may think. Never, never fall into the error of thinking
badly of the public mind, because the public mind in this
country is a good mind, and the public character is a good
character. Never fall into the error of looking down on it.
But in the name of academic freedom and study never be afraid
of it, never be afraid of what the opinion may be outside.
Here is this happy balance, I hope, that will continue
a great tradition in a great University. Because I believe tha
I would like to say Mr. Chancellor that I am profoundly honoured
by this occasion. I regard it as no formality. I have
received a singular honour from a great University; and I am
happy to think t7iat I have received it, physically, from the
hands of an old friend.