Fifty-Third Annual Exercises at Jessfield 'The fifty-third annual commencement exercises of the St. John's University, were held in the auditorium of' the University's Social tion called Hall on July number of guests and in attendance.
Promptly at five o'clock, members the faculty, guests, alumni and student body assembled in the Social Hall and, to the strains of the brass band of the U.S. Fourth Marines, the audience stood up and Paid honour Yo the Chinese and American national flags that were hung on the wall, The singing of the hymn for the nation was followed by invocation offered by the Rt. Rev. F. R. Graves, DD.
Dr. F. L, Hawks Pott, president of the University, then' made the following announcements:—
"The year just past has been critical one for China on account of the Sino-Japanese conflict in Shanghai. f the effects has been the serious disturbance in "During most of the year, I was absent on furlough and the vice-
Was, in charge ad acting: president, resident, Mr. Wil To him and to his colleagues of the culty are due the credit of earryzon the work through this troubled period, of surmounting innumerable difficulties and of bringing the academic year to a successful close.
"In spite of the fact that during the first, term the student body in many colleges, and schools abandon their studies in order to express their resentment with government policies of which they" dispproved. T am glad to be able to state that the students at St. John's went on quietly with their regular y work.
They realised that attention
true way of expressing their patriot Paid to. their studies was a very fom.
"The total registration in all departments of the University during the first term was 560, a consider= able increase' over the year 1930- 1931. was with the opening of the second term after the winter vacn~ tion that our difficulties began, Owing to the fighting in Shanghai and vicinity, "the date for resuming the work was postponed and it was not until March 31 that. the institution was actually reopened, "This meant a loss of about two months and in order to make up for it, the term was extended unt July "26 and it was decided to do away with holidays as far as possible." Even so it has been difficult to cover the required "amount of work, but I think on the whole the students have recognised the necessity of working harder than usual and by more intensive study ha met with the requirements.
"It was feared that owing to the late re-opening, many of our stunts would be unable to" return id that the enrolment would fall off considerably. "Things turned out better, however, than we antic cipated. Nearly 90'per cent, of the student body retitrned to their work all the members of the faculty. Most' of those who did not return Se were overseas students "who. had abandoned all hope of the college being able to open during the year and "consequently had left Shang-
"The work in the department of istory and government was much strengthened during the year by our having with us two visiting professors: "Prof. W. Leon Godshall, of Union College, who spent the first term lecturing at St. John's, and Prof. H. F, MacNair, formerly a member of the St. John's facult and now at the University of
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.