And Another Thing

Wednesday, 18th June 2008

How to fill a lecture hall, and how to empty it

There ought to be an anthology of notable rectorial addresses. It would certainly include the notorious speech Lord Birkenhead made in November 1923 when he was installed as rector of Glasgow University. I say notorious because his subject was ‘Idealism in International Politics’, but his message was one of realism. The League of Nations, he said, would fail, along with all other idealistic schemes not rooted in historical experience. And he reminded his young audience that the world was still rich in ‘glittering prizes’ which would go to those who had ‘sharp swords’ and the will to secure them. Right-thinking people, especially the clergy, were deeply shocked by what they called Birkenhead’s cynicism. But the students loved it. And why not? The world is a horrible place — then, and still more now — and why should not the young be encouraged to seek such glittering prizes as are still on offer?

Speaking to students can be a risky business, and they are far more likely to make any objections to what you say plain and vocal than an audience, say, of rich businessmen, army officers, advertising types, politicians and bureaucrats, or the general public. I have lectured all over the world since the 1960s, on more occasions than I care to recall, and I must have given a talk to students in at least 50 universities, chiefly in the United States. I love American audiences. They are often ignorant, especially first-year students, but they listen hard, are appreciative, often enthusiastic, and ask intelligent and thoughtful questions. They are always anxious to learn. There is none of that cynicism and contempt for sincerity, so common over here, radiating from Oxford and Cambridge, where it is encouraged by embittered dons who believe they are insufficiently rewarded for their brains and academic status — as if the mere ability to pass exams and write turgid articles to specialist journals is the only true test of a person’s worth. But I must not go on about this point. I am holding my fire for a great blast about Oxford, and the way it is run, or not run.