Refugee Internees in England Take University Courses

A correspondent writing in The Times about the cultural activities carried on in internment camps says: “A similar atmosphere might have prevailed in ancient Greek or Jewish teaching centres or at medieval universities. Oxford and Cambridge could compete with the zeal and learning of the professors, but certainly not with the knowledge of most of the pupils, many of whom are bearded or bald-headed.

“In spite of a shortage of books, manuscripts, and other expedients, they learn, teach, and discuss. A world-famous Vieunese professor of electrical-physiology, recognized as the greatest contemporary specialist on this subject, addresses his comrades on electrical first-aid in accidents, and compensates himself by attending the lectures of a celebrated architect on modern building methods. During the common potato peeling the profoundest philosophical problems are debated.

“These university extensions, remarkable as they are, have one great drawback which should not be underrated in its future importance. As the British element is completely absent in the camps, which are governed more or less on local autonomy, and as the English language presents more difficulties to many of the inmates than the differential calculus or psycho-analysis, everything is expressed in German, which must influence the way of thinking. The refugees involuntarily pursue their studies in an exclusively German-speaking company. It is questionable whether this is desirable from a British point of view.

“As the Jewish element predominates, problems of Judaism naturally play a big part. There are, again and again, discussions on the role and the fate of Jewry in these days. The Bible and the Talmud are studied under competent supervision, mostly in the original texts, of which many of the internees have an amazing commend.”