Lionel Curtis Esq.,
All Souls College,
Cxford,
E
51.
UNIVERSITY OF HONGKONG
28th May, 1930.
England.
My dear Curtis,
Feetham was in Hong Kong about two months ago and he put
to me the question whether this University could not do something
in the way of teaching law to young Chinese. Feetham explained
your feelings in the matter with which I find myself in completo
sympathy. We ought to be doing a great deal more than we are
doing in the direction of training the youth of China to take a
prominent part in the administration of the China of the future.
Of course there is still some prejudice against us. Hong Kong is
a British Colony and the University is a 'British Institution'
(whatever that may mean).
But the Chinese are essentially realists.
They know a
sound thing when they see it, and the students here, do appreciate
their life and work in this University. If we had a sound law
school here, it would pay to come to it, and I should be very
surprised if an adequate number of students were not forthcoming
for the school. I should not anticipate a rush, but we do not
want a rush. We are getting badly cramped for elbow room in
Hong Kong generally, and even if I had unlimited money to spend
on the expansion and improvement of the University, I should not
aim at having more than five hundred students here. At present we
have about three hundred. I enclose a copy of the Annual Report
for 1929.
I am in fact enthusiastic about your idea of a law
school as part of this University, so enthusiastic that I refuse
to dismiss the idea as a mere fantasy, even though as you will see