University Opens

On October 18, 1900, the entrance examination for the Australian National University, which had become a household name through publicity, officially began.

Because of the Australian National University's nature of cultivating talent needed by Australia, the content of this entrance examination was also related to five majors. There were five test papers for the five majors, and admission for each major was based on merit, looking only at ability and nothing else.

Doing this could well screen out students with talent in various majors, rather than being like later generations who seemed to teach everything while actually learning nothing.

What Australia currently needed was specialized talent, rather than so-called university students who were involved in all aspects but actually could not do anything.

Arthur had not looked at the questions jointly compiled by the teachers, but he could tell from the moods and conversations of the candidates over the past two days of testing that this specialized examination was far from as simple as it seemed.

Because the number of test papers was extremely large, Arthur urgently mobilized a batch of teachers and literate officials to work overtime for grading. They finally finished grading all the test papers and tallied the scores a dozen days later.

On November 2, Sydney, at the gates of the Australian National University.

Thousands of candidates were swarming around the university gates waiting anxiously. Some of them might be excited, while others might be restless, but all of them were looking toward the school gates with great anticipation.

For them, they did not have the trouble of choosing a major, because after passing the specialized exams, each major would admit them based on their scores.

Yet precisely because of this, if they failed to get admitted to their better-performing majors, the outcome for their poorly performing majors could well be imagined.

Soon, the university teachers walked out carrying a bulletin board covered in names, placing it in the most prominent position at the school gates.

"Everyone, the admission list for each major of the Australian National University is right here. You can check carefully to see if your names are there, but rushing and shouting are prohibited at the school gates. All admitted students will officially enroll in three days. Those who are not admitted should not be discouraged either; next September is the next enrollment period, and you can apply then."

After the university teachers briefly introduced this, they returned inside the school. Meanwhile, those candidates anxiously hurried toward the bulletin board, attempting to find their names upon it.

Time flew by, and the three days passed in the blink of an eye.

The successfully admitted candidates had long been waiting impatiently at the school gates, eager just to be the first to enter this campus they had dreamed of for so long.

Those who were not admitted went back dejectedly that very day. After all, the free accommodation Arthur provided for these candidates only lasted until the end of the examinations, and afterward they would have to spend their own money to stay in Sydney.

Not long after, the university gates successfully opened, and a full eight hundred university freshmen officially stepped onto the campus of the Australian National University amidst a wave of cheers.

Arthur was currently on the highest building of the campus. Looking at these vigorous and talented students, Arthur smiled with satisfaction.

All expenses for these eight hundred-odd university freshmen at the university were provided by Arthur, including board, lodging, and various miscellaneous fees.

As long as a few ideological education courses were added to the university, Arthur could guarantee that these university students would become his loyal supporters and his most faithful base of followers.

Another advantage of these young people was that their thinking was relatively progressive, and they could accept and uphold any of Arthur's reforms in Australia.

Moreover, young people were often hot-blooded, and they could also influence the families and hometowns where they resided.

With the graduation of batch after batch of passionate university students year after year, the lower-tier and middle-tier elites of future Australia would all be grasped in Arthur's hands by Arthur.

An opening ceremony was naturally indispensable for the start of school, let alone for the first term of students at Australia's very first university.

Arthur attached great importance to this opening ceremony, even dispatching the Guard Army to take charge of the protocol aspects.

The goal was to fill these university students who had just stepped into college with passion, pouring their spirit and ideology all at once into loyalty to the country and Arthur.

The opening of the opening ceremony was Arthur's speech. He reviewed Australia's history from a colony to its current independent nation, casually hyped up his own achievements, and reaffirmed his goal of allowing Australia to rise.

Then he focused on encouraging these young people and officially announced the establishment of the scholarship.

Under these various combined maneuvers, these university students who had just entered school were like a new bride stepping out of a sedan chair, left with no choice but to be at the mercy of others.

Next came the speeches by the university president and the deans of various departments, but Arthur had no interest in listening to these old fellows nagging on and left the scene early.

Although Arthur participated in the entire opening ceremony for less than an hour, the sensation it caused was indeed extremely huge.

The reforms implemented and policies promulgated by Arthur in Australia were engraved in the hearts of all Australians, especially these young men aged eighteen or nineteen. Lacking social experience, they were very easily influenced by public opinion and blindly developed affection or malice toward an individual.

Driven by the media controlled by Arthur, Arthur had already become a perfect monarch in the hearts of these young people, a savior who rescued Australia from fire and water.

Encouraged by Arthur, the passion and impulse that these young university students could erupt with could naturally be imagined.

It was precisely because of this that the semi-military management practiced by the university went very smoothly. Although every day from seven in the morning to eight in the evening—except for meal and rest times in between—nearly eleven hours were spent studying, not a single student had any complaints, and everyone threw themselves into the mighty ranks of study.

In order to let these precious university students master sufficient ability instead of only knowing how to talk on paper.

Arthur specially permitted each major to have one outside practice opportunity per week and required various departments to cooperate with the students' practical work.

For students of Mechanical Engineering and architecture, this was a bitter chore. After all, Australia's industry was under construction, and there was a massive amount of heavy labor and exhausting work like equipment transportation that no one wanted to do. These university students with a tiny bit of experience happened to be the perfect candidates.

Although there was a slight suspicion of doing coolie work, they could also learn a massive amount of knowledge through practice, so not a single one of these university students objected. Instead, they all looked forward to the weekly practical activities.

Arthur was happy to have it so, and the Ministry of Industry was also eager for these students with a tiny bit of foundation to replace the workers without any foundation, so this matter was settled just like that.

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