396 POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY 



the teaching staff should be made except upon recommendation by the 

 same committee. In respect to matters affecting the relations of two 

 or more faculties, the trustees should act only on the recommendation 

 of a senate consisting of the deans and a representative elected by each 

 faculty. All faculty elections should be by ballot without previous 

 open nomination. 



But this is merely palliative; organic change is necessary to secure 

 permanency. 



Edinburgh university, burdened during a long period by unintel- 

 ligent control, gained freedom after a severe struggle in which the 

 faculties were led by Sir William Hamilton. The conflicting interests 

 were so many that reorganization was a much more complicated 

 problem than that for our universities. The corporate body of the uni- 

 versity is the university court, answering to the American board of 

 trustees, as it has final control over all matters, except appointment to 

 certain chairs, which are under patronage. A general council, consist- 

 ing of certain officers, the professors and such alumni as have paid, 

 once for all, a stipulated fee, elects a chancellor and four members of 

 the university court. The chancellor is not a member of the court but 

 appoints a representative. All acts of the court involving organic 

 change must receive his sanction, but aside from this he seems to have 

 no serious responsibility. The Senatus Academicus, consisting of the 

 professors, elects four of its own number to the court; the individual 

 faculties elect their own officers and control their internal affairs, sub- 

 ject to appeal to the court. The matriculated students elect a rector, 

 who is presiding officer of the court, to which he appoints a member. 

 The Town Council of Edinburgh elects one member of the court and a 

 principal, whose chief duty is to preside at meetings of the senatus. 

 There are some other regulations due to peculiar conditions surrounding 

 the university, but they are immaterial here. Under this new system, 

 the resources of the university have increased enormously, the courses 

 of instruction have ceased to be medieval, while the number of students, 

 in spite of constantly increasing severity of requirements, has multiplied 

 several fold. This method has the merit of utilizing to the best degree 

 all groups connected with the university, while the faculties are brought 

 into close touch with each other and with all matters affecting university 

 interests. 



Many suggestions have been made with especial view to American 

 conditions. Professor Cattell has summarized these, making important 

 additions of his own. The essential features of his presentation are : 



The corporation should consist of professors, alumni and members 

 of the community — in the case of a state university, the people should 

 elect part of the corporation ; trustees, chosen by this corporation to care 

 for the secular affairs, should elect a chancellor and a treasurer. The 



