6 4 o SCIENCE PROGRESS 



those who would 'dehumanise' education, as they are de- 

 humanising political and social life, a new type of education may 

 be evolved by experiment." * The President of Corpus agrees, 

 though less explicitly, " to every one who is content with 

 natural science and modern literature, doors are open in every 

 part of the United Kingdom. Should not the universities of 

 Oxford and Cambridge still be reserved for those who believe 

 that the most scientific mind is one that is not purely scientific." 2 

 And since November last the ostrich-cry in Oxford has been 

 that of " differentiation of function between the universities of 

 the country," coupled with dark hints of a Royal Commission, to 

 be promoted in Oxford, to "dehumanise" Bristol and Birming- 

 ham and " differentiate " Liverpool from Manchester. 



The other issue is the fate of the Greek-teaching schools : for 

 their whole structure and curriculum must be recast one way or 

 the other, according as the old universities enforce bifurcation 

 or no. The present state of uncertainty is bad for everybody 

 but it is worst of all for them. I quote the Head Master of 

 Rugby. 3 The question whether a particular boy who has al- 

 ready begun Greek shall go on with it as part of his school 

 training " must be answered at latest before he is fifteen and 

 there is only one way of answering it honestly, namely, with an 

 eye solely to the boy's educational prospects." " It is the 

 answer to this question and not the first university examina- 

 tion which in reality decides the fate of Greek." But compulsion 

 puts the cart before the horse. " At present, we must consider 

 first, not whether a boy is to profit by Greek but whether he is 

 going to the university," that is, to one of the two universities 

 which require "Greek." " Hitherto, by an examination which 

 in its present form hardly serves the best interests of either the 

 language or the learner, the university has created a large 

 number of sham students of Greek. If the Statute passes, some 

 modern-side candidates will be relieved of a thoroughly bad 

 piece of work and the language will suffer not at all." On the 

 last point, the Head Master is supported by the Professor of 

 Greek at Oxford, who has most clearly expressed his conviction 4 

 that " classical teaching has suffered in the past and was still 



1 Times, November 22, 1910. 



2 Pamphlet, The Preservation of Greek at Oxford, November 191 1. 



3 Oxford Magazine, May 11, 191 1. 



4 In Congregation, May 1911. 



