EDITOR'S TABLE. 



237 



are so great that, for the lighting of puWic 

 phices, museums, art - galleries, manutac- 

 tories, etc., he would advocate its general 

 introduction. Even Madrid, one of the 

 most backward cities in Europe, has intro- 

 duced the light, one great benefit of which, 

 especially in theatres and other much-fre- 

 quented places, is that the heat generated 

 and the contamination of the air are greatly 

 less than in the case of gas. 



"Let the directors of gas companies do 

 all they can to improve their cts. They 

 may be certain that it will never cease to be 

 required ; a considerable splitting up of the 

 electric current is impossible, while the 

 brilliant liglit that we shall always get 

 when electricity is employed will gradually 

 so raise the pitch of illumination that more 

 gas than ever will be used." 



VANDERBILT UyiYEESITY AGAIN. 



CoMMODOEE Vandeebilt built wiser 

 than lie knew in rearing a university at 

 Nashville for the benefit of the Tennes- 

 see Methodists, as it is obvious they 

 stand in sore need of education. The Ten- 

 nessee Conference, meeting in Clarks- 

 ville in the middle of October, went 

 into the question of education through 

 the report of a special committee, which 

 may thus fairly be taken as indicating 

 the high-water mark of the intelligence 

 and Uberality reached by that denomi- 

 nation, in that State, upon that subject. 

 The result shows that the region is 

 excellent missionary - groimd for the 

 schoolmaster. It is hardly to be sup- 

 posed that the inferior schools will be 

 in advance of the higher institutions ; 

 and this interests us in what they have 

 to say regarding the character of their 

 new university. The conference ap- 

 plauds it in unmeasured terms, and calls 

 especial attention to the remarkable in- 

 tellectual influence exerted upon the 

 nascent Tennessee mind by Commo- 

 dore Vanderbilt's building. They say, 

 " There is an immense educating power 

 in the surpassing beauty of the grounds, 

 the finished elegance of the building, 

 and all that pertains to it." Of this we 

 do not complain. It is indeed ascribing 



more educational potency to stocks and 

 stones than has been our wont, and 

 leaves Buckle with his " Aspects of Na- 

 ture," and Spencer with his " environ- • 

 ments," far behind ; but the conference 

 might well indulge in a little exaggera- 

 tion out of compliment to the sagacity 

 of the learned and pious founder of the 

 establishment, which could exert this 

 " immense educating power " even be- 

 fore its doors were opened. And it 

 becomes a serious question whether 

 the authorities of the institution might 

 not better have trusted entirely to this 

 silent tuition of structure and surround- 

 ings, and not have undertaken to super- 

 add any influences from within. The 

 educational work of Commodore Van- 

 derbilt's architects and landscape-gar- 

 deners, whether slight or " immense," 

 is at all events real, honest, and un- 

 perverted, which is a good deal more 

 than can be said of the backward and be- 

 nighted inculcations that are dispensed 

 by the living vocal teachers. We gave 

 an illustration not long ago of the big- 

 otry and intolerance exhibited by the 

 authorities of Vanderbilt University in 

 abruptly dismissing from his position 

 an able professor of science because he 

 taught the present state of knowledge 

 upon the subject confided to his charge. 

 He reported what Science has to say at 

 the present time concerning the anti- 

 quity and history of the ancient races 

 of men, and, as this was supposed to 

 conflict with certain old theological dog- 

 mas held dear by the Tennessee Meth- 

 odists, he was summarily ejected from 

 his professorial chair. The proceeding 

 was evidently in imitation of very ob- 

 solete precedents, but it proved highly 

 gratifying to the Tennessee Conference. 

 They say : 



" The university has afforded us intense 

 gratification by its recent action. This is 

 the age in which scientific atheism, having 

 divested itself of the habiliments that most 

 adorn and dignify humanity, walks abroad 

 in shameless denudation. The arrogant and 

 impertinent claims of this science, falsely 

 so called, have been so boisterous and per- 



