UNIVERSITY EXTENSION. 3 



just wliat is being done in England, and what is being done and 

 planned in America. It is well to begin with England, as being 

 the older and better organized field. For my knowledge of the 

 work there I am indebted to the conversations of friends who 

 have attended the Oxford meetings, and to various reports and 

 pamphlets, but most of all to an admirable little book on Uni- 

 versity Extension by Messrs. Mackinder and Sadler, which I 

 would strongly commend to those who care to go further into the 

 details and history of the English movement. 



The work in England is divided among four organizations: 

 the London Society for the Extension of University Teaching, 

 the University of Cambridge, the University of Oxford, and 

 Victoria University. While there may be some friendly rivalry 

 as to which shall most abound in good works, it must not be 

 thought that the organizations are in competition with one 

 another. This would indeed be impossible in the case of the 

 London Society, since its staff of lecturers includes those of both 

 Cambridge and Oxford as well. The chief business of these 

 central offices is to provide lecturers and to arrange courses. It 

 must be constantly kept in mind that they are essentially teach- 

 ing organizations and by no means mere lecture bureaus. It is 

 true that university extension does not disdain to present knowl- 

 edge in an attractive form. It makes an admitted effort to be en- 

 tertaining. But this is only a means to an end. The main object 

 is more serious, and consequently no course is ever given on mis- 

 cellaneous topics. The unit consists of twelve weekly lectures on 

 one approved subject. Such a course, therefore, covers three 

 months and constitutes one term in the extension work. There 

 are two a year, the fall and spring terms, separated by the Christ- 

 mas holidays. Now that the movement is well established, a 

 strong effort is being made to bring the studies into close educa- 

 tional sequence, and to have the work of succeeding terms con- 

 tinue what has been done previously. This is not always pos- 

 sible, for university extension studies are strictly elective and 

 are never administered in prescribed amounts. But it represents 

 the ideal and the more intelligent students clearly see the ad- 

 vantage of continuous and related work in place of indiscrimi- 

 nate browsing. 



The central offices do not, however, assume the initiative. 

 They are the agents and inspirers of the local ■ centers. The 

 movement generally starts in any given neighborhood by the in- 

 terest and effort of one individual, or perhaps by the concerted 

 action of several. The known friends of education in the locality 

 are called upon, and the question of forming a center discussed. 

 If the scheme seems feasible, a public meeting is arranged, great 

 care being taken that it shall have no religious, political, or class 



