University Education. 549 



commonly brought against this proposal ; the first is that to give 

 charters to the stronger Colleges would squeeze out the weaker. If 

 the examining University of the Cape of Good Hope continued to 

 exist, or if the London University External Examinations were held 

 locally, the position of the weaker colleges would, it seems to me, 

 be unaltered, though the stronger ones would undoubtedly gain by 

 acquiring independence. The second objection to the granting of 

 separate charters is the stronger one, viz., that the multiplication of 

 degree giving institutions would lower the prestige of South African 

 degrees. This might occur either through the cheapening of the 

 degrees as a result of competition, a very unlikely case, and one 

 easily provided against by mutual agreement and legislation ; or 

 through the substitution of several little known universities for one 

 better known University. Nova Scotia, with its six (mostly denom- 

 inational) universities to a population of about 500,000, and New 

 Brunswick, with three Universities to a population of about 400,000, 

 are held up as warnings, and the enormous multiplication of State, 

 denominational and private Universities in the United States, with 

 the consequent lack of prestige in American degrees, unless granted 

 by one of the leading Universities, is often cited. 



The same arguments might be brought to bear against the recent 

 multiplication of Universities in the British Isles. Everybody will 

 admit that the multiplication of Universities has reduced the prestige 

 of University degrees, which, while fifty years ago, they were practic- 

 ally a perquisite of the leisured and professional classes, are now 

 within the reach of almost everyone ; but the loss to the individual 

 in the lessening of the market or social value of his degree is far 

 more than compensated by the gain to the community in the growth 

 of the great " City Universities." I think it is probable that there 

 would be similar compensating factors in South Africa. 



If it came to the question of independent charters, there seems 

 to be, according to the Arts Course figures, two institutions in Cape 

 Colony that have a reasonable claim, in addition to the remaining 

 University of the Cape of Good Hope, viz.. the South African 

 College and Victoria College. 



The position of the Transvaal Technical Institute will determine 

 itself better in the next year or so, but it seems to me that its 

 distance from the Cape Peninsula is the strongest argument against 

 its connexion with a general federal scheme being anvthing more than 

 temporary. The policy of the Transvaal Technical Institute in this 

 matter is not yet definitely determined, though there are reasons for 

 believing that a federal scheme,, provided the status of the best 

 colleges were not imperilled by association with weak institutions, 

 would suit it, at least as a temporary measure. The Rhodes 

 University College, like the Transvaal Technical Institute, might 

 benefit most by such a scheme, though I have no doubt its policy will 

 be clearly described in the discussion. 



As I said at the commencement of this paper, I prefer to leave 

 the advocacy of the different measures, and the detailed discussion 

 of their merits and demerits, to those who ha^•e borne the heat of the 



