70 KOYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 



idea of imiversity consolidation meant a group of theological colleges 

 gathered about a single Arts College maintained by the state. Neither 

 of these conceptions could satisfy the principles and convictions upon 

 which Trinity, Queen's and Victoria had been founded and maintained. 

 Under the one scheme the enlarged public advantages would not be 

 equally accessible to the students of all the colleges. Under the other,, 

 the now rapidly increasing body of Arts students would be left without 

 those influences of personal culture and of moral and religious life for 

 which the denominational colleges stood and which can only be attained 

 in compact residential colleges. These facts were already present in 

 the mind of the writer and had led to his forming as early as 1880 a 

 conception of a federation of Arts colleges in a common universit>'^ 

 combining the advantages of a compact college with those of the large 

 and adequately equipped university. The letter of vice-chancellor 

 Mulock was first forwarded to President Kelles of Victoria. On its 

 reception he discussed the matter with the writer who presented his idea 

 of a federation involving removal to Toronto as an Arts college. The 

 whole matter was next presented to Principal Qrant of Queen's who 

 approved of the general plan but pointed out the difficulty of Queen's, 

 which had just completed a fine new building in Kingston at a cost of 

 nearly seventy thousand dollars, and could not afford to sacrifice so large 

 an amount by removal to Toronto. It was next presented to Provost 

 Body of Trinity, who while willing to accord it consideration desired a 

 more complete Avorking out of details. It would be a great mistake to 

 regard these communications as secret negotiations. They were open, 

 frank, and friendly consultations of all the various parties upon whom 

 rested the responsibility of university work. They were not carried on 

 through the public press, for the obvious reason, that no greater mistake 

 can be made than to rush before the public with a half finished scheme, 

 throwing it into the arena of controversy in an immature state. To 

 reach such maturity it was absolutely necessary that the standpoint of 

 each institution concerned should be clearly ascertained and as far as 

 possible various views and requirements harmonized in detail. After in- 

 dividual conferences on the subject, a meeting was called of representa- 

 tives of all the colleges interested, including the University of Toronto 

 with her affiliated colleges Knox, Wycliffe and St. Michaels, and Victoria, 

 Queen's, Trinity and McMaster, then the Toronto Baptist College. At 

 the first meeting the writer was introduced by Chancellor iSTelles and 

 presented verbally, the general principles of the suggested federation. 

 At subsequent meetings held during March and April somewhat diver- 

 gent schemes were presented from McMaster and Queen's and the whole 

 subject discussed from various points of view. These preliminary meet- 



