90 THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 



opened at Cobourg, Queen's and Regiopolis in Kingston and Knox 

 in Toronto. For over forty years there was unceasing strife. 



The attainment of Responsible Government in 1848 gave the 

 people control of the college as well as of the government. In 1849 

 Robert Baldwin amended the Charter of King's College, removing all 

 trace of ecclesiastical domination. At once the State college was 

 assailed with the charge of "godlessness." Even the colleges, which 

 had been attacking because of Anglican exclusiveness, now sym- 

 pathized with Bishop Strachan, who had founded Trinity in protest,^' 

 and justified his action by branding the State's college as "gocjless." 

 The Baldwin Act was amended to micet this criticism. 



The strife between sects became a strife between sectarianism and 

 non-sectarianism. Toronto, McGill and Dalhousie were reproached 

 for their supposed "godlessness." Their sectarian rivals were branded 

 as "narrow." It was claimed that where dogmatic instruction in 

 Theology could not be given, there no development in Christian 

 character could take place. Only the denominational college could 

 surround the growing youth with those Christian influences so neces- 

 sary to the growth of virtue. On the other hand, the "narrow" 

 denominational college was supposed to be hostile to intellectual 

 liberty, and to the untrammelled pursuit of truth by Science. This 

 conflict and these suspicions persisted well into the next century, 

 although Toronto recognized Religious Knowledge in its curriculum 

 and McGill and Dalhousie welcomed Theological colleges to affiliation 

 and places on the campus. In the western State universities affiliated 

 theological colleges have accepted places on the university campus 

 and an important part in university life. 



A new spirit with greater faith in education and a greater desire 

 to serve all was manifesting itself throughout the provinces. William 

 Dawson, Superintendent of Education for Nova Scotia, was awakening 

 the people. Egerton Ryerson was fighting for educational reform 

 in Ontario. He and Dawson were appointed on a commission to 

 advise the Government of New Brunswick what to do with their 

 King's College, which had fallen short of public expectations. 

 They recommended its transformation into a University of New 

 Brunswick, to be controlled by the State and assisted to give greater 

 service by exploring the resources of the province and making greater 

 provisions for the sciences and modern languages in the College 

 curriculum. This was done in 1859. In 1855 Dawson began the 

 great task of revivifying and reconstructing McGill into one of the 

 great Science Schools of the Empire. The new spirit of Science which 

 ^'Bethune: Memoir of Bishop Strachan. 



