TAX UPON THE UNIVERSITIES. 387 



tax is certainly oppressive upon those who least 

 merit such a " reward." But even allowing it to 

 remain as it now is, the character it would assume, 

 when its proceeds were applied to the liberal endow- 

 ment of professorships, would be quite different. It 

 would be like a private subscription, raised among 

 friends, for the purpose of making up a purse for the 

 benefit of some one or more of their own number : 

 each member would gladly contribute his share, 

 under the conviction that the prizes will be awarded 

 to the most deserving; and that, with proper exertion, 

 he has as fair a chance as any other aspirant of re- 

 ceiving back his fee, augmented an hundred-fold. 

 Were it customary to choose the members of our 

 universities more from the ranks of science, than 

 from those of politics or of arms, this grievance 

 probably would not have so long continued in oper- 

 ation. At all events, it appears so easj' of redress, 

 and will so effectually remove all further complaint 

 against the government in connection with the state 

 of science at our universities, that we trust in having 

 the power of omitting all such censure in another 

 edition. There can be no doubt that the heads of 

 our universities will most joyfully accept of such a 

 boon, and be glad to be thus rid of an appearance 

 only of receiving government bounty, while it can- 

 not be doubted that they will use it freely and 

 effectually for the promotion of that philosophy 

 which is properly connected with Christianity. 

 Every reflecting mind must participate with such 

 authorities, in their fear and dread of hasty and in- 

 considerate changes, or of that " radical reform," 

 now so loudly called for. The whole analogy of 

 c c 2 



