ix SCOTTISH UNIVERSITIES COMMISSION 225 



become a member of a Royal Commission to act as an 

 executive body to carry out the provisions of the 

 " Scottish Universities Act." This proved to be 

 a most agreeable duty ; I met on the Commission a 

 number of gentlemen whose acquaintance and friend- 

 ship I made, and the work was of a most interesting 

 character, whilst the ordinances which we issued were 

 far-reaching and important, in many respects re- 

 volutionising the existing system of the Scottish Uni- 

 versities both as regards curricula and finance. It 

 does not always happen that the changes introduced 

 by an Executive Commission are carried out to the 

 satisfaction of the interested parties, but in our case it 

 was so, for the ordinances which we felt it our duty to 

 make were loyally accepted by the staff and Governing 

 Bodies of the four Universities, and certainly led to 

 the liberalisation of the hitherto somewhat narrow 

 system which had been long in vogue. Thus, for 

 example, whilst up to that time a system of enforced 

 attendance at classes for the degree examinations had 

 been limited to three or four subjects, the Commission 

 opened out new avenues to the degrees, a change 

 which was of the greatest importance, especially for 

 scientific education. No one can value the existence 

 in Scotland of four distinct high schools of learning 

 and research open to all comers, both rich and poor, 

 more than I do. The University and parish school 

 systems have made Scotland what it is, the most re- 

 markable country of four millions of people on the face 

 of the globe. Climate and blood have also played their 

 part in the high position which Scotsmen have taken 

 in every branch of commerce, industry, literature, and 

 science, but this would not have been sufficient had 

 not the love of education and the power to get it been 



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