48 SELECTIONS FROM HUXLEY 



meditative stillness of their greenswarded courts, philosophy 

 does not thrive, and meditation bears few fruits. 



It is my great good fortune to reckon amongst my friends 

 resident members of both universities, who are men of learn- 

 5 ing and research, zealous cultivators of science, keeping before 

 their minds a noble ideal of a university, and doing their best 

 to make that ideal a reality ; and, to me, they would neces- 

 sarily typify the universities, did not the authoritative state- 

 ments I have quoted compel me to believe that they are ex- 



loceptional and not representative men. Indeed, upon calm 

 consideration, several circumstances lead me to think that 

 the Rector of Lincoln College and the Commissioners cannot 

 be far wrong. 



I believe there can be no doubt that the foreigner who 



15 should wish to become acquainted with the scientific, or the 

 literary, activity of modern England, would simply lose his 

 time and his pains if he visited our universities with that 

 object. 



And, as for works of profound research on any subject, 



20 and, above all, in that classical lore for which the universities 

 profess to sacrifice almost everything else, why, a third-rate, 

 poverty-stricken German university turns out more produce 

 of that kind in one year, than our vast and wealthy founda- 

 tions elaborate in ten. 



25 Ask the man who is investigating any question, profoundly 

 and thoroughly be it historical, philosophical, philological, 

 physical, literary, or theological ; who is trying to make 

 himself master of any abstract subject (except, perhaps, 

 political economy and geology, both of which are intensely 



30 Anglican sciences) whether he is not compelled to read half a 

 dozen times as many German, as English books? And 

 whether, of these English books, more than one in ten is the 

 work of a fellow of a college, or a professor of an English uni- 

 versity ? 



