NATURE 



337 



THURSDAY, AUGUST 13, 1903. 



THE UNIVERSITY IN THE MODERN STATE. 

 V. 



SINCE the earlier articles under the above heading 

 appeared, the views we have attempted to express 

 touching the importance of universities in the lives 

 of States and even of Empires from a national or 

 political, as well as from an academic point of view, 

 have been strengthened in a remarkable manner by 

 the inauguration of a new movement in relation to 

 the universities of the British Empire. 



The important departure to which we refer is due 

 to the initiative of Sir Gilbert Parker, and was recently 

 discussed at a conference in London, at which official 

 representatives, specially approved by every one of 

 the governing bodies of degree-conferring universities 

 throughout the Empire, including Canada, Australia, 

 New Zealand, and the Cape of Good Hope, as well 

 as the home institutions, were present. By the kind- 

 ness of one of the delegates we were enabled to give 

 an account of what took place at the time. The publi- 

 cation of a full account of the proceedings, which has 

 now appeared in the Empire Review, enables us to 

 enter into some details. 



One of the most important and interesting announce- 

 ments made during the meeting, showing how much 

 may spring from a closer union of university with 

 other national aims, was made by Sir John Buchanan, 

 the Vice-Chancellor and delegate of the Cape of Good 

 Hope University, who reported that the first step to 

 the union of the different States of South Africa had 

 been accomplished by the Cape University, which this 

 year, for the first time, had conducted its examinations 

 in each of the five States of South Africa at the request 

 of the Governments of the several States. 



Now that this conference has taken place, we are 

 in a position to gauge its importance. There is no 

 question that a movement has been begun which is 

 bound to go on from strength to strength ; which, if 

 the committee appointed does its work thoroughly, will 

 bring all information bearing upon our university 

 organisation together, and so enable a levelling up 

 process to go on. Nothing is more distressful in 

 English history than the way in which, since the in- 

 troduction of scientific processes into modern civilisa- 

 tion, our schools and universities, for want of proper 

 endowment for the new learning, have failed to provide 

 the scientific spirit and the brain power which are now 

 recognised as the most important weapons in a 

 nation's armoury, and with which, to our detriment, 

 the competing nations are now so fully equipped. 



The Prime Minister in his admirable speech at the 

 inevitable dinner left no doubt as to the origin of our 

 present backwardness. While properly pointing out 

 that the collective effect of our public and secondary 

 schools upon British character cannot be overrated, he 

 frankly acknowledged that the boys of seventeen or 

 eighteen who have to be educated '* do not care a 

 11^ farthing about the world they live in except in so far 

 as it concerns the cricket-field or the football-field or 

 the river." On this ground they are not to be taught 

 NO. 1763, VOL. 68] 



science, and hence, when they proceed to the university, 

 their curriculum is limited to subjects which were 

 better taught before the modern world existed, or 

 Galileo was born. 



The first great result of the conference was the 

 distinct recognition of the importance of arrangements 

 for the mutual benefit of all the academic bodies in the 

 Empire, and this complete agreement is all the more 

 satisfactory at a time when the question of fiscal 

 arrangements is dividing the country into two hostile 

 camps. Again, the absence of such academic arrange- 

 ments at present was shown to be detrimental. Unlike 

 the fiscal problem, therefore, on the proper discussion 

 of which much time may be spent, the university 

 problem may be tackled at once, and we need hot delay 

 to profit by any benefits it may bring. 



The resolutions passed at the conference were as 

 follows: — (i) In the. opinion of this conference it is 

 desirable that such relations between the principal 

 teaching universities of the Empire should be estab- 

 lished as will secure that special or local advantages 

 for study, and in particular for post-graduate study 

 and research, should be made as accessible as possible 

 to students from all parts of the Empire. (2) That a 

 council consisting in part of representatives of British 

 and colonial universities be appointed to promote the 

 objects set out in the previous resolution, and that the 

 following persons be appointed a committee to arrange 

 for the constitution of the council : — Lord Kelvin, Lord 

 Strathcona, Mr. Bryce, M.P., Mr. Haldane, M.P., 

 Sir William Huggins, Sir Michael Foster, M.P., Sir 

 Oliver Lodge, Sir A. Riicker, the Rev. Dr. MahafTy, 

 the president of Magdalen College, Oxford, the presi- 

 dent of Queens' College, Cambridge, the Hon. W. P. 

 Reeves, and Sir Gilbert Parker, M.P. 



One of the most important matters raised in con- 

 nection with the first resolution was the value of the 

 education imparted in the British universities in re- 

 lation to those of other countries. Sir John Buchanan 

 told the conference that they were endeavouring at 

 the Cape to send their best graduates abroad for 

 further training, " and it was much to be regretted 

 that at present those students could not always get 

 what they sought for in the mother country." 



In the United States, where the university system 

 is more complete and far better endowed than with us, 

 the students who wish to go afield for further' study 

 do not come to Britain, they go to Germany or France, 

 and before we can expect colonial students to come to 

 the mother country exclusively, our university system 

 will require to be brought up to date, which can only 

 happen when many millions are available for proper 

 endowments, in other words, when the principle of 

 State endowment already accepted has been effectively 

 acted upon. 



If one effect of the conference is to bring this home 

 to the minds of those who have to deal with such 

 matters, it will have already accomplished an im- 

 portant work when as great freedom and facility for 

 study and research can be obtained within the King's 

 dominions as are available elsewhere. 



That the facilities referred to by the colonial 

 university authorities included ample means for the 

 prosecution of original research was made perfectly 



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