September io, 1903J 



NATURE 



443 



But the Slate does really concede the principle ; its present 

 contribution to our Universities and colleges amounts to 1 55,600/. 

 a year ; no capital sum, however, is taken for buildings. The 

 State endowment of the University of Berlin in 1891-2 

 amounted to 168,777/. 



When, then, we consider the large endowments of university 

 education both in the United States and Germany, it is obvious 

 that State aid only can make any valid competition possible with 

 either. The more we study the facts, the more statistics are gone 

 into, the more do we find that we, to a large extent, lack both 

 of the sources of endowment upon one or other or both of which 

 other nations depend. We are between two stools, and the pro- 

 spect is hopeless without some drastic changes. And first among 

 these, if we intend to get cut of the present slough of despond, 

 must be the giving up of the idea of relying upon private effort. 



That we lose most where the State does least is 

 known to Mr. Chamberlain, for in his speech, to which 

 I have referred, on the University of Birmingham, he said : — 

 "As the importance of the aim we are pursuing becomes more 

 and more impressed upon the minds of the people, we may find 

 that we shall be more generously treated by the State." 



Later still, on the occasion of a visit to University College 

 School. Mr. Chamberlain spoke as follows ; — 



" When we are spending, as we are, many millions — 

 I think it is 13,000,000/. — a year on primary education, it 

 certainly seems as if we might add a little more, even a few 

 tens of thousands, to what we give to University and secondary 

 education" {Times, November 6, 1902). 



To compete on equal grounds with other nations we must 

 have more universities. But this is not all — we want a far 

 better endowment of all the existing ones, not forgetting better 

 opportunities for research on the part of both professors and 

 students. Another crying need is that of more professors and 

 better pay. Another is the reduction of fees ; they should be 

 reduced to the level in those countries which are competing 

 with us, to, say, one-fifth of their present rates, so as to enable 

 more students in the secondary and technical schools to 

 complete their education. 



In all these ways, facilities would be afforded for providing 

 the highest instruction to a much greater number of students. 

 At present there are almost as many professors and instructors 

 in the universities and colleges of the United States as there 

 are day students in the universities and colleges of the United 

 Kingdom. 



Men of science, our leaders of industry, and the chiefs of our 

 political parties all agree that our present want of higher educa- 

 tion — in other words, properly equipped universities — is heavily 

 handicapping us in the present race for commercial supremacy, 

 because it provides a relatively inferior brain-power which is 

 leading to a relatively reduced national income. 



The facts show that in this country we cannot depend upon 

 private effort to put matters right. How about local effort ? 



Anyone who studies the statistics of modern municipalities 

 will see that it is impossible for them to raise rates for the 

 building and upkeep of universities. 



The buildings of the most modern university in Germany 

 have cos-: a million. For upkeep the yearly sums found, chiefly 

 by the State, for German universities of different grades, 

 taking the incomes of seven out of the twenty-two universities 

 as examples, are : — 



£, 

 1st Class ... Berlin 130,000 



2nd Class ... |?«."" I 



(^Gottmgen J 



3rd Class ... i ;5^""igf berg 

 -" \ btrassburg 



4th Class . /Heidelberg \ 



}.., 



56,000 

 48,000 



\ Marburg /■" 



37,000 



Thus if Leeds, which is to have a university, is content 

 with the 4th class German standard, a rate must be levied of "jd. 

 in the pound for yearly expenses, independent of all buildings. 

 But the facts are that our towns are already at the breaking 

 strain. During the last fifty years, in spite of enormous increases 

 in rateable values, the rates have gone up from about 2s. to 

 about 7.>-. in the pound for real local purposes. But no university 

 can be a merely local institution. 



How to gei more Universities. 



What, then, is to be done ? Fortunately, we have a precedent 

 admirably in point, the consideration of which may help us to 

 answer this question. 



NO. 1767, VOL. 68] 



I have pointed out that in old days our Navy was chiefly pro- 

 vided by local and private effort. Fortunately for us, those day5 

 have passed away ; but some twenty years ago, in spite of a 

 large expenditure, it began to be felt by those who knew, 

 that in consequence of the increase of foreign navies, our sea- 

 power was threatened, as now, in consequence of the increase of 

 foreign universities, our brain-power is threatened. 



The nation slowly woke up to find that its enormous 

 commerce was no longer insured at sea, that in relation to 

 foreign navies our own had been suffered to dwindle to such 

 an extent that it was no longer capable of doing the duty 

 which the nation expected of it even in times of peace. At first, 

 this revelation was received with a shrug of incredulity, and the 

 peace-at-any-price party denied that anything was needed ; but 

 a great teacher arose ; ^ as the facts were inquired into the 

 .suspicion changed into an alarm ; men of all parties saw that 

 something must be done. Later, the nation was thoroughly 

 aroused, and with an universal agreement the principle was 

 laid down that, cost what it might to enforce our sea-power, 

 our Navy must be made and maintained of a strength greater 

 than those of any two possibly contending Powers. After 

 establishing this principle, the next thing to do was to give 

 effect to it. What did the nation do after full discussion and 

 inquiry? A Bill was brought in in 1888, and a sum of 

 21,500,000/. was voted in order, during the next five years, 

 to inaugurate a large ship-building programme, so that Britain 

 and Britain's commerce might be guarded on the high seas 

 in any event. 



Since then we have spent 120,000,000/. on new ships, and 

 this year we spend still more millions on still more new 

 ships. If these prove insufficient to safeguard our sea-power, 

 there is no doubt that the nation will increase them, and I 

 have not heard that anybody has suggested an appeal to private 

 effort. 



How, then, do we stand with regard to universities, recognising 

 them as the chief producers of brain-power and therefore the 

 equivalents of battleships in relation to sea-power ? Do their 

 numbers come up to the standard established by the Admiralty 

 principle to which I have referred ? Let us attempt to get a 

 rough and-ready estimate of our educational position by counting 

 universities as the Admiralty counts battleships. I say rough 

 and ready because we have other helps to greater brain-power 

 to consider besides universities, as the Admiralty has other ships 

 to consider besides ironclads. 



In the first place, let us inquire if they are equal in number 

 to tho.se of any two nations commercially competing with us. 



In the United Kingdom, we had until quite recently thirteen. ^ 

 Of these, one is only three years old as a teaching university 

 and another is still merely an examining board. 



In Germany there are twenty-two universities; in France, 

 under recent legislation, fifteen ; in Italy twenty-one. It is difficult 

 to give the number in the United States, because it is clear, from 

 the tables given in the Report of the Commissioner of Education, 

 that some colleges are more important than some universities, 

 and both give the degree of Ph.D. But of universities in title 

 we have 134. Among these, there are forty-six with more than 

 fifty professors and instructors, and thirteen with more than 

 150. I will take that figure* 



Suppose we consider the United States and Germany, our 

 chief commercial competitors, and apply the Admiralty principle. 

 We should require, allowing for population, eight additional 

 universities at the very lowest estimate. 



We see, then, that instead of having universities equalling in 

 number those of two of our chief competitors together, they are 

 by no means equal to those of either of them singly. 



After this statement of the facts, anyone who has belief in 

 the importance of higher education will have no difficulty 

 in understanding the origin of the present condition of British 

 industry and its constant decline, first in one direction and then 

 in another, since the tremendous efforts made in the United 

 States and Germany began to take effect. 



If, indeed, there be anything wrong about the comparison, 

 the error can only arise from one of two sources ; either 

 the Admiralty is thoughtlessly and wastefully spending money, 

 or there is no connection whatever between the higher 

 intelligence and the prosperity of a nation. I have already 



1 Capt.ain Mahan, of the U.S. Navy, who.se book, "On the Influence 

 of Sea-power on History," has .suggested the title of my address. 



- These .ire O.vford, Cambridge, Durham, Victoria, Wales, Birmingham, 

 Loridon, St. Andrews, Glasgow, Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Dublin, and Royal 

 University. 



