GENERAL TREATMENT. 343 



ture, who had distinguished himself by the prominent part 

 he had taken in the organisation of the scholastic system in 

 question. I would myself, if necessary, have been at the 

 expense of a prize or prizes, and of the publication of a pro- 

 gramme of recommendations or suggestions to competitors. 

 In other words, I asked for no grant of funds, but simply for 

 a field for what I regarded, and continue to regard, as an im- 

 portant educational experiment. Unfortunately, however, my 

 proposal was not entertained. 



I mention this little piece of experience for the purpose 

 of urging others, with more time, means, and authority to 

 support their benevolent and enlightened projects, to make 

 efforts of a similar kind in other quarters. Undoubtedly, 

 somehow or other, sooner or later, success will attend them ; 

 and not only so, but what is at present unknown or excep- 

 tional will by-and-by, I believe, be the common practice of 

 public schools, including those of the Merchant Company 

 of Edinburgh. 



In 1876, the professor of Moral and Metaphysical Philo- 

 sophy in the University of Oxford, H. W. Chandler, M.A., 

 of Pembroke College, delivered a series of academical lectures 

 on ' The Duties of Men as regards Animals.' This is an ex- 

 ample worthy of all imitation in other universities. But there 

 is no less reason why such a subject should be selected for dis- 

 course or exposition before more popular and larger audi- 

 ences, before those crowds of intelligent persons of the 

 middle and artizan classes that crowd the lecture halls of 

 our mechanics institutes, athenseums, people's colleges, and 

 similar establishments every winter. Such a subject only 

 requires to be introduced to become popular ; it admits of pic- 

 torial and anecdotal illustration ; and there can be little doubt 

 that a few years hence f animal character,' and ' man's duty 

 to his poor relations,' will become types of the kind of sub- 

 ject that will supplant much of the historical or biogra- 

 phical matter that has become in such arenas so flat and 

 stale, if not also unprofitable. 



Nor does the Pulpit duly fulfil its duties in relation to the 

 dissemination of a feeling of humanity to the lower animals. 

 No doubt sermons on the subject have been preached by 



