July 6, 1905] 



NA TURE 



23T 



lUE NEEDS OF OUR OLDEST UNIVERSITY. 

 T^HE following statement has been drawn up by those 



■^ profassors and heads of departments of the University 

 of Oxford whose names are appended, each being responsible 

 for the details of his own and allied subjects, but expressing 

 also a general sympathy with the scheme as a whole. It 

 indicates the cost at which, in their opinion, all important 

 existing deficiencies (except those of law) may be met by a 

 generous provision for research as well as for teaching. 



To carry out the scheme here set forth would require a 

 capital outlay of about 564,000/., and an annual income of 

 about 93,000/. 



A large proportion of the capital sum proposed for building 

 the new laboratories, together with the whole sum proposed 

 for the purchase of land near the museum, might be saved 

 if the chemical and physical departments were moved from 

 their present position. , It is estimated that at a cost of about 

 60,000/. all existing or proposed departments in these 

 branches of science could be accommodated, and space found 

 for other proposed laboratories in the buildings thus set free. 



With the sums hereafter named, in addition to her present 

 resources, Oxford could successfully meet every pressing need 

 as well as those demands which it is believed will pour in 

 from many parts of the Empire, from the United States, and 

 from Germany. 



The present occasion has been thought a favourable one for 

 stating clearly the full cost which, in the opinion of those 

 who have signed this document, would enable Oxford con- 

 fidently and hopefully to face the great responsibilities which 

 have been placed upon her. But whatever be the outcome, 

 her professors and heads of departments gladly welcome 

 the inspiring opportunity for research and for education 

 which these new responsibilities will assuredly bring. They 

 will cheerfully attempt to meet the coming needs, even with 

 the present inadequate resources, but they consider it right 

 to point out that their work will be done under the greatest 

 difficulties and therefore inadequately. 



The insufficient endowment of many university departments 

 and the necessity for further equipment have been subjects of 

 anxious consideration for many years, culminating in the 

 Vice-Chancellor's letter of February 20, 1902, to heads of 

 institutions and departments — published with the answers in 

 the " Statement of the Needs of the University " (Oxford, 

 1902). The estimates of expenditure given below have been 

 largely based upon these published replies to a letter which 

 was issued before our necessities became still more press- 

 ing in consequence of the will of Mr. Rhodes. Manj addi- 

 tional needs not contemplated in the replies to the V'ice- 

 Chancellor have also come to light in the course of this 

 inquiry, and are provided for in the following scheme. The 

 published statement of needs is itself introduced by the fol- 

 lowing sentence (p. 3) : " It is hardly necessary to add that 

 in dealing with prospective needs it is generally impossible 

 to form even an approximate estimate of the new and ever- 

 increasing wants which the rapidly-growing requirements of 

 our time may bring, and indeed in some instances (even since 

 these statements were prepared) have already brought within 

 view." 



It has been assumed in the following statement that every 

 important university chair, including all those to which the 

 care of a department providing for one of the chief scientific 

 subjects is attached, should be of the value of 900/. a vir. 

 In fixing this sum the traditions of the last Commission have 

 been followed, but it is necessary to bear in mind that the 

 growth of universities in the future and the competition be- 

 tween them may ultimately render such a sum insufficient to 

 attract and retain the greatest workers and teachers. 

 Under existing conditions we are convinced that it is 

 adequate, but the university would require a large increase 

 of income before she could provide for every important chair 

 the stipend with which it is sometimes erroneously believed 

 to be endowed. 



Each new laboratory devoted to one of the principal 

 branches of natural science has been estimated to cost 

 30,000/., exclusive of site. It is believed that this sum would 

 provide fittings and sufficient apparatus to begin teaching 

 and research on an adequate scale, allowance being made 

 for the material now in the possession of the university. It 

 has been assumed that every important laboratory, both new 

 and old, should receive an income of 3000/. a year, for pro- 



NO. 1862, VOL. 72] 



fessor's stipend, demonstrators, assistants, apparatus, and 

 material for research and for teaching, and the general ex- 

 penses of maintenance. 



With such an income a professor could encourage several 

 of his most promising men to do original work, giving them 

 employment in teaching or working for the department 

 during a part of their time. 



Attention to the large and insistent needs of the existing 

 and proposed scientific departments has been accompanied 

 by a generous provision for the necessities of other subjects, 

 and especially by the suggested increase of the Bodleian 

 income to 23,000/. a year — even then less than one-third of 

 the annual sum supplied to the National Library. 



We feel that it is not too much to claim that the annual 

 output in research and teaching from the small inadequately 

 endowed — often miserably endowed — departments of the 

 university, justifies the confident conclusion that a liberal 

 provision for existing and imminent needs would be fol- 

 lowed by results of the highest importance to the Empire 

 as well as to the university. The results would be three- 

 fold — the advancement of learning, which is the highest 

 and noblest function of a university ; the adequate teach- 

 ing of many subjects of the first importance, now im- 

 perfectly provided, or not provided at all ; the inestimable 

 benefits conferred upon students by living in an atmosphere 

 of research. 



H. B. Baker, F.R.S., Lee's reader in chemistry ; Henry 

 Balfour, curator of the Pitt-Rivers Museum ; R. E. Baynes, 

 Lee's reader in physics ; T. K. Cheyne, Oriel professor of 

 the interpretation of Holy Scripture; R. B. Clifton, F.R.S., 

 professor of experimental philosophv : S. R. Driver, Regius 

 professor of Hebrew; F. Y. Edgeworth, professor of political 

 economy ; E. B. Elliott, F.R.S., Waynflete professor of pure 

 mathematics ; Robinson Ellis, Corpus professor of Latin 

 literature; W. Esson, F.R.S., Savilian professor of 

 geometry; Arthur J. Evans, F.R.S., keeper of the Ash- 

 molean Museum; C. H. Firth, Regius professor of modern 

 history ; P. Gardner, Lincoln and Merton professor of 

 archseology ; Francis Gotch, F.R.S., Waynflete professor of 

 physiology ; H. Goudy, Regius professor of civil law ; 

 F. LI. Griffith, reader in Egyptology ; W. Lock, Ireland 

 professor of exegesis of Holy Scripture ; A. E. H. Love, 

 F.R.S., Sedleian professor of natural philosophy; R. W. 

 Macan, university reader in ancient history ; A. A. 

 Macdonell, Boden professor of Sanskrit ; D. S. Margoliouth, 

 Laudian professor of Arabic ; Henry A. Miers, F.R.S., pro- 

 fessor of mineralogy ; W. R. Morfill, professor of Russian ; 

 A. S. Napier, Merton professor of English language and 

 literature; E. W. B. Nicholson, Bodley's librarian; W. 

 Odling, F.R.S., Waynflete professor of chemistry; R. L. 

 Ottley, Regius professor of pastoral theology ; H. F. Pelham, 

 Camden professor of ancient history ; E. B. Poulton, F.R.S., 

 Hope professor of zoology ; Arthur Sidgwick, university 

 reader in Greek; W. A. Raleigh, professor of English 

 literature ; John Rhys, Jesus professor of Celtic ; James 

 Ritchie, reader in pathology ; W. Sanday, Margaret pro- 

 fessor of divinity; A. H. Sayce, professor of Assyrlology ; 

 Henry Sweet, university reader in phonetics; W. J. 

 Sollas, F.R.S., professor of geology ; John S. Townsend, 

 F.R.S., Wykeham professor of physics; H. H. Turner, 

 F.R.S., Savilian professor of astronomy; E. B. Tylor, 

 F.R.S., professor of anthropology ; Sydney H. Vines, 

 F.R.S., Sherardian professor of botany; W. F. R. Weldon, 

 F.R.S., Linacre professor of comparative anatomy; Joseph 

 Wright, professor of comparative philology. 



The late Regius professor of medicine. Sir John Burdon 

 .Sanderson, F.R.S., has expressed his approval. 



Bodleian Library. — Fire-proofing, additional storage, 

 additional reading-room, warming picture-gallery, electric 

 lighting of camera (see also Central University Institu- 

 tion below, which it is suggested might liberate 

 additional space for the Bodleian) (25,000/. ; — ); large 

 increase of staff, filling up deficiencies in and maintaining 

 special departments, printing the catalogue, binding (includ- 

 ing arrears) ( — : 13,000/.). 



In this and all other cases the sum placed before the 

 colon indicates capital outlay, that placed after the colon 

 annual expenditure. 



Central University Institution. — Containing workrooms 

 and lecture-rooms for professors not otherwise provided for, 

 university chest, delegates' rooms, committee rooms, &c., 



