312 



NA TURE 



[May 13, 1909 



M.A.'s who perform academic functions (Resolu- 

 tion ii., h) is, lilie many anotlier desirable re- 

 form, merely a return to the original intention. It 

 was proposed by Council a few months ago, but re- 

 jected by a small majority in Congregation. We 

 may now hope and believe that with the support of 

 the Chancellor and the renewed support of Council 

 it will become an actual fact. The academic functions 

 here suggested as qualifying for membership of Con- 

 gregation are " teaching and administrative." Of 

 course, all academic teaching to be valuable must be 

 associated with research, and " teaching " was doubt- 

 less intended to be read in this sense ; but in England 

 it is unfortunately still premature to trust to the 

 general acceptance of such an interpretation. 



We do not touch on the tremendous and perhaps 

 rather barren problem of the reform of Convocation. 

 It is possible that, with greatly increased powers con- 

 ferred on the Boards of Faculties, the consideration of 

 this much disputed and very intricate question might 

 advantageously be postponed. 



The principle strongly advocated by the Chancellor 

 and adopted in Resolution iii., a, " that Greek be no 

 longer required as a necessary subject for a degree 

 in Arts," was some years ago accepted by Council 

 and successfully brought before Congregation, 

 although the subsequent attempt to introduce a definite 

 scheme was attended with failure. It is difficult to 

 understand the feelings of those students of the 

 noblest of all languages and all literatures in attach- 

 ing so much value to the miserable and irritating mini- 

 mum now required. It is sometimes said that the 

 scientific student, requiring' to propose new terms, 

 would be benefited by possessing a knowledge of Greek, 

 but it would be disastrous to the interests of language 

 were he, with a hundredfold the experience, to make 

 the attempt. The field is a very dangerous one, and 

 full of pitfalls even for the most accomplished scholars. 

 It is also said that the Englishman without Greek 

 would find difficulty in understanding the meaning of 

 numbers of English words. The answer is obvious. 

 The moderate number of Greek words which are used 

 over and over again in English should be taught as 

 part of that most important, most neglected branch 

 of a boy's education — his own language. 



The principle of an entrance examination (iii., V) 

 preliminary to matriculation would i-elieve the univer- 

 sity from its present undignified position, compelled 

 as it is to matriculate any and every student pre- 

 sented by a college. 



The Chancellor's principle of a Board of Finance, 

 accepted by Council in Resolution iv., is of the 

 highest importance. Indeed, this principle alone may 

 go far to secure the dominant influence of the univer- 

 sity. It is to be presumed that the board will possess 

 the power of preventing the waste of funds by un- 

 necessary duplication of teachmg no less than bjf 

 unnecessary or extravagant buildings. Of equal im- 

 portance is the cooperating principle accepted in Re- 

 solution v., " that some reconstitution of the faculties 

 and boards of faculties should take place, with a view 

 to the more systematic and economical organisation of 

 university and college teaching." It is to be hoped 

 that the reconstituted boards, with the addition of a 

 Council of the Faculties, may relieve the Hebdomadal 

 Council of the entire examination system, propose 

 names for honorary degrees, advise the board of 

 finance in the administration or control of the com- 

 bined tuition fees, appoint all lecturers, and exercise 

 advisory powers in the appointment of tutors. 



Resolution vii., appointing a committee " to con- 

 sider and confer with the colleges as to the emolu- 

 ments and tenure of senior scholarships and of fellow- 



NO. 2063, VOL. 80] 



ships," is of almost equal importance to that of the 

 two resolutions last touched upon. It is to be re- 

 gretted that the whole system of prize-fellow- 

 ships as instituted by the last commission, including 

 the award by examination, was not condemned. It is 

 sometimes said that it is such a good thing for politics, 

 the Bar, and journalism, that an able young man 

 should be supported during the early barren years. No 

 doubt it is a very good thing. Then let politics, the 

 Bar, and journalism see to it. While there are capable 

 students unable to pursue their researches in Oxford 

 for the want of such funds, it is a scandalous abuse 

 of academic endowment that they should be used in 

 London to smooth the jjath to a professional career. 



With regard to the following proposals made in 

 resolutions of which the numbers are quoted, we need 

 say no more on the present occasion than that they 

 command our entire sympathy and approval : — The 

 reconsideration of the scheme of college scholarships 

 and exhibitions (vi.), an improvement in the executive 

 machinery of the university (vii.), a better constitution 

 of electoral boards to professorships (x.), and the pro- 

 vision, if possible, of a professorial pension scheme (xi.), 

 a reconsideration of university .and college fees (xiii.), 

 and a discussion as to the possibility of reducing the 

 expenses of living in college (xiv.) 



There remains, however, one important reform 

 which touches closely the dignity of the university. 

 Oxford ought to regain its ancient long-lost power of 

 admitting students, just as Berlin or Paris admits 

 them, without compelling them to join any other body. 

 If a senior American or Continental student now 

 desires to work in Oxford under a professor, and to 

 become for the time a member of the university, the 

 authorities can only reply that he must first arrange 

 to attach himself to a college or to the body of non- 

 collegiate students. The situation is so strange to 

 those accustomed to the ways of other universities that 

 the student would probably in most cases be invited 

 to work without joining the university, which thus 

 loses the fees he is willing to pay and much of the 

 distinction conferred by his researches. A proposal to 

 admit such students to the university only just failed 

 to pass Council a few years ago, and then only in 

 consequence of opposition raised on behalf of the non- 

 collegiate students. It is possible that the advantages 

 of a collegiate title to express what has from the first 

 been a reality would conciliate much of this opposition. 

 It would be a wise policy to admit frankly that the 

 non-collegiate body, in everything except residence 

 within the walls of a college, possesses a collegiate 

 structure, to adopt the name " St. Catherine's Col- 

 lege," and to let the clumsy title " non-collegiate 

 student " go the way of the older and even less desir- 

 able term "unattached." We might then reasonably 

 hope that some benefactor interested in hard work 

 and economical living at the university would be 

 glad to erect a building where all the immense ad- 

 vantages of corporate life would be conferred on a 

 large and deserving body of the poorer students. In 

 such a college, if well managed, living ought to be 

 considerably cheaper than in " licensed lodgings " in 

 the city. In this way we believe that " the improve- 

 ment of the position of non-collegiate students " 

 sought by the Chancellor and by Council (in Resolu- 

 tion ix.) can best he brought about. 



We have said enough to show how wide-reaching 

 and remarkable, and, as we believe, beneficent, is the 

 scheme of reform presented to Oxford University by 

 the Chancellor. Not less remarkable is the 'effect it 

 has already produced upon a seat of learning some- 

 tiines described, in old days perhaps correctly, but 

 now with singular inaccuracy, as " sunk in port wine 

 and prejudice." 



