December 20, 1907] 



SCIENCE 



855 



ment is cumbersome and not wholly effi- 

 cient. The executive machinery is of small 

 import if an adequate university staff of 

 the right timber is available, the students 

 are imbued with the proper spirit and the 

 citizens and provincial authorities are in 

 sympathy with the development of a true 

 university. A method of governing uni- 

 versity affairs is necessary only in order to 

 stimulate and preserve a proper adjust- 

 ment of all phases of university activity, 

 to secure the institution against personal 

 selfishness or undue aggressiveness of indi- 

 viduals and to obtain proper representa- 

 tion of all interests. It is surprising to 

 find that Cambridge and Oxford conduct 

 their affairs on republican principles whilst 

 the American institutions are more or less 

 comparable to monarchical governments. 

 Cambridge University affairs are conducted 

 practically entirely by the alumni of the 

 institution. The American state univer- 

 sity, with a president at the head, has a 

 board of regents, appointed for a term of 

 years by the governor of the state, or 

 elected by direct vote of the people. The 

 alumni have no voice in the government of 

 the institution except as they may be ap- 

 pointed on the board of regents, or repre- 

 sentations are made by the alumni associa- 

 tions to the board of regents and state 

 legislature. 



The alumni of the individual colleges 

 which constitute the University of Mani- 

 toba are all thoroughly loyal to their col- 

 leges and filled with love and reverence for 

 the instructors, past and present. Most of 

 them recognize, however, the incompatibil- 

 ity of denominational college interests with 

 those of general university development. 

 If denominational colleges are to be an 

 integral part of the state university, the 

 activities of these individual colleges should 

 be largely limited to theological teaching 

 and, if so desired, to preparation for the 

 university proper; instruction in lines of 



general culture including the natural sci- 

 ences, philosophy, politics and other uni- 

 versity subjects, should be provided by the 

 university alone. 



The University of Manitoba no longer 

 confines its activities to the examination 

 of students and the conferring of degrees, 

 but has begun the more important part of 

 its woi-k, namely, the actual teaching of its 

 students, and it is surely a more responsible 

 undertaking to convert the raw material 

 into finished product rather than merely 

 to examine and put the label upon the 

 finished product. The teaching work un- 

 dertaken by the university can and will 

 reach a far higher stage of efficiency by 

 the elimination of duplication in instruc- 

 tion and by the development of broad, gen- 

 eral, non-religious— please mark the term, 

 not irreligious— teaching which excludes 

 all tendency to give too early theological 

 interpretation to new facts or view points 

 as presented to students not yet trained to 

 a point where they are able to draw their 

 own conclusions from the premises pre- 

 sented. 



It will be noted that the commissioners 

 are instructed to report upon the relation- 

 ships of the different educational institu- 

 tions in the province to the provincial 

 university. This may be difficult of ad- 

 justment. Consideration of the good of 

 the whole university rather than that of 

 individuals or of local or foreign precedent, 

 together with a realization of the fact that 

 all of the money which goes to support 

 education is derived originally from the 

 people and is, or should be, intended for 

 the benefit of all, will do much to secure 

 what is best for the province as a whole. 



A university, college, or school should 

 not be expected to provide exclusively or 

 even largely for the teaching of manners, 

 morals and religion. Something must be 

 left to home influences, and with proper 

 environment in the home and proper ac- 



