92 Transactions of the South African Pliihsophical Society. 



to examine certain educational returns which had heen sent in 

 deahng with the higher grade schools. The report of that committee 

 begins by a reference to certain promises made by the Government 

 seventeen years before, in 1839, and observes, regarding these : 

 " We need not enter in detail the instances of neglect. In fact, with 

 the exception of appointing one competent teacher in each school^ 

 the neglect in everything else has been, as far as the evidence goes^ 

 universal." Books, libraries, models, and philosophical apparatus 

 are in turn mentioned, and w4th one trifling exception, the verdict 

 is: "In no one instance has this promise been fulfilled." The 

 report adds : " And it is to the lasting honour of the teachers and of 

 the public that the schools have been sustained, and have in many 

 cases accomplished so much good as they have done, and it is very 

 great, under circumstances so discouraging. Believing that the 

 House is disposed to look forward to what should and may be done 

 to make the first-class schools a blessing to the country, rather than 

 to censure the shortcomings of Government in past times, we respect- 

 fully submit the outlines of a system which we think may accomplish 

 that object." If such was the attitude of the Government tow^ards 

 the higher grade of schools fifty years ago, it is not surprising that 

 when Melbourne and Sydney were laying the foundations of their 

 Universities, so little was being done for South African colleges, and 

 nothing attempted in the direction of establishing a Teaching 

 University for the country. 



It is not, however, necessary here, wiiere all, or most, are fairly 

 w-ell acquainted with the history of college and university movements 

 in South Africa, to recapitulate what has been done, or to deplore in 

 dolorous tones what has been left undone. Our vision must be 

 rather directed to the present and towards the future. 



It must, I think, be allowed that there are many reasons beyond 

 those which exist in the nature of things, and which might bring this 

 subject to the front at any time, why the matter of a Teaching 

 University should come up for discussion at the present juncture. 

 It is not alone the makeshift character of an Examining University 

 which presses the subject upon us for consideration at this time. 

 The standing objections to an Examining University as the only one 

 in the country are always present. Educational schemes in con- 

 nection with our colleges must be regarded as more or less of a 

 tentative character, for, however excellent, it must be felt that after 

 all they are not that which shall be, some time, in tlie near or 

 distant future. 



We have, however, to consider at the present moment that the 

 country is in the throes of a new birth, and there is little or no 



