CURRENT EVENTS. 93 



1908, as requested by the trustees, appoint a commission to consider 

 in co-operation with them whether it would be advisable to limit the 

 relation now subsisting between the church and the university to the 

 ^departments of arts and theology, and to provide that the other de- 

 partments now or hereafter existing may be otherwise constituted, 

 such commission to report to the next Assembly." 



The following extract from the Hamilton Times will show that 

 Mr. Macdonnell created a powerful impression on the minds of the 

 reporters and of his hearers. He certainly threw his whole weight 

 into the opposition to the Principal's resolution, and some phrases 

 used by the present reporter were made the subject of effective 

 satire. Of course, I think that even arguments of that nature can 

 be answered, but the present statement is not the place for it : 



Mr. G. M. Macdonnell, K.C., of Kingston, had passed a restless 

 hour. He had a humble seat in the synagogue among a few tired 

 commissioners, due to the heat of the day and the long journeys to 

 the Assembly. But this nervous organism, as strange and rich a 

 piece of nature as one will see in a " day's march," was not asleep. 

 It is said that great occasions are rather his delight. To see him 

 quiet in his seat there is a strong resemblance to the late Principal 

 Caven, but he is not often at rest. He is a " fighter," and had grace 

 not won him for the good fight of the Christian, he would have been 

 " terrible." On the platform he only really begins to speak when 

 some sharp wit is foolish enough to heckle him. Then look out; the 

 challenge goes like a flash, his intense soul springs to the line, and a 

 bonnier knight seldom gave more gallant battle. " They call it de- 

 velopment or evolution — both bad terms. I shall use another, en- 

 vironment. Even this does not suit my friend Dr. Sedgwick, and I 

 shall use a fourth, " spiritual atmosphere." Did this charter not have 

 something to do in making the spiritual atmosphere of Queen's? See 

 our arts and science and medicine, under a charter which says such 

 and such shall be members of the Presbyterian Church. Was there 

 no spiritual atmosphere? And has a dead parchment created this?" 



For several minutes the whole house gave round after round of 

 , applause. The speaker was too serious to notice that he had " made 

 a great hit," but twisted and side-stepped to carry on the fight. 



" And to throw all this away for a united Canada ! The things 

 we have loved for sixty years to go with a wave of the hand because 

 some gentlemen say, Come now, brethren, we must evolute !" 



President Forrest, of Dalhousie University, in an energetic 

 speech supported the resolution. He maintained that Presbyterians 

 had always been opposed to denominationalism in education. He 

 made some interesting statements regarding his own university, 

 showing that Dalhousie had remained in full sympathy with the 

 Presbyterian Church while free from direct church control. 



Professor Perry, of Winnipeg, defended his phrase, " a united 

 Canada," against Mr. Macdonnell's attack, maintaining that denomi- 

 national universities meant a divided Canada. 



When Professor Dyde rose to second the amendment the hour 



