490 Encouragement of Scientific Research. [Odtober, 
once disqualified. The successful candidate will then hold 
his life-pension, on condition of work, a minimum scale being 
probably decided on at the outset. But as no one can on 
this system possibly attain a fellowship who has not proved 
himself able and willing to enter upon original research, 
there will be, we think, little fear of idleness. As for the 
unsuccessful candidates — those whose attempts at original 
research are found inadequate — they will not, like the de- 
feated, or, in faCt, like the successful candidates in our 
competitive examinations, be useless creatures. The training 
they have received will make them very valuable in certain 
positions. If they have selected dynamics, physics, or 
chemistry, an honourable career in the arts and manufactures 
may still be open to them. But this one alteration will pass 
through the entire university, and operate a beneficial change 
in every department. The students will flock to those pro- 
fessors who will be best qualified to initiate them into the 
mysteries of aCtual research, and Oxford and Cambridge 
will become once more centres of earnest progressive scien- 
tific activity, regularly pouring forth their streams of disco- 
very. Such establishments as Owens College, the Yorkshire 
College of Science, those of Birmingham, Bristol, and New- 
castle, all which we hope soon to congratulate as formally 
constituted universities, will doubtless, in course of time, 
have their fellowships to offer on similar conditions. It is 
an encouraging faCt that wealthy and benevolent individuals 
are now evidently more disposed to give or to bequeath 
large sums for the encouragement of higher education, — - 
surely a more useful employment of their funds than the old 
custom of founding charity-schools, where some score or two 
of unfortunate urchins were dressed up in absurd costumes, 
to be the sport and the butt of the neighbourhood. A few 
fellowships, open only to the authors of the best piece of 
original research, say in biology or chemistry, would be in- 
valuable appendages to these our new schools of science. 
Even where no fellowships, emeritus professorships, or other 
endowments exist, research, if not actually subsidised or 
endowed, is easily capable of promotion. In conferring de- 
grees the production of some original investigation might be 
advantageously demanded from the candidate, either in 
addition to the present examinations, or, perhaps still better, 
in lieu thereof. Let us, for instance, take the degree of 
DoCtor of Science, as conferred by the University of London. 
Suppose that a Bachelor of Science, instead of submitting 
to the usual examination, had the option of earning the 
higher step by the producing of an original paper in connec- 
