The Express.
London, England, 1866-03-22 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

ROUSE OF COMMONS. —WIDNZSDAY, M•scs.2l.
TITS ABOLITION (OXFORD) BILL.
After our report left yesterday,
Mr. TREVELYAN said that esetaie gentlemen who
imad been edusated at Weed wire opposed to the bill, on
the ground that it would give an advantage to the sister
waivers'ty of Cambridge, and that may parents would
give a preforms* to the university that would stall retain
the inestimable blessing of her dielleauldjin tests.
Bat he spoke the sentiments of a oo • arable cal-
amity of Cambridge men when he said that they
enegratu,atsd the Uaivereity of Oxford. with which
they considered their own interests to be identical, on
the prospect which this bill placed before her, and
they felt that V they stood by her now, she would stand by
them who their turn came for • reform, whirth they desired
as much as she, and which they needed still more.
Sir 8. NORTHOOTE, in moving as an amendment that
the ball he reed • almond time that day air months, said
that if all that diameters required was to take the degree
Si M.A., there would be ne damnify in the matter; but
the truth was they wanted • great dial more than that.
Tim bill proposed to reopen tbe settlement of 1854,
end se it did sot clearly define what the dissenters
wasted. he could not give it his approval. lie admitted that
memeratormiste had uadoubtedly • right to demand some-
thing, and the University was quits disposed to come to
term of settlement with them ; but in older to do that
the proper parties most present themselves before the
banes. Ha was not afraid of allowing • few dissenters
into convocation ; but be wee afraid that, if all tests were
abolished, the whole toe* of the distinctive educational in.
Ileras of the church of England would ho lost. He
sot wish to oppose the soaped reading of the bill,
pievided he saw a reasonable prospect of effecting • om-
it the measure weet into committee, but not as-
Cplaariog that that would be the result he should move
the amen4ment of which he had given notice.
Mr. BUXTON supported time bill.
Mr. B. HOPE said he was quite willing that diamatere
should enjoy in the University of Oxford the same privileges
',they now possessed in the University of Oeminidge, and
is the hops that the bill would be se shored as to meet
that view he would not object to the second readietriAs
the measure now stood, however, it would not satis the
ilisme•ter, sad it would sot conciliate the churchman. ( ear,

beer.)
Mr. LAMONT said he had great pleasure in supporting
the bill, which he believed would melee the hearty assent
ef nineteen-twentieths of the people of Scotland.
Sir W. HEATHCOTE desired that they should still
maintain exclusion from the convocation by regains(
emu aceeedieg Ito the declaration screed to last year.
• great devil had beat said about dissenters obtaining
• degree sod yet not being able to vote in ceemeation,
god it was stated that that feet kept a great many dissenters
bent attune the naiversity. He did not think that
that was the asse, for be believed that whet
young men looked forward to was the bachelor's degree
end %utensil's% attended it, with the exemption of thou
who desired to go for • scholarship, but the present bill
ouluded the consideration of that subject, and would notdo
OM which the hon. mad learned gentleman ditched to so-
aemplub, namely, the removal from the minds of the ma-
*lrby of nossoonformists of the feeling that they were put in
as inferior pceition. But it might be asked, what were the
te of the bill afraid at ? He wee reedy to make two
•
=lll4oZoos, which he knew might be used 'piglet himself.
ribs first was, that he did sot expect such • great Max of
• dimatests es would make the bill dangerous is that point
et view; and next, that if there was snob an influx, it would
show that it was right that they ought to be let in,
(Hear, hear.) But believing that there would be
SA
such meat amensioe. he asked was it worth
while for the sake of a email number to risk an alteration is
the oonstitution of the universities? Be admitted that there
was • greet deal in the present smut et meths which
Auld make them endeavour to set right every growled of
. isemplaiut, There were men who were more to be dreaded
limn honest nontonformista—(cheers)—men who took the
- loth at the preens" moment, and yet had fostered in the
university a spirit of infidelity. He believed however, that
that mint had culminated, and was declining so for as
Oxford was oeneernect He trusted that the bill would be
as altered in oemleittee that, while it would do away with
sou mums of difficulty and dispute, it would not create
Mhos more formidable and more injurious. (Chum.)
Mr. BUTLER-JOHNSTONE said that to the 'substance
if the speech of the hon. sod learned minima° who bad
hetrodmed the bill he cordially assisted ; and if the nim
PAM for the second reading went to • division, he would go
bob the lobby with him. The question was an entirely
different cos from that raised by the bill of the member
fee Kilmarnock, which he could not support. Some people
woke of universities at if they were grammar schools, and
that the little graduates were to be brought op with the
gee idea of being good and obedient members of the church
of England. The member of the university who were
'soothers of the church of England and those who were
dimentere mixed freely together as they ought to do, and
the disputers took their fair share of honour.. (Rear,
beer.) It was only when they come to cam-
tfor the highest prizes of the university
; thew found they were debarred from resting the
reward sf their assiduity and acquirements. The present
elan was not the claim of • class, or of a stenos of the
monmunity—it was the claim of the people of England.
(Hear, hear.) He felt towards Oxford sod towards the
church of England as a man should feel towards his uni-
versityand towards the church to which he belonged, and
be denied that his support of the bill arose from • spirit of
aatageoinn to either. He repudiated the idea that the
claim was a conceesiou to dissenters. It was a concession
to Ox ford —a ooactssiou to common sense. (Hear, hear.)
- Mr. MUTE observed that • question of principle was
involved in the bill, and that being so they could not be
too cureful as to looking to results. The question wag,
whether the university, being a national institution, should
be cfnfieed to the church of England. For his part, be de-
sired to me the principle adopted with reference to the Uni-
versity of London applied to the Uoiversity of Oxford. It
seemed to be thought by hon, gentlemen opposite that •
sempromise was to be effected in committee, but be did not
think these wee any ground for such an expectation, and he
'mut Unarm till a dbe understood in order that it might
gist be said hereafter that as implied agreement bad been
&regarded. (Hear, bear).
Mr. HENLEY said that he was not one of thou who I
lacked upon this, that, or the other thing as • bulwark and
safeguard of the church. He believed that the church of
England rested upon the foundation of the belief of the
Brent majority of her members—that people believed In the I
au of lleglaed because she appealed to their belief, and I
le could not admit that the sweeping away of this thing or
that would make persons one jot lees attached to her. At
the some time, he had a feet that if they did these things ,
they would induce people to give up the religious teaching
et their children. He believed it to be the great base of the
stability of this country that her people should be trained,
from the highest to the lowest, on the fouedatim of tell-
eon, and that if sueh alterations es that now proposed were
storied into effect, it would tend to the abeadonment of
that principle ; sod it was upon that ground that be voted,
sad always should vote, against a bill of Ibis sort. (Hear.)
Mx. LOWE malatoieed that dissenters ought not to be
whaled till they were placed upon a tootieg of per.
feet equality in the university. This very %gni-
tunnel part of • proposition was met with the
argument that by admitting them to the governing
body the distinctive teaching of the university would
be immured. Was there any man who could look
forward to any time, however remote, when it was possible
to suppose that animaters would be is any majority in the
=lmelda ? There might be a fellow or two in • oollege
who was a nonconformist, hut would that alter the whole
'leeching of the college? The university was a ley oar-
poratioo, sad it bad been decided over and over again by
eeurts of law that the et:alleges were lay corporations also.
Therefore, with great respect to those who had for several
years and with such great ability brought those questions
forward, he was inclined to the opinion that they had net
taken the rght course. They had tried the speedo° upon
small Immures like this, but he was not himself very fond
at the doctrine of proceeding step by step and getting what
they wanted by instalomete. (Laughter, and Hear,
bear.") If they were to succeed it must be by enlisting public
sympathy and respect, but • proposition noshes thst brought
- forward by the hon. and learned member for Exeter, which
eel y those who had been educated at the university
amid underatand, would fail to command that support. If
the demand had been made, not on behalf of the dissenters,
but of the patios at large, to whom the colleges actually
belonged, with the object of admitting every layman, what-
ever hie religious belief might be, to the full lough of the
touversities and of the colleges, that would have been a
principle which everyone could uodersurd, and if right
end sound. as he believed it to be, it would arouse an
onsount of public favour ad support which would carry it
ever twenty times the obstmetinne that had been offered
to the little measure that day (Hear, bear.) If they were
seeking to gale their object in little bite, to get in the thin
edge of the wedge, as it was called. he did not think they
would make any advance at all. No ease presented itself
his mind ie which a laymen—of comes with a priest the
sew was different—should for any oeueivable purpose be
submitted to say relgion• test, and holding those opinions
be had takes the liberty to express them um for all.
bones he thought it desirable to put the question upon a
brew hesis, end, with those who agreed with him, to rouse
public °Melee by laying before them some broad, intelligible
proposition. (Hear, hear.)
Mr. G. HARDYoontended that no single instance could be
painted to in which, in the educational system, a mixed go-
ey:meet bad ever answered. Where there were mixed
orreeposenta, as in the Leaden Usiversity, there was •
distinct denominational obaractor. In Indeed the largest
mortice of the people were being called upon by those who
lad most authority with them to contend if not for a deem
udwatiosel university at least fey a denominational college.
A net= of mixed primay 'decades had bees tried in
hied, but the commissioners stated that where the
of schools were of mixed religions, it wee almost
tale to carry them on, and he believed that no du-
'enamel system meld be properly earned on on such •
"'Mem. The object of the hoe. sad learned member had
bass said to be to expend the adversity, to open it to all
neleglons opinions in Use Hutton end Melaka it • piece
mime free inquiries might be earned es. Wens the fres
!squirms to be those who taught or thole who wan engin ?
if they were to be the teachers the effect would be to m-
ash from the university all Slate pentengerite sett thole
mother* to be taught something &lei* and to take
With the main abject foe whisk the imivessitywas founded,