The Express.
London, England, 1857-12-25 00:00:00

THE TENURE OP COLLEGE FELLOWSHIPS.

(Frew the Centetrielge .beslep•nsimi Press.)

Oa looking over the signatures attached to the
isemorkl to the caonaieitaare on the crams, of fellows of
ochog2 we an wasurrhat surprised tie we, dr. nos And the
tawone wastes of a college. It might have bre en.
pealed that, no they had eluded the yoke of celibacy, they
would have shown some drpoeidon for the consideration of
the Ireton, and if poasible, for some relaxation of the pm-
seat practice. Ws do find the names of three preforms on
the of political economy. of botany. and the Lu-
sters professor of mathematics. Of the rosidouta, we read
tory $2 names of fellow., and eight who ace not fellows. Ws
have heard of some who did not attach their Yale to the
remenr through a feeling of delicacy. teat they should be
t petitiusers for themselves. But of the
clilipment
sad 111. fellewk many are or have bar is the don of
Woes of colleges. Tore le also a large number thiamin
M men who have obtained dhergidelted honours sad uni-
versity prior.
The marries Is not true, that the memorial ia chiefly
signed by young follows, who wish to get married. The
truth is, this of those who alined the memorial-
-110 gmenated berms the years 1867 1848
114 1847 1838
102 1837 1828
•

27 1827 1818
13 1817 1808
6 1807 isua
These Leta aid figures afford a clear indication of the
opinion both of the younger and older men on this moral and
social question.
Perham _believer, we ought not to be surprised that the
names of bead. of colleges do not appear in the list. in
their evidence printed in the Report of the Cambridge Uzi.
vsrrit Cummimion, those who expressed any opinion on the
n went decided against any change or modification la
celebacy .1 fellows, via the single exception of. the
Master of Trinity College.
And same that time t. the :present. whin the
allowed by tlit Act for the Initiative of C
Is about to Pretrial*, as far as anythieg &remiss known
in the univeraty, the heeds of bowie and the =eerier of
the governing bode. have sot deemed it expedient to make
say modillcatioa or relaxatioa of celibacy in the tenure of
fellowships. In one college it is said that when the govern-
ing body wee equally divided the master pee hie casting
vote for the amendment which had been moved, and thus
precluded the diacumian of the question. At the two large
colleges the question was armed and at one of than a reso-
lution was carried to the Alit, ;hat It wea desirable that
some modification rhould be made in the present raise web
impact to the oebbacy of ," but the modifications
which were ropored were not framed so se to attire a Urge
amount of adbetoon.
Indeed it a reported! an strong a the determination to re-
tain things as they are m colleges, that it has been generally
decided that no relaxation shall be granted even to the bur-
ears of colleges ((Motes whose duties, in most respects, are
like that of land meant to • nobleman), but the bursitis shall
continue to be an at liniment, celibate fellows and preeata. The
real mama of the system being still ,maintaineda this, that
men ere used to it.

It 7,-howeZr,Lrelieved that two or three colleges harm •
majonty of the governing body favourable to some modifim-
tion of the prompt precuos. And to this small amount of
opinion in favour of some change there may be added, that
in the diecuerion which took place in the Arts School on
Friday, on the new Statute for the Profemorship of Geology,
Professor Sedgwick reported, in the cootie of his speech,
to have mid, " lie heartily rtjoired at the prospect of the
repeal of the compulsory celitacy of the Professorof Geo-
logy; sad observed " that perhaps Dr. Woodward, the
foandsr, eassidend that es the preform had to do with the
dead, he would have no time to think of the bring. How-
ever, he me glad that the interdict on the marriage of the
Preform of Geology wee to be removed, bat whether he
should avail birieelf of the new enactment, when it cams
into force, sod beret& • Beard"-t, ha could not say i—this
ha could my, that he should beoome knerkettre, as he would
then be • free man."

It i;a3-0; wurti2 while to take • gleam at the objections
made to change, and the argument. which are meld to have
Lad so powerful an effect I. leading the majorities of the go-
verning bodies of nearly all the siles in the Univeralty de-
liberately to decide that say relmateene of the present preo-
tioe of celibacy would be highly detrimental. One of the ob-
jections reported to have been moat solemnly uttered and
urged seminal any change Is :—The evil, of the present eys-
tem we do know—but we do not know what evils might arise
in the event of any change bathe existing practice." Nor, it
may be added, what gadmight arise. When men see in
the humour of objecting, it is wonderful what trifling or re-
mote contingent's. they will oobjure up to frighten them-
selves with. With some there is al greys • Hot in the way.
This most ancient argument hes been urged against almost
evet7 improvement that has ever been made ; and has so
often been driven over, and kicked amide in the march of
rational reform, that we need not stay to demolish it.
Another asserts that "to allow fellows to meaty world
km the rain of the Univenity and the destruction of the
sTetetn." Is it not • libel on maniacs to emit
would be the rubs of an institution which to
be " pawed readlearning and religions notion r
Menke wee Inetitsted for the well•being of all, both men
and women, and eaten into every form of home. hi. and
improves them all. It hm not been found that the marriage
of the clergy, since the Reformation, boo ruined the religion
of the Church of England. It may be • question to be inves-
tigated, how far that religious teething and education is
sound and complete which addresses itself only to the intel-
lect, end Ignores the fume of the ti•••lOUS and the instincts,
and leaves the heart barren at the most critical peeled of
life. The tendencies of the present age are doer to those who
con reed. Any institution for education which meelets In
ensintaining • media:y.l principle opposed to that sue Ate b