The Sun.
London, England, 1865-06-14 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT

HOUSE OF. COMMONS—Tms DAY.
The SPEAKER took the chair at the usual hour.
PRIVATE BUSINESS.

The following bills were read a third time and passed :
—Assam Company ; Kilrush and Kilkee Railway, and
Poulnashery Reclamation ; Sidmouth and Budleigh Std-
terton Railway ; and Sidmouth Railway and Harbour.
TESTS ABOLITION (OXFORD) BILL.

Mr. GOSCHEN moved the second reading of this bill,
which he contended was one that would confer great
benefits on a very numerous body of gentlemen. The tests
now in existence he looked upon as quite below the en-
lightenment of tho present day, and ho thought that
nothing but the greatest good could result from the bill
which ho had the honour of introducing. The object
of the bill was to remove all subscription to the 39
Articles, to throw open all academical degrees, without any
test whatever to give a vote in academical affairs, and to
admit all to certain emoluments from which they were at
present virtually altogether excluded. The bill was not to
hand over to the Dissenter the emoluments of the Church
of England, but to throw open to many of them that which
they could not hope to attain under the present system of
tests. Ho thought handing over and throwing open would
bo thought by the majority of the house to mean two
totally distinct things. The great question which they
had now to answer was whether they were prepared to
maintain that all the emoluments and franchises of the
universities should be retained for one Church which
comprised but half of the population, but out
of this half to those members only who were pre-
pared to take all those complicated tests now in existence.
He thought the greatest good would result to the Estab-
lished Church by the passing of this act, and trusted that
a majority of that house would be of the same opinion.
Mr. DUFF GRANT thought the bill one that ought to
be generally supported, as it gave to the dissenters from the
Established Church an instalment of their just rights to
the benefits of our universities.

Lord ROBERT CECIL said he did not object to the
bill, because it adopted that which was known as the Cam-
bridge compromise to Dissenters wishing to take the
degree of master of arts, but ho objected to it most strongly,
because he considered it would deliver the government of
the universities into the hand of Dissenters. He thought it
of the highest importance' that good religion should be
taught at our universities in preference to good classics.
Ho moved that the bill be read a second time that day six
months.

Mr. DODSON said the objection of the noble lord to the
measure was founded entirely upon a misconception. The
bill, which the noble lord did not appear to have read, did
not throw over the government of the Universities to the
Dissenters, it did not virtually separate the Church from
the State, and it did not place the colleges on the same
footing as the Universities. (Hear, hear.) On the con-
trary, it gave relief from some stringent tests, not from the
teachers, but from those who come to those universities to
be taught, and did that, in his opinion, which would re-
sult in nothing but good in the Established Church.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER opposed
the bill. He could not see how a general education could
be given apart from the religion of the country, and tho
question proposed by the mover of the second reading
appeared to him to be whether the religion of the Church
of England was necessary to enable the university to do
its duty. Ho was of opinion that it was. He thought the
lay tests ought to be altered and modified, and ho was of
opinion that the present regulation did not give all that to
the Dissenters which might be safely given them. (Hear.)
As the amendments that he might suggest wore not likely
to be accepted by the supporters of the bill, it would be
idle to vote for its second reading.
Mr. G. HARDY contended that the universities were
quite as much national establishments as the churches.
(Hear, hear.) Ho opposed the bill this year just as
strongly as ho did on the last occasion the subject was
under discussion. Ho never could support a measure
which would, in the words of the hon. member for the
City, admit freo inquiries into the governing body of the
university. [Mr. Goschen expressed dissent. 1 Ho denied
that the members of the Church of England amounted to
but one-half of the people of the country. That had been
offered to be tested when the census was taken in 1861,
but that proposal had been declined.
Mr. NEATE supported the bill. The house would not
now attempt for one moment to pass a measure exclusively
fer the benefit of the members of the Church of England,
and therefore ho did not think that an act should continue
in operation which would not now receive the sanction of
Parliament.

Mr. P. HENNESSY said ho should vote against tho
second reading of the bill.
After a few words from Mr. MoNsELL and Mr. Bou-
TERIE,

The house divided, when there appeared—
For the second reading 206
Against it
Majority —l6
The bill was then read a second time.