The Sun.
London, England, 1851-11-01 00:00:00

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LONDON. SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 1851

We trust that Lord Jou& RUSSELL will, in his
forthcoming Reform Bill, take the opportunity of re-
medying a grevious injustice. Whilst the Uni-
versities of Oxford and Cambridge return each two
Members to Parliament, whilst the single College of
Dublin also returns its two Members (an additional
Parliamentary representative having been accorded
to it by the Reform Act), the Scotch Universities of
Edinburgh, of Glasgow, of Aberdeen, and of St.
Andrew's, are totally unrepresented. Surely, those
universities which number among their alumni,
such men as Lord BROUGHAM, Lord JOHN RUSSELL,
and Lord Caeirneeere are as worthy of being repre-
sented in Parliament as are Oxford, or Cambridge,
or Trinity College, Dublin ; and it would be
greatly to the advantage of Parliament itself were
the Scotch Uuiversities to be enabled to speak
authoritatively, through their representatives, in the
same manner as are the English Universities and
Trinity College, Dublin. If during the course of
the debates on the late unfortunate differences in the
Scotch Church the Scotch Universities had been
properly represented in Parliament the unfortunate
schism at presented existing might, perhaps, have
been prevented. But putting aside all mere theolo-
gical considerations, we contend that, as seats of
learnings, as chartered universities authorised to grant
degrees, the Scotch Universities are as fully entitled to
hive representatives as are the Universities of Oxford
and of Cambridge. As regards education, there can
be no doubt but that the education afforded to the
students of the Universities of Edinburgh and of
Glasgow is in every respect better calculated to fit
men for the proper exercise of the franchise than is
afforded by the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge.
We may search in vain among the professors of
Oxford and Cambridge for a DUGALD STUART or a
Peleraea, whilst the Scotch Universities have
never disgraced themselves by endeavouring to
turn aside the attention of their graduates from the
acquisition of useful and sound learning to the study
of the colour of a robe, the pattern of church
upholstery, or the location of nosegays, candles
Surely, therefore, if the unil
and candlesticks.
versities which inculcate the importance of
such trifles are entitled to representatives, much
more are the universities which, like those of
Scotland, impart useful learning to the alumni, enti-
tled to be so represented. It was said that Lord
JOHN RUSSELL was at first inclined to entertain
favourably the proposition of enfranchising what our
continental neighbours term the capabilities—that isto
say, men of literature and science and the members of
the learned professions—but that the difficulties in
the way of carrying out the scheme were so great
that he was reluctantly compelled to give it up. W e
regret exceedingly this determination of his Lordship,
and must confess that, to our thinking, there are no
difficulties in the way of carrying out such a scheme
which may not be easily overcome ; at all events, a
scheme for the general enfranchisement of all uni-
versities would go a great way towards really en-
franchising the capabilities ; and we, therefore, submit
for consideration the following proposition as a first
step towards securing for, at all events, the majority of
educated men, the right of their franchise, to which
their education now especially entitles them.

We would, for the purposes of the franchise, unite
the University cf Aberdeen to that of Edinburgh, and
the University of St. Andrew's to that of Glasgow,
and to each of these united universities we would
give one Member. We cannot imagine that to this
proposition any opposition would be made. As re-
gards the University of Edinburgh, the fact that the
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