The Sun.
London, England, 1861-01-11 00:00:00

.FELLOWSHIPS AT ALL SOUL&

For three days in the Hall of Lambeth Palace
the Archbishop of Canterbury, Lord Wensley-
dale, and Dr. Twiss have been listening to the
most eminent counsel at the English Bar, And
on few occasions have Sir Richard Bethell and
Sir Hugh Cairns proved themselves more worthy
of their great reputation. The history of the
Fellowships at All Souls does not, at first sight,
seem a very attractive subject for the public; but
the truth is, that there never was a more important
question brought before a court of justice. It
may be well, therefore, to explain in a few sentences
the real question at issue, and the anxiety which is
naturally felt in the result. The judgment, indeed,
is still to be delivered, and under ordinary.eirenm-
stances it would be usual to delay discussion. We
shall, however, do little more than explain the
reasons which give the matter so much importance.
It is hardly necessary to recur to the old history
of All Souls College. Originally founded for poor
priests who were to sing perpetually for the souls
of the departed, it became in modern years a plea-
sant club. It filled in the High-street of Oxford the
place of White's in St. Tames's. The qualifications
for admission were neither learning, nor morals, nor
industry. Rene nati, bane vestiti, et mediocriter docti,
was the proverbial description of those who aspired
to enter the walls of this agreeable society. And
it must be admitted that the Fellows of All Souls
succeeded admirably in their design. They got
together a set of most agreeable companions. But
the Royal Commissioners rudely broke in upon this
pleasant party. Acting upon the principle that
charities founded to promote religion and learning
should be really devoted to that purpose, they
passed certain ordinances for the future government
of the various colleges at Oxford: The scholarships
and fellowships which had hitherto been confined to
candidates from particular counties and particular
families were thrown open. The general rule
was laid down that—saving any grave moral dis-
qualification—merit should prevail ; and the elec-
tors were enjoined " to elect the candidate who,
after examination, should prove to be of the
greatest merit and most fit to be a Fellow of a Col-
lege as a place of religion and learning." This
ordinance, imposed upon every college at Oxford,
has been hailed as a great reform. It has put an
end to nepotism and narrow restrictions. If a
young man of merit presents himself at Oxford,
come from whatever quarter he may, he is welcome.
Let him be as poor as friendship, as rustic in man-
ners as you will, he may still obtain the means of
indulging his genius for intellectual pursuits. It
has been the glory of the University of Oxford
that both in letter and in spirit this ordinance has
been obeyed by the Fellows of every college except
one, and that one is All Souls. At every other
college there is an invitation addressed to all the
members:of the University to become candidates, who
are examined by the Fellows of the college or by a
board appointed for the purpose, the members of
which alone take part in the voting; and that can-
didate is finally elected who proves his superiority
in the examination, provided there is nothing
serieus against his moral character. At the colleges
where this system is pursued not only perfect har-
mony has prevailed, but the cause of industry,
learning, and morality has been greatly advanced.
But at All Souls great is the difference. There,
indeed, the Commissioners, aware of the corrupt
spirit which prevailed, imposed peculiar restric-
tions. They did not think it expedient to
alter the ancient system whereby the col-
lege received no undergraduates. They did not
insist upon converting it into a place of education.
But they determined to make this foundation sub-
servient to the purpose of promoting the study of
Jurisprudence and Modern History. Their idea
seems to have been to convert it into a sort of
Diplomatic School. :And for this purpose they
ordained that the intellectual qualification should
be tested by an examination in the subjects of
Law and Modern History, and tkat the candidate
of the greatest merit in such examination should
be elected. Originally, indeed, the College of All
Souls had vigorously recalcitrated against all inter-
ference, and had protested with a latitude of ex-
pression which would have been amusing had it
been less culpable, against the reproaches with
which these practices were assailed. With a bold
casuistry which would have done no discredit to
Ignatius Loyola, they declared that their Fellows
had been elected by merit, which, according to their
vocabulary, means the qualities which go to make
up the gentleman, and that their choice had been
guided by a desire to obtain the fittest candidates
for Holy Orders—although fewer Fellows of All
Souls took these orders than the Fellows of any
other college. At the same time, after the new
Ordinances received the royal sanction they
voluntarily undertook to carry them into effect,
" both in letter and in spirit." Since that
promise was made several elections have taken
place. And it is curious, but not uuinstructive,
to observe the way in which men of refined
manner and ostentatious religious profession fulfil
the duties which they have undertaken. There
are thirty Fellows. All do not examine the can-
didates for fellowships, but a board of three is ap-
pointed for that purpose. It might naturally seem
that the chief duties of such a board would be to
report the result of that examination, in order to
guide those who have not formed an opinion for
themselves. Far from it. By a rule passed by
the majority of the Fellows, the examiners are not
permitted to report their opinion-they are not
allowed to arrangethe candidates according to merit.
It is true that any one Fellow may ask questions of
any other Fellow. "If the blind lead the blind"—
but the saying is somewhat musty. The truth, is,
that every Fellow is not fit to give his opinion upon
the results of the examination, and this is the very
reason why the examiners are appointed. It appears
therefore that although the new ordinance distinctly
ordains that the best candidates, as tested by the
examination, shall be elected, and although the
Warden and Fellows have professed their readiness
to obey the ordinance in letter and in spirit, the
same Warden and Fellows will not permit their own
examiners to declare their opinion of the candidates,
so that the best of them may obtain his due.
Against this course of proceeding three of the
Fellows Messrs. Fremantle, Lushington, and
Watson, protest. To appoint examiners and then
refuse to hear their judgment, seemed to them,
as the Attorney-General declared, " a mockery
of common sense.* They, therefore, call upon the
Archbishop, as the Visitor of the College, to
insist upon the Warden and Fellows allowing the
examiners to name the candidates in order of
merit, Nor is this all. As things at present stand,
the election of Fellows is conducted at two meetings.
At the first, which takes place after the examination,
the personal merits of the candidate are discussed,
and the person to be elected is really settled. But
no Fellow is allowed to take part at this meeting
unless he binds himself to secrecy—unless he
solemnly promises that he never will divulge a
single syllable of what passed there. The electors
may have determined to elect a Fellow upon the
most scandalous grounds. The grossest job may
have been perpetrated, still, according to the system
of All Souls, no Fellow is ever to be allowed to
reveal one word uttered in that secret conclave,
even for the purpose of appealing to the Visitor for
redress. It is certainly a striking fact that at no
college at Oxford except All Souls is any such
obligation of secrecy incurred. Even at those
colleges which do not profess to be guided by the
sole principle of excluding all except the most per-
fect gentlemen, no rule is needed to ensure that
reserve which is dictated by natural feeling and
the spirit of propriety. At All Souls alone has it
been attempted to make that secret compulsory
which is voluntary elsewhere. But the reason is
obvious. At no other college are scandals so gross
and jobs so flagrant likely to be perpetrated.
Men hate the light because their deeds are evil.
This, then, is the other point upon which' the
appeal has been made to the Archbishop. The
dissentient Fellows object to be bound by secrecy.
They insist that the merits of the candidates
should be discussed openly. They do not, of course,
pretend that every word that passes in the com-
mon-room shall be made public ; but they claim to
be their own judges as to what they shall disclose
and what they shall conceal, and there are few who
will consider this demand unreasonable. At all
events it is impossible to maintain that rule which
at present prevails—that secrecy is of statutable
obligation—for clearly such a rule is contrary both
to common law and common sense.
It might, perhaps, scarcely seem requisite to
devote three days to the discussion of matters so
simple, and to waste the time of Archbishops and
Privy Councillors on such trivial questions. But
let not the public be deceived. The arguments of
the Warden and Fellows of All Souls may be
frivolous. They know that well enough. But
their real design is full of peril. These men have
entered into a conspiracy to defeat the intentions
of the Legislature and to nullify the reforms in
the University. They are determined, if they
possibly can, to override statutes and ordinances
in order to maintain that system of injustice
which it is the express object of recent legisla-
tion to abolish. They lament over the days when
they could elect their friends and relations
their
fib oe
lodn.
ecro
tmh pe
iarn
pi oanr ,t n tehr e rat
cards. co m r a d
Ae
nidn
tthheey brat
teeldrmsiynsetdemto. stlfckthaessceloesveelyntasswthereey ceaonnfitonetdhetf one
hcollege
e observed that
twhaotulidf notthis beeansobseerdieonuse.
inßtuhteleetaeite
of All Souls it may be done elsewhere. The
of All Souls insist upon
wmoigosnwstruhicinhgthwe loeFtehleywesry same in the statutes