The Sun.
London, England, 1868-05-29 00:00:00

PRIVATE BUSINESS.

The following bills were read a third time:—Norwich
Union Lifo Insurance, Cork Gas, Cork Improvement,
Haverford west Borough Bill, Midland Railway, Merthyr
Stipendiary Magistrates Bill.
The Chairman of Committees moved that the time for
depositing petitions to be heard against private bills,
which would otherwise expire durit:g the aijournmeut of
the house, be extended to Monday next.
RELIGIOUS TESTS.
The Earl of KIMBERLEY presented petitions from the
Universities of Oxford and Cambtidgo against the impo-
sition of religious tests in those Universities. A great
many of the colleges had subscribed to this petition.

There were only six colleges where there was a majority
against it. In some it was almost unanimous, in others
there was a majority of two-thirds. It was considered
a great hardship that in the Universities no
person could become one of the government of the col-
leges unless he was a member of the Church of England.
He could understand such a regulation if members of other
denominations were excluded altogether, but it appeared
very arbitrary when they formed a portion of the consti-
tuent body. He had brought forward last session a bill,
which he was sorry to say was rejected, in which
he suggested that the restriction as to the tests in
the universities should be abolished, and, consideriug the
great number of the middle classes who would be ex-
cluded if it were not so, and who were not members of the
Church of England, it would he considered highly desir-
able. The religious instruction was really so little that
while he was a member of the great College of Christ-
church, all they had to do was to get up a short lesson in
the Greek Testament, and learn by heart the 39 Articles,
and then they were left to themselves.
Lord HOUGHTON said he hoped that the business of
the Session would not prevent a bill which was already
before the other houso being brought before them before
long.
The Earl of CARNARVON said that since he sat in
their lordships'Ehouse three distinct phases had been in-
troduced as to this question of University tests. He con-
sidered that it was an attempt to lower the Government
standard of the universities, but never to effect that to
the utmost extent. It was an attempt to hand young men
over at the age of 17, 18, and 19 to a system
where no religious securities would surround them.
It was much the same if you removed the educational
securities, and to that every one would object as an absur-
dity. By such a removal he did not think that anything
beneficial would accrue. It would not be the right use of the
moral power entrusted to the University. The religious
teaching might be very small, and some persons car-
ried it farther and said that it was only a
sceptical teaching. He denied in the first instance
the fact, but even if it were so it was no argument why
the whole machinery should bo destroyed because
of this scepticism. When the sea went down
the great landmarki would reappear, and so it
would be when scepticism passed away. Ihe ques-
tion had reached this pass, it was whether you in-
tended to remove all religions whatever ; but for this he
contended that the time had not yet arrived.
The Duke of DEVONSHIRE said he would make a
few remarks upon what was the state of the feeling of
the University of Cambridge on the subject. He con-
sidered that there was a gradually growing
feeling that those tests should be abolished. The
petition was signed by almost all the distinguished body
of the members of the University.
I LEFT SITTING.]