The Sun.
London, England, 1868-10-08 00:00:00

1118. CARDWELL AT OXFORD.

On Tuesday evening last a dinner of Oxford
Oddfellows was held in the Town-hall, under the
presidency of the Mayor, when Mr. Cardwell at-
tended, and the new candidate 3 for the represen-
tation of the city—Dr. Deane and Mr. Vernon
llarcourt —were also present. The supporters of
both gentlemen mustered in considerable numbers.

In —acknowledging the toast of " The City
Members,"

Mr. CARDWELL said—The first thought that oc-
curs to me on rising to address you to-night is the
regret with which I reflect that this is probably the
last public occasion on which my name will be
coupled with that of the colleague with whom I
have ever acted with entire confidence and un-
broken friendship. (Cheers.) Whether we have
been engaged in prosecuting what we have believed
to be measures calculated to promote .the general
welfare of the country, or whether we have been
employed in pursuing those of a local character,
from which we hoped advantage or profit would be
derived by our constituents at Oxford, I have
always acted with the most perfect harmony with
Mr. Neate. (Cheers.) I heard with the greatest
regret the determination that he expressed to relin-
quish the seat he filled, and we shall both look back
with pleasurable feelings upon the time we spent
together in your service. You will have daily
opportunities in my past colleague's future career
as a citizen of testifying how large a share he
still retains of your confidence and regard; and
I think I may be permitted to say that I am quite
sure his vacant place will be seen with regret in the
House of Commons—where his ability has been re-
cognised, and where his many excellent qualities
have attracted to him a large share of friendship
and esteem. (Cheers.) Were Ito mention one of
those qualities in preference to others, I should
select a certain sort of chivalric courage, which
always prompts him, regardless of every other con-
sideration, to give expression to the honest thoughts
of his mind, and express sentiments prompted by
generosity and justice. (Cheers.) The chairman
has alluded to tlw desirability of excluding polities,
and also to th 3 necessity of curtailing the speeches
as much as possible to allow the ladies the opportu-
nity of participating in a dance. The former sug-
gestion reminds me of a remark 1. heard in the
House of Commons. We had come, after a weary
debate, to the hour of midnight, and the question
was whether we should adjourn or whether we
should finish the debate. The house was, pro tem-
pore, in the hands of an amusing member from the
sister island. We urged him to go on. He replied
that he had carefully calculated what he had to say,
and it was all one whether he said it then or at some
future time, but he thought if he attempted he
could " compress it into five hours." (Laughter.)
I will not detain you if possible for more
than as many minutes. My friends here—
Dr. Deane and Mr. Vernon Harcourt--have
had the advantage of inhaling the pleasant
breezes of Scotland ; I will not be the one to facili-
tate their return to the region of politics, and I
will touch upon nothing which will interrupt the
harmony of those present. My friend Mr. Neate
has been occupied with the S )eial Science Congress
at Birmingham. I will not disparage that excellent
association, at which Mr. Vernon Harcourt has
filled so distinguished a part ; but perhaps I may
be permitted to say that by your favour, and in
obedience to your commands, Mr. Neat e and my-
self have been members of a far more important
Social Science Association, which has had the
power of carrying into effect the proposals it has
made, and in respect to which we may look back
on the past with some satisfaction, and to the future
with a great deal of hope and confidence. The two
principal measures of the last quarter of a cen-
tury, for which this existing Parliament has been
distinguished, have been measures cf a " Social
Science" character. They have now, I think, both
ceased to be questions of controversy, and there-
fore I think without fear I may refer to them with-
out touching upon prohibited ground. One has
been the removal, step by step, of many burdens
which fettered the industry and hindered the com-
forts of all classes of the community, but chiefly
those who lived by labour. It was my fortune to
enter Parliament first just at that particular time,
that all my earliest votes were given in furtherance
of the just measures of that policy, the result
of which has been like the meal and
cruse of oil of the widow sent to Elijah, as re-
corded in Holy Scripture ; it has furnished abun-
dant cause of comfort to the community
at large, and, instead of diminishing, it has rather
tended to increase the revenue received by the
Treasury. (Cheers.) The other measure is that
which has just been passed for admitting into the
benefits and privileges of the franchise much larger
classes of the community. My belief is also that an
impulse will be given to the consideration of ques-
tions of a social character. Of these no doubt the
chief will be the question of education. That ques-
tion is nowhere so interesting as it is in Oxford, nor
has there been any time when it has been more in-
teresting than at that when I now address you. It
is a source of great satisfaction to me to believe that
the citizens of Oxford are now engaged in amicable
communication with the authorities of the Univer-
sity with a view to the extension of the advantages
of University education in a manner that will be
satisfactory not only to the University and the city
of Oxford, but eminently conducive to the general
welfare of the country. Historians tell us that long
ago, before the Colleges were built, the number of
students in this University was so much greater
than we have known it of late years, that some
writers put it at a number eqaal to the whole of
the present population—over 30,000. That, I think,
must be a manifest exaggeration, but at the same
time we have reason to believe that formerly
the number of students was much greater than
it has been of late years. An ancient writer, in
referring to those times, says there was " a com-
pany of varlets who shuffled themselves in who
were not scholars at all, but only pretended
to be scholars," and he goes on to say " they
gave the burghers a great deal of trouble." Now,
my hope is not that the consequence of the present
University extension will be to equal the number of
students as recorded by Anthony Wood, but that
the mayor and corporation will find the quality
better—(cheers)—that we shall have an increase of
excellent students, who, so far from creating any
trouble for the burghers, will be as welcome to the
citizens of Oxford as they will to the authorities of
the University. (Loud cheers.) I look for four
advantages chiefly from these various changes. In
the first place, the University extension should yield
an increase of the high style of learning, which is
properly called academical, among a much larger
circle of the community than have hitherto enjoyed
it, so that instead of being a privilege to the few
it may in future be the possession and inheritance
of many. (Cheers.) The second advantage I hope
will be that the increase in the higher education
may not be limited to those who have the direct en-
joyment of it, but that, percolating by the influence
of one class to the teachers of another, it may com-
municate itself throughout the whole, and improve
the character of the teaching of the country.
(Cheers.) As a third advantage, I hope that
those large educational charities which are scat-
tered through the country, and which it is my con-
viction contribute much less than they might, may
be so to contribute to the furtherance of the designs
for which they were originally founded, in the