New-York daily tribune., 1858-06-30

trujnce the leaIte5 tteologtns, exact phiologes
and highly cultivated gentlemen - Dc fund among
tie Er sl glsdu,tes. The lorg neglect OF ci.asl-
cal lesrnDg ia tAe ScOltse Universities nae, accord
ing 70 Professor Bl.ckie, generated prevalent
ices th.t Greek AID Latin sic Of no use, aud the
Pryftssor nlmsei, While zea.ous'y cottendics Tor
the glory Of cassicsl erud't,on, eems disposed TO
admit hat tie study OF Greet, as cOoddc ed In
Scotland, is in fact of very little beLrft. But While
the supremacy Of classical studies Il stI malnsate1
in the English Universities tee Iatursi sciences ate
beginning TO attract effective encouragement. AT
Oxford magnificent museum has been oult, al sn
expense Of three hGndred thousand dollars, aud IN
Bsgdalene College seversl feiowships have been
set apart exclusively !or profclents 10 natural
,cisrce. Apoiher poiot of difference brt~ecn the
III elish ard Scotch Uryerstes IN the methods OF
stu6y. Although some movements have recently
been made IN the Epglsh Univerilties 10 the way VI
giving greater Development to TIE protesserld
system, there still exists avery strong Prr)udce
against t, AID not . few Of these ~ho coGlrol
he course Of thiBgs ibete sro s' obsIinateiy de-
teruiDed 10 have as few professors as possible, aud
10 give those few but little or nothing to do This
patty still adheres with grest zeal to the English
system of instruction By special tutor. To per-
feet system in Professor Blackl-'s opinion. tho
cooperation OF both methods is essential; for, while
the tutoIial system is spt 10 degenerate into duu
routire the professional system is liable 70 content
itself with mere passing stimulus and superficial
top-dressiog, Vita a single professor for each
branch as the only teacher, as in tne Scotch UGi-
yersities-and the sane is true of Oars-the teach
il & is often, sLd must be, very insufficient.
Az TO discipline, the Eugsa differ ffem the
Scotch Ulserslties in the fact that tho students
live tog. ther in community, whence tho snoer-
vision exercised over them is Huch more complete
AID effective. Nevertheless, under the peculiarly
favorable moral circumstances of scotiand. 80 far
o. character and principle concerned the lack OF
that o. stem OF control which prevails IN EnglaHd
Is Lot seriously felt.
As TO the goyernmen. Of the Universities, in Scot
land the old popular principles which lay at the bot
tom of those institutions have been completely
superseded. The Scotch Universities. for all gov
ernnental purposes, are close corporation coui-
posed If the professors only. Ia England, under the
reforms atey introduced, Instead Of the old oigar-
cby of tie heads of Colleges, there has been estsb-
lished a regular University House Of Commons,
drawn from the body Of the students, in watch mat
ters of general educational interest are publicly de-
bated.
But the greatest contrast between tho English
and Scotch Universities is in the encouragement OF
scholarship and its rewards. The only rewards for
intellectual eminencs in Scotland are the Uuver-
sty profe.sorships, and they are few and with few
exec ptions i'll paid. The Church offers nothing As
t, public schools, Of which in England the master
ships bold high rank, there are not above TWO
situations Of that sort in Scotland able to satisfy
the most moderate smbition. In tie profession of
the law there are only few places of ease aud Dig
nifty, and those, according to Prof. Blackie, are
oftener given to busy politicians TO dsIterous men
of business ard to needy landed proprietOrs, than
to men distinguished for high sttaiameuts in learn
ipg ard philosophy. There is, our indignant Pro-
fessor complains, lothug aha'eger in Scotland that
deserves the name of academic life at all; no
honor for profound study AID thinking, even within
the walls Of the Universities, and certeioly
zone without. Except in one department OF
medical science, some branches of physi-
oloiicL sioence bearing on the interests
of practical life, with the happy accident here aud
there of distinguished man among their profess
sors, tte Scotch Universities are hardly known IN
the wide republic of learned research. Except IN
the single department Of local aud native history,
which receives effective support from some mem-
bers of the Faculty of Advocates. all historical
research has died ont. Effective popular preachers
are to be found, but the ministers of the Scottish
Church. 50 says Professor Blackie, exhibit woful
from that knowledge, philosophical survey. In
fact the account winch Professor Blackie gives vi
the coLdition Of learning in Scotland would answer
sufficiently well for s.me other resrer places.
Felowships are suggested Is remedy for this evI,
since Scotland would undoubtedly compete with
England in exact erudtlon, and with Germany in
profound speculation, if only adequate encourage
ment were given, while even scotchmea cannot
afford to study aid to starye ut the same tune.
We may sdd that bill Is nov before Parlisment
for reforming the Scotch Universities upon several
points not referred to BY Prof Blackie 1t takes
away from the Town Couscll OF Edinburgh che
ouer they now enjoy Of regulating all the affairs
Of the University, these including the choice of
Professors, and it takes away from the Professors
ia HE other Scotch Universities the rsht of self
election ln the close corporation way, and eflectu
ally hirders them from making, as they have been
accused of doing hitherto, family party OF their
Uciyersiry chairs. The anomaly Of Town Coun-
ell. the greater part of whose members have bat
small prstensions to literature selectpg Professors