The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-12-02
OXFORD AND THE NEW REGIME.

revolutionary air, it must indeed strike
any one who knew Oxford as it was a couple
of decades, or even one decade since, and who
revisits it now, there is universally prevalent
about the place. The old habitue of the Uni
versity who, after such an interval as we
have indicated, returns to the haunts of his
bygone youth will find food for surprise in
everything around him. 1t may perhaps
strike him that there is provoking juvoni-
lity in the appearance of the under graduates
who parade the streets; every one seems to
look, he may fancy, ineffably younger than
they did in the days when Plancus was
Consul. Probably this idea is to be ex-
planned by the fact that our friend himself
has grown older in the interval. There is an
other thing which he will certainly notice in
the outward man of the scademical youth.
There is a singularly negLige air about their
costume-a look, he may almost fancy it to
be, of absolute rowdiness-a species of i'm
piled defiance to all recognized prophecies
of dress. ''This is a sort of thing, remarks
our friend to himself, ''that we knew nothing
of in our time. L do not like it-upon my
soul / don't" Quite SO, Sir; very likely you
don't; only you must remember that nearly
five lustra have passed since your time
existed, and that in this space Oxford, like
the rest of the world, has seen mighty
changes-has, in fact, submitted to a social
revolution of which the phenomena that you
have noticed in the matter of costume are
but to be accepted as the superficial symbols
and the outward signs.
What this revolution is can be at the outset
very briefly stated The relation in which
Oxford now stands to tho nation at large is
suddenly and entirely changed. The Uni
versity which Alfred founded has ceased to be
exclusive, and has become national; it has
lost its aristocratic prestige, aud is the pro.
perty of the people. The first step toward
this consummation was of course taken by the
University Commission in 1858, and in the
direction which was then indicated matters
have eince been going at very rapid rate
1t is simply impossible that, so far as Oxford
is concerned, she should be more accessible
to all classes of people than she is at present
The scholarships and exhibitions of hel
various colleges have been thrown open
with so ungrudging haud, an6
the rewards of like character fol
deserving pupils attached to almost al
schools in the present day are so lavishly dis
tributed, that any lad whom it is special
object to send to the University is quite GER
tain to be able to support himself. In order
that there might be no doubt as to the ade
quate naturalization of Oxford in every
possible particular, the unattached student
scheme came into force about two years ago
and since that time more then one of grouI
of the most distinguished colleges now admit
as members students who are not compelled
to live within the College walls, but who
lodging where they most economically can
and living in condition of solitude which
precludes alike the possibility of extravaganza
and the discipline of social training, may con
stitute tbemHelves monuments of the tri
umphs Of psrsimony. London Society.