New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1875-08-04
FREEDOM OF EDUCATION
THE FRENCH UNIVERSITY BILL.

lrhoN THE REGULAR CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRrBuSE.l
PARIS, July lathe new University bill OH
Liberty of Superior Instruction" finally
passed on Monday, by a vVtc of $40 to 1885, The
first article reads: Superior instruction tthe right
to inpart III is free" And article second runs: ANY
French'nsu aged % years, and associations legally
formed for purpose OF higher teaching, can freely
oren lecture courses and establishments OF higher
education on the conditions prescribed i'll the fol
lowing articles" Objectionable are many of the
pres, ribed conditions there is CLAUSE in any Of
the articles to prevent the establishment OF uni
vcrsity with corps of positiyistS for professors,
and NJ. Littre, JUST admitted free aud accepted
Mason, for its rector. And yet--though few Catho
lie Liberals advocated and few liberal Roman
Catholics objected-the line dividing the yeas and
nays in the Assembly land in the naton) is, with
slight deviations, the line that divides RoyalistS
from Republicans The law is undoubtedly reac-
tionary measure, and its passage victory by the
clerical party. Its bearings, immediate and future,
are manifold. The question of scholastic education
is, il not more important here than with us, more
variously and deeply complicated with political and
social questions in France than it has yet to be
in America. We may be helped to somewhat
clearer view by looking back little, LUnivcrsit6
is the for that system of scholastic instruction.
It's organizing agents and methods. which reaches all
over Frsnce and comprehends teaching Ill all grades
fron primary ! b 10 the highest branches of sci
encc and letters. 1t came to be thoroughly organ
lied and centralized under, and by, the first Ma
poeon in and from the years 1sO6-1s11. "The
University said Roger Collard in 1917 mote the
date when defending it against tie attacks and en-
croaclug pretensons of the Church party under the
Restoralon,has themonopoly ofteaching nearly "a the
tribunals of Justice have the monopoly of its admin
istration. or as the army has that of the national
forces The University is simply the Government
applied to the universal direction of public instruc
tom From the immediate and absolute tutelage
and control Of the University primary education was
largely liberated by and after GuiZots law OF 1888
and secondary instruction the high schools by the
law of 1850 So that, except for some other laws
and except for the generally vexatious and con-
s.rainug interference Of the central administration
with individual action Of all kinds the teaching Of
grammar. rhetoric, logic, Of the mathematics and
ancient and modern languages, and of some of the
sciences has Of late years been mainly free. But
until now, the monopoly Of the old Napoeonc State
University in respect To PInseigRDCRt SUPERIOR has
remained essentially unimpaired. That is for exam
pie il alone defined the curriculum, named the pro-
fcssoTs and appointed the examiners with fixed
rules for their decisions, by whose instruction
and on whose verdict, respectively the student
must pass and couldouly obtain his diploma OF bach
or in sciences letters or his certificate O1 htuess
10 practice medicine OF law.
Now things ordered in France that not only
can no man, except under penalties practice
with professional libcraty on the life or the purse
OF bis fellow-Frcnchman, but that the entrance to
various and numerous careers OF life as Government
empoyG is only opon 20 tho candidates for place In
the Administration who exhibit a bachelors
university Diploma. OF many other points OF fact,
full elucida;ion of which would throw much needed
light on the tangled quarrel that is still going on
L ~ Ia.
have room only 10 touch on or two. it had been
for loac time plainly seen and deeply felt by indie
rcn0cpt intelligent men interested in the subject
that the University was, III the higher order OF
teaching. il not positively falling from the high
estate it held from 1915 10 1915 surely losing its
relative rank and the relative rank OF France, as
compared with tie great aud noble advances In SCI
encss and letters made visible By such no
table results in tho neighborng nations.
Immediately after the late war, and the clearance
from tie enervatng, mateIialistic, Napoleonic
rteime. the recognition and panied of the low
estate of France in this respect broke out in fire.
o.cnt eloquent expression. Patriotic minded peda-
poau : aud others largely laid the blame, part of
Which perhaps they had well set to their own ac-
CONT on the University The intelligent of them
,v.re all agreed that reform was needed. They
divided in opinion whether this reform should be
eatcted by notifications of the existing University
system within itself, by more radical change OF
lie system itself. There was with many of them
evident willingness, even pronounced advocacy for
adopting certain of the methods and practices com
mon in German universities. do not, for the mo-
ment recall the name OF Writings of any one
who has written earnestly on the subject III
these late years, and who is not Catholic clergy
man OF q Royalist politician, who proposed an alb
solutely free competition between the State Uni
yersity and independent establishments.
The clerical party has for a long time with especial
yiyacity set itself up as being virUlently liberal
More and less orthodox Roman Catholic bishops and
Christians have been complaining bitterly i'll late
years of the dilemma unjustly imposed on them by
the state. Either they must deprive their youth OF
high intellectual culture and access to profitable
professional and administrative creers, or expose
ther tender natures 10 the malign influence OF nOn-
Christian, ungody, and scientifically goddess pro
fessors Of the State schools Sometimes therefore
ON that very Just ground, sometimes on the pre-
tended higher ground of liberty for all, they have
Lon for years demanding freedom of teaching.
The ablest Of their orators, the fiery Bishop Dupan-
iaIp is admirably liberal on that thomc unless
some free-thinking, unregenerate liberal 50 lacks
mace as to interrupt the How of his generous co-
ansnce. The brave old Agonistes is a fatterng type
Of his clerical kind and brilliant defender OF the
rights of freedom-for himself and his folks. Would
vour Grace let T.. GibbOn or T. Paine, Mon
sicnr Renan, your fellow-acadenician, Free
Mason Littr6 or DR.. Strauss, deliver a
free course Of lectures the life history,
md doctrines Of Christ and the Christian Church
Never! Their liberty is wicked license, destructive
Of society," of morality, and OF my religion as teach
il. which is the base and GROWING summit of all.
Saoh professors not to be met by verbal counter