The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1895-01-26

great regularity, and seem to enjoy
steady prosperity. A higher distinc-
ton is, that Edinburgh is the seat of
the Supreme Law Courts, and the
center of the law business of the
country, a circumstance that gives to
the society of the place correspond
ing flavor
! Place of Education.
But more, perhaps, than anything
else. Edinburgh is place of educa-
ton. And every year it is becoming
SO more and more. In the last thirty
years the students attending the
University have doubled; they are
now about 5000, and would be more
but for stringent entrance examina-
tions recently introduced. The med
ical students, who now embrace
contingent of girls, are about 1,500,
and with extra mural students would
probably bring up to 1000 the nu n
Der of young persons studying in
Edinburgh, who aim at taking care
of our bodies as their work in life.
The new buildings for the medical
department of the University have
cost upward of quarter of million
sterling, and there is now receiving
its last touches, magnificent Uni
versity Hall, the gift of one of our
Parliamentary representatives. Then
come our colleges and upper schools
in goodly array. In theology we have
the Free Church, United Presbyter-
ian and Congregational Colleges; two
normal colleges for the training of
teachers; veterinary college; the
high school, and its rival, the Edin-
burgh Academy; we have the Heriot,
Watt, the Fettes and the Watson
Colleges endowed institutions for a
high education; we have Board
schools by the dozen, supported by
the rates; besides boarding schools
for boys and girls without number,
usually conducted, and well con-
Quoted, by private enterprise. We
have evening classes for working
men, and any number of classes for
modern languages, to say nothing of
schools of art and correspondence
classes, and University local examina-
tions, and all the home work of tutors
and gover1esses. If any city could be
described as great educational hive,
it is Edinburgh.
The Professional Classes
To Edinburgh society the profess
sional classes contribute the chief
elements, for the nobility have for
saken us, and even the old landed
families prefer London to Edinburgh
as a winter residence. Law, medi-
cine and divinity have always been
we'll represented in the metropolis.
Yet in all the three, stars of the first
magnitude are rare. We have no
Lord Jeffrey in law, no Sir James
Simpson in medicine, and no DR..
Chalmers in divinity. Yet in all the
three professions we have strong
bodies of able men, who fairly keep
up the old reputation. 1t seems char
acteristic of the age that while genius
is rare, talent abounds. In literature
the mantle of Sir Walter Scott has
fallen on no man, and even Christie
pher North has had no like minded
successor in the chair of Maya. Our
great publishing houses have either
removed bodily to London, or estab-
lished branches there. On the other
hand, much of the printing of Lon
don books is done in Edinburgh, and
some of it is done with unrivalled
skill and taste. Many of our best
artists have yielded to the attraction
of London, and though every year our
Royal Academy has a respectable ex-
hlbltlon, 1T does not fully represent
the capabilities of Scottish art.
Leads in Charities.
For charities and philanthropic
agencies, Edinburgh beats any town
of its size. Thenumber of its church.
es is 203, and the number of its chari-
table and religious societies is 143.
To keep up these would need good
ly body of "givers." But the actual
givers are but fragment of the whole
population; some of our greatest
streets are miserably represented on
subscription lists. 1t is the same
small class Of givers who support al
most all our charities. Still, Edin-
burgh would get on very well if it had |
only its own to attend to; but being
the metropolis, every society of ma
tional magnitude in the country has
its headquarters there. And philan-
thropists, male and female, from east,
west, north and south, come to Edin-
burgh to lecture, or speak, or preach,