The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-06-01

them the same honors and rewards, and
why should they not achieve success and
WIN lame as well as the other sex?
Although the University of Bologna no
longer enjoys the reputation 1t once had or
attracts throngs of students as formerly, it
sun, after so many centuries of service,
hoids reputable place among the univer-
sites OF Europe and can boast OF having
educated several Popes of the Roman Cath
ollc church and especially as having had
nrst as student and afterward as a pro-
lessor, the Cardinal Merchant, a marvel of
l!ngulsts, said to have spoken more than
nifty languages-hfty-eigh is, If rightly
remem Der, the exact mber-but was re-
markable, believe, for nothing else.
Inc University of Bologna was founded,
as said, in 1119 and stood alone in all
europe Tor more than half century, when
IN A. ID. 1lSO the University of Montpelier,
France, was founded, and twenty years
later, l2oo the University OF Paris sprang
INTO existence and began its career of per-
ennlal fame. 1t is to-day, in the number
OF It's students, the largest university in
Europe, having more than 5000.
The work of education so well begun in
the twelfth century was nobly carried for
ward in the thirteenth, during which ten
other universities were founded among
which were the two great English uni
versities, Oxford and Cambridge. 1t is
difficult to say definitely when these IA
nous institutions were founded. They
were very small and unpretentious at the
beginning. They are both the growths of
time. But though so old and famous they
have never been remarkable for the num-
Der of their students. Oxford is much the
larger of the two, and yet does not number
$500 students, while Cambridge, If | re-
member, has less than 1000. Many uni
verslties much younger and with less repu-
tatlon surpass them in the number of
students. Edinburgh, forinstance, though
by no means so popular and famous as
students than both of them taken together,
and that, too, while Scotland is much
smaller than England and has fewer peo-
pie. There are, indeed, more than twenty
universities in Europe which are educat-
ing more students than Oxford, and more
than fifty whose number of students ex-
coed that OF Cambridge.
Before the close of the fifteenth century,
or, to mark the date more generally, be-
fore the discovery of this western world by
Columbus in 1892, and practically before
the Reformation begun by luther in the
year 1517, those two great events in his
tory, separated by only quarter of CEN
tury, more than fifty universities had been
created in Europe, fact which shows that
the Roman Catholic church was not I'M
friendly to the cause of education, as it has
sometimes been represented. 1t is true,
however, that that church has always
wished to have the control of education,
and see well to it that nothing shall be
taught that might endanger its own in
terests, which it naturally assumed were
the interests of truth and the welfare of
mankind. This, however consistent with
all its traditions, was certainly not always
wise.
The Christian religion is in a world of
thought and action, and necessarily comes
Il -
ences and meets all forms of opposition,
and if it is not strong enough to maintain
itself and work itself in spite of all war
ring and resisting forces there is nothing
for IL but sooner or later to fall or perish.
But whoever believes Christianity believes
it to be of divine origin, and to announce
the ultimate truth in relation to God and
human duty and destiny, and hence it is
indestructible.
The fifty universities founded in Europe
during the four centuries prior to the
achievements of Columbus and Martin
Luther have, during the four centuries
since their time, been more than trebled
in number and immensely augmented in
effective educational power. They num-
Der at present about 10, and are scattered
all over Europe. And in all the better and
even more important of them, | Judge,
the custom which long bound them to the
exclusive use of the Latin as ''the learned
language" has given way to the influences
of modern times, and the education is
given in the language of the people who
have reared these institutions and use
| them.
1t would be very interesting could we
know what all these universities originally
cost and what their money value now is.
1t would show what an estimate Christen-
dom puts upon education and how much
1t is willing to pay to promote it. The ex-
pense OF this vast investment is still going
on. These institutions must not ONLY be
kept up, but they must be improved. New
edlfices must be built, libraries must be
constantly enlarged, scientific apparatus
in multiplied forms and never-ending i'm
provements must be provided, museums
must be created and perpetually enlarged
and money in a hundred ways is needed
and must be expended in carrying forward
the great and benefcent work
What the total number of students in all
the universities of Europe now is, is not
accurately known, since all are not prop
erly reported. The number of those re-
ported however, is very near 10000. and
were they all reported the grand result
would be an army of from 175, 600 to 200.
600 men. And this vast host of young
men, many of them of the best blood and
best brains of all the. nations of Europe.
are being educated and trained, not in the
noble art of war, but in the far NJ bler arts of
peace, and SO fitted for the performance of
the highest duties of citizenship, and thus
also for advancing the intelligence, the yir-
tue and the welfare of mankind.
EnI thirty uaarc aa !. LsS-.