The sun., 1901-10-13
The Reform Of English Universities
During the victorian Fra.

ford and Cambridge had been nation
allied during the last fifty years. We
find the subject, which II one OF obvious
interest to educated men, treated at
length, hut SPECIALIZATION the religion"
point ~ view. by Mr j. A. X MARRIOTT
in the current number of the Forfn'ohhp
Rerior. Mr. MARRIOTT Is qualified by
his personal experience nj oxford to
supplement the coplous information
furnished by Dr. LEWIS CAMPBELL in
the recently published book. On the
Naturalization OF the Old English unl-
verSitics
One Of the consequences of the Reform
alton in England was the los- ri their
national position by the two historical
universities. The dena,ionaliznt pro-
cess began, 50 far a. Oxford was con-
cerned. in 1901, in which year was
passed the first ~ n series of Test acts
originally intended only To exclude
Roman Catholic influences, but destined
ultimately 10 press with equal sever
ity upon Protestant Nonconformists.
Thcnceforward every student was re-
alultFtl fltl NV VI
ton ~ subscribe 10 the Thirty-nine Arti-
clcs. By 'hc Act Of Uniformity 1892
cvrry man elected 20 n coll"g" follow
ship wa required further To signify
hi- conformity 10 the liturgy Of th"
Church of England Thus was th"
University of oxford. ouce open &"
all Chrisrcndom. narrowed into IN eN-
clusivcly Church " England institution.
There il abundant evidence that the
university. NJ well ~ the English nation.
suffered from this restriction 81 the
field of use'ulncss. ADAM SMITH. wh"
was M Balol, l7t0-i7t1, testified that
the greater par, Of the public pro-
ft-sor. have for these many years given
up even the prcicnCc nf te1ching
GIBBoN denounced the monks ~ Mag
dalen. who from ia" toll of reading.
thinhing and writing have absnlved
their cnnscionccs Lord MsIMFsRJRY,
who matricnlatcd in I7G3. declared that
the two wears passed NJ Merton were the
most Improbable of hi- life His tutor.
lc said " according to the practice
Of all tutors ~ that moment. gave him
self no concern lhort his pupils 90 iloG0.
in LIS life Of SHELLEY. complained that
oxford was scat in which learning
sits very comfortably "a in an easy
chair. and slceT- so soundlv that nobody
can wake her
Although. ~ course there wer" few
exceptions 10 the rule, there IL no doubt
that learning. on the whole, was NJ
very low ebb in Oxford during the cigh-
teeuth century; that of teaching, whether
IN the university OF IN the colleges,
there was little or none; that the range
uf studies vas contracted. that dis
ciplinc was lax, that Incentives Ia in
dus,ry waip few and that tho degree "
exercise had desencrated into faro"
About the beginning of the nine
,ccnih century there were signs 81 I'M
provement. In las Orirl College throw
open its fellowships to all graduates,
and almost ContemporaneouSlv Ballol
opened its scholarships 20 all who had
matriculated In lsOo tho Examination
statute was passed Here II should be
no,ei that Cambridge had il tripos u
examination for honors IN mathematics,
a. early as l7s7. or more than half CEN
turv before the Oxford Honor School
was instituted With the establishment
Of the modern system Of separate
honor" and pass examinations
tho era of acadcmical "a distinguished
from religious reform was naugurated
AZ Oxford both matriculntion and grad
uation were still burdencd with re-
lcious test. NJ Cambridge Noncon-
formists might matriculatc reside and
offer themselves for examination, just
as women may now do. but they could
no, proceed 10 degree II was not
until after 1892 that the barriers erected
against Nonconformlsts hy Fl,Hbcthan
and Caroline legislation were vigorously
assaulted One cf the most effective as
sailants was Sir WILLIAM HAMlLToN,
nm Oxnnian " was not. however. until
1854 that the religious test for matriCula-
tinn and for the bachelors degree was
abolished ~ oxford. The Camhridg"
act ~ 1856 abolished the test for all
degrees. excepting that IN divinity.
but M both universities diS-entors were
still excluded from all share IN the gov
ernment. and virtually. from all part
IN the teaching. alike II the university
and ~ the colleges. ~ well "a from the
enjoyment Of the more permanent emol-
uncnx II was not until the University
Tests ac, was passed in 1871 tina, the long
struggle was practically ended. Ry the
principles Of that legislation. enlarged
and DEVELOPED "a they were by the EN-
ccu,ive Commission of 1877, the uni
vcr-it,cs and tho constituent colleges,
their degrees. their prizes, their emolu-
mrn,s their Offices and their govern
mcn,. were orencd freely 10 members 81
an religious sectS
II was bv tho complete removal ~
religious restrictions that Oxford and
Cambridge were uationalzcd m tho
sense which the torn had before the
Reformation The levclluG IT seCtarian
hnr- naturally lci to M" establishment
~ ,hc derominaii"nnl colleges wh.ch
are l,e,omiur mark"l feature oi the
tfHF