The daily morning journal and courier., 1901-11-14

He saw it stated in some London
 newspapers and elsewhere that it re-
 mained to be seen whether this great and splendid benefaction was or was
 not an unmixed blessing. Unmixed
 blessings were not very common things
 There were very few blessings which were unmiXed, in public life certainly
 In private life there were some. He
 did not know whether, as was the case
 when he and Lord Camperdown were
 at Oxford, subjects were given for es-
 says. He would suggest as subject
 for an essay for those who made these
 cavailling remarks: "Give a short ac-
 count from Scottish history of unmiXed
 blessings which have befallen Scot
 land In his opinion the shortest es-
 say would get the highest prize. One
 or two observations were suggested to
 him by the name of MT. Carnegie He
 supposed that there was a certain
 amount of disappointment in the
 breasts Of some youngsters that they
 had not received from the executive
 committee of the Carnegie trust, of
 whom Lord Elgin was the able and ac-
 
 to obtain. He did not speak as a mem
 Der of the executive committee, and he
 should hope to say nothing which would
 embarrass that inner body of the trus- tees who took upon themselves the ex-
 tremely arduous and perhaps rather thankless labcrs which the administra-
 tion of this enormous trust would in
 volve. There would be a certain num- Der of disappointments. Though he was sorry for the youngsters and their parents he was not sorry that Lord FL gin and his colleagues had shown from the start that they were going to make a shrewd use of a shrewd mans mon ey He did not think that they could be too vigilant or too watchful. Any thing like a promiscuous payment of fees would be an abuse of the purposes of the fund and disaster to Scotland.
 He was not affected by the fear that the payment of fees would tend to de- moralization. If they would allow a personal statement, he himself could not have come to the University of OX- ford-and his attendance there was one of the greatest blessings he had en- joyed in his life--if it had not been his good fortune to obtain scholarship left by some old bishop of the four teenth or fifteenth century; and yet he declared with all humility that he did not conceive that he had been in the least degree demoralized by the ac- ceptance of that benefaction. He was not impressed therefore by the demor- alization argument At the same time. he was pleased to see that a watchful eye was being kept upon the profitable use of that fund which ought to be so fruitful in blessings to the people of Scotland. Careful administration of the fund was the true answer to the entertained by many that this great benefaction might lead to the of Scotland. He thought the alarm perfectly groundless Most of the rejections of applications for payment of fees were due to failure to pass the preliminary examination set up by the executive committed Moth ing was less to be desired in connection with the Carnegie trust than any ap- proach to a lowering of the standards: and to give access to university edu- cation to those who did not come to the examination sufficiently ripe from the secondary schools was to do no good to the student, the parent and the universities of Scotland. This with tie standard so far adopted was a matter for the people of, Scotland to determine for themselves. Among the advantages in the course so 1 adopted was that it would be for the T ,J, Lo ,ause, when it was found that the ben efits of the trust were not to be en- loved excepting by those who had 1 ivaile1 themselves of the means of a good secondly deucation, students would more strenuously apply them selves to that educaton; and, therefore | IS always happened in everything good, | number of unforeseen and indirect | advantages would be the result of the | illp his would give not merely to un- versity education but to secondary ed | ication It would be a surprise to | ome that the number matriculating in he four universities for the forthcom- ng winter session had not been very increased. He did not think, however, that they ought to be sur ,rised that it constituted any reflection m the executive committee of the Car legie trust The trust was only four or i've months old. Parents and students we're not prepared, nor were the details r administration of the scheme settled he truth was-and he thought Scot and might well recognize it--that the ,hole process and operation at this tage was experimental, and that it iould be very ill-advised action on he part of any if they tried to hurry he thing, or assume as proved what till remained to be proved. He should cry much deplore any use of this great which did not keep up the standard. If he knew any hing of MT. Carnegie, he did not want ) have only more doctors, still less lore lawyers Qaughter), not even more ngineers What MT. Carnegie desired,
 might be assumed, was that there 1ould be better doctors if possible, bet er lawyers-and he thought such could ? had Gaughter)-and better eng 'neers, e was sure could be obtained. It was :. 0t merely the quantity ol students ! lat they could pass through three or ,ur universities; it was that the quail of the students who did pass through lem should be improved, their stand ,l ,;, t1,a Ny,bp Ro1d of