New-York tribune., 1908-04-30
=, lament to associate themselves with the cause
! of franchise reform.
C4uBRIDGES NEW CHANCELLOR.

| The election Of Lord Rayleigh to Ire Chsli-
| cellor of the University of Cambridge, 10 sue
teed the late Duke of Deyonshire. is an III
! cident of far more than passing interest IL
NAV indeed be regarded as almost epoch max
inc i'm its significance for the future progress
of that ancient seat of learning. Or the ntness
OF the choice there can be no question: Lord
Rayeigh is one of the most eminent llVih5
| aIumni of Cambridge He is probably her
foremost graduate i'll the domain of physlcai
science His discovery of argon alone woulu
serve TO make him the best known to the III
telIicent public as we'll as 10 his professional
! colleagues His years of labor as professor
of experimental physics at Cambridge, his long
service as Tyndall's successor III the chalr Vi
natural philosophy at the Royal lhstl'utiol
his presidency of the Royal Society anu Hio
| receipt of the Nobel prize for physics and OF
the English Order of Merit amply aHirm MS
WorthnesS of canceliaran rank
! But il is precisely because of the elements
and quality of his fitness and because oi 'he
! probable effect Of. the choice of such man
upon the future of the university that his eieo
ton is most remarkable In British uhVersi
Ties the chanceorS, lord rectors, or Whatever
the tftular heads may be called are often more
hoforary than practical in their functions anu
are men prominent in political or socAai Hi'
rather than in scientific or educatohal VIOLA
The late Duke of DeyonShlre was Aauo
Chancellor of Cambridge, place Which lle
nIled for sixteen years, not because OF hs
technical scholarship. but because of his
eminence as a statesman his lather anu
PREDECESSOR in the chancellorshp was man
of fine scholarship and OF scientific tastes ana
,+taiumentS vet il was not much Tor 'lioSe
things as for his social and polltlcal RANK
that he was chosen. The same may De sait
of his predecessor. the Prince CohsoI'' ar"
indeed OF the whole line of chahceiloIs 'ne
Duk, of Northumberland. the Marquis OF
camden the Duke of Gloucester, the buNo vi
Grafton the Duke of Newcastle ana 'he h'Ne
of Somerset But Lord Rayleigh alhoush ie
eniovs high social and political rank and is the
roSsessor of great wealth, has undouoteuiS
been elected chancellor expressly because OF
his scbolarShip his scientific attainments anu
ochievaruentS and his long and distinguished
career as an educator
The significance of that is hardly TO be over
rated or of this, either, that he is parrcularlE
associated with those practical sciences ol
which il has frequently been complaihed thaI
the two great English universities take 100
little account There is much to be said con-
cerninc that complaint. both pro and contra.
Rut even the strongest upholderS of the old
traditions of Cam and Isis. who wish To nave
tho universities kept above all else centres OF
culture in the classics and humantles, VIII
not DISPUTE the desirability and indeed the
necessity Of bringing them into intimate tonch
with the great scientific researches and dis
coveries and even the technical and industrial
developments which are 50 profoundly Affect
ing the progress of the human race There
was no reputation Of the Cambridge SenaleS
decision for the compulsory study of Greek in
the circumstances that a little later LORD
Kelvin opened the new science and engineer
inc bui1dingS the John Hopkinson laboratory
was built and the Quick hequest for biological
research was received. There need he no
faar that the traditional university spirit will
he impaired though there may he lively hope
that there will he an infusion of a greater de
cree Of that progressive scientific spirit of
which the new chancellor is so eminent an