Lord Sherbrooke,in answering for the Universities, responded only for two
of them, ignoring altogether the University of
London, though he occupies a distinguished place in its Senate. He warmly eulogised the changes made iu the final class list at Cambridge, for classing in great groups, as Oxford has always done, instead of affecting- to determine the order of individual merit. But in touching ou the number of married fellowships which are to be established at Oxford, he gave full vent to his cynical vein, declaring that it was not in human nature to be greatly tempted to job. without yielding to that temptation ; and that the married Fellows, so soon as their own sons and daughters grow up and come up for examination, would find themselves not, perhaps, granting indulgences to their own children, but passing very indulgently over the shortcomings of their colleagues' children, in the hope that their own children might meet with the same favour, in their turn. Cynicism passes for knowledge of the world, we well know. But is it knowledge of the world ? Is it really half as likely that this mischief will be serious, as that the course of dooming examiners to celibacy will fatally injure the resources fn appointing wide- minded and experienced examiners ?
Previous page
