P.ARALLF.Lf3 AND CONTRASTS IN THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE OXFORD AND

CAMBRIDGE COMMISSIONS.

OXFORD.

Constitution.

That the right of initiating mea- sures at present enjoyed by the Heb- domadal Board should be conferred on Congregation, and that Congregation should be so remodelled as to consist of all Heads of Houses, the Proctors, all Professors and University Lec- turers, together with the senior Tutors of all Colleges and Halls. That it should be convened by the Vice- Chancellor, to discuss measures only on the written application of a fixed number of its members. That mea- sures after being passed by this Con- gregation should be proposed to the House of Convocation simply for ac- ceptance or rejection, as measures emanating from the Hebdomadal Board are now proposed. That the Hebdomadal Board should still con- tinue to exercise its executive and administrative functions, and should still retain its right of initiating measures. [The Hebdomadal Board consists of the Vice-Chancellor, the twenty-three other Heads of Houses, and the two Proctors. Moreover, a veto on all measures proposed to Con- vocation is vested in the rice-Chan- cellor simply, and in the two Proctors jointly.] That students may be members of the University without being mem- bers of a College or Hall. [This is important in its bearing upon another recommendation that all Fellowships be thrown open to any member of the University who has taken his degree of Bachelor of Arts.] CAMBRIDGR.

The place of the existing Caput Senatas, in accordance with the re- commendation of the Statute-Syndi- cate, is to be taken by a body com- posed as follows. The Vice-Chancel- lor of the year and his immediate pre- decessor are to be the only ex-officio members. There are to be fifteen elected members : three by the Heads of Houses ; three by the Doctors of Law, Physic, and Divinity, not being Heads; three by the Professors, not being Heads ; six by the Colleges in appointed order, three of the six to belegent and three non-Regent Mas- ters. Of these fifteen, five are to go out annually, one of each class, but are to be reiligible. The right of ini- tiation belongs to this body solely ; and its decision is to be by a majonty of members present, except when the majority present is opposed to the Vice-Chancellor, in which case a ma- jmity of the whole body is required. The Council is to meet once every fortnight, at least, during term-time. The functions and constitution of the existing Caput are still retained in the single case of Graces for confer- ring degrees. [The existing Caput consists of the Vice-Chancellor, a Elec- tor in each faculty, practically select- ed by the Vice-Chancellor, one Re: gent and one non-Regent Master of Arts, also practically selected by the Vice-Chancellor. Each member has an absolute veto on the proposal of any Grace to the Senate.]

That the statute by which students are compelled, in order to become members of the University, to be members of some College, be retained. [The extension of College accommoda- tion, and the erection of hostels under College superintendence, are recom- mended, as likely to furnish all the additional room wanted.] That all distinctions between No- blemen, Gentlemen Commoners, and Commoners, should be discontinued. That no debt contracted by a minor while an Under-Graduate of Oxford should be recoverable, unless the bill shall have been sent in to the Un- der-Graduate within three calendar months after the date of the earliest item, and unless, in case of non-pay- ment, a copy of the bill shall have been sent within six months from the same date to the parent, guardian, or college tutor of the debtor ; and that no such action should be brought af- ter the expiration of a year from the date of the earliest item.

Studies.

That there should be a public eta. mination for all students before ma- triculation.

That during the latter part of the academical course all students should be left free to devote themselves to special study. That new Professorships should be created to the number requisite ; and that the adequate endowments should be provided, partly by amalgamation and suppression of existing Professor- ships, partly by attaching to Profes- sorships certain Fellowships in Col- leges, such Fellowships to be tenable by married men. That the appointment to the newly- created Professorships should be given to the Crown.

That, to assist the Professors, As- sistant-Professors or Lecturers should be appointed. Their endowments to be provided in a similar manner to those of the new Professors, and their appointment to be in the Boards into which the whole University educa- tional staff is to be divided, subject to the approval of Congregation.

That of such Boards there should be four, having each the general su- perintendence of the range of studies comprised under their division, and composed of all the Professors and University Lecturers on the special subjects of the range. The four are to be—Theology, Mental Philosophy and Philology, Jurisprudence and History, Mathematical and Physical Science.

In accordance with this division, it is recommended that the final ex- amination for the B.A. should be di- vided into schools, and that the stu- dent should obtain his degree by pas- sing in any one of these.

Colleges. That all oaths imposed by College statutes, and all declarations against change in statutes, should be pro- hibited as unlawful.

That all Fellowships should be thrown open to all members of the University, wherever born, provided they have taken the degree of Bache- lor of Arts, and can produce a proper certificate of character. New College and St. John's are, for special rea- sons, excepted from this rule. Persons elected to Fellowships to be released from all restriction on the tenure of their Fellowships arising from the obligation to enter into holy orders.

That steps should be taken in the various Colleges to prevent the an- nual value of a Fellowship from amounting to more than 300/. or less than 1501.

That certain Fellowships should be attached to Professorships; these Fel- lowships to be tenable by married men ; and that the Professor-Fellows be not elected by the College,. but by the authority having the right of electing to the Professorship.

That it is not advisable to do away with honorary degrees.

That all Under-Graduates of Cam- bridge be considered minors in law in respect of such bills as can be prond to have been contracted with trades- men knowing that they were Undt r- Graduates.

This is not recommended.

The Cambridge recommendation on this head is identical.

The important difference in the Cambridge recommendation is the proposal to create a general fund for paying the Professors by an assess- ment on College incomes.

The appointment is vested in the Central Board of Studies ; a body for which the Oxford Report presents no analogue. The proposals of the two Commis- sions with respect to the Lecturers are identical, subject to the difference in the mode of endowment noticed above.

Nine Boards instead of four are pro- posed, all under the superintendence of a Central Board; but the Oxford divisions are again subdivided, so that practically- there would_probably be a very slight difference. The Cam- bridge Boards are to be,—Theology, Law, Medicine, Classics,, Mathema- tics, Civil Engineering, Natural Sci- ence, Moral Science, Modern lan- guage. The final examination is to be di- vided into Triposes corresponding to the above arrangement. • Recommendation identical.

All statutes which restrict Fellow- ships to persons born in certain local- ities to be annulled. The Fellowships at King's are to be thrown open to all Etonians.

This restriction is continued, but its operation is deferred universally (as at present is the rule in Trinity) to seven years from the M.A. degree.

No such recommendation.

That to make up adequate incomes for Professors and University Lec- turers, College incomes may be equit- ably assessed. [The two propositions differ in the mode of the assessment rather than in principle.]