ECONOMICS FOR IRISHMEN.
[TO TIER EDITOR 07 THE BPEC74.208:1
SIR,-" The Calendar of Trinity College (Dublin) is quoted to show that nearly half the revenue of that establishment is spent on theology, largely for employment abroad, while there are only two names in the engineering list for one year." That is the statement in my book of which the Provost of Trinity College, Dublin, complains (Spectator, March 16th) ; but in quoting it he begins with the word "nearly," which obviously affects both the meaning and the responsibility. On the other hand, perhaps I ought to have given my authority for the state- ment, though it was no more than a passing reference to illustrate the fact that education in Ireland, even at Trinity College, Dublin, did not make for economic efficiency in due proportion. Since Dr. Traill'makes so much of it, I desire to show how the statement is derived.
On p. 1 of" Secular Control of Secular Education," published by the Education Reform Association, he will find as follows
"[Dublin University] has been, and still is, remarkable (1) for a high grade of scholarship in connection with its Fellowships and other important prizes ; and (2) for an extremely low grade of scholarship in connection with all its pass examinations. The total income of University and College is probably .860,000, about one-half of which belongs to the Theological Faculty. It is quite dominated by its Theological Faculty. It furnishes no accounts, and no application secures any information on its finances. As to its educational work, and especially to what extent it has benefited Ireland, considerable information is found in the Calendar. There were on the roll for 1898 4,534 voters :—
Divinity Graduates ...
2,145
Medical
624
Arts „ 1,618 Law 211 Music 84 Engineering 2 4,634
Clearly Trinity College is resorted to for professional training and not for education for its own sake. The predominance of divinity is manifest The greater number of divinity students do not proceed to a theological degree in Trinity, but are satisfied with what is known as a testimonium in divinity. For a period of fifty-eight years, from 1840 to 1897, 8,839 testi- znoniums were granted; in other words, an average of 57 per annum."
The statements and figures quoted above from "Secular Control of Secular Education" are under the names of Sir James Henderson. Rev. Wesley Guard, Dr. McKeown, Dr. W. Gibson, Mr. R. J. McIdurdie, M.A., Mr. James Pyper, M.A., Mr. D. Elliott, B.A., and twelve others, the Executive Committee of the Education Reform Association, the office of which is in Belfast. For my part, however, I have but to acknowledge the source of my information, and the conflict is really between Dr. Train and the Education Reform Association.
I am now preparing the fourth edition of "Economics for Irishmen," and should be grateful for facts correcting any error in the statements quoted from the Reform Association, and condemned by Dr. Traill.
The only other point has to do with my statement that Trinity College, Dublin's theologians were "largely for employment abroad." Now, as a University man, Dr. Traill knows very well that, in terms of economics, any country is "abroad" that is outside the one under consideration, and his own figures in the Spectator show 1,729 of his theologians outside Ireland, and only 1,411 inside.—but then he calls Great Britain at home ! Does Great Britain provide his" total income of 476,000, not including fees " ? • Trinity College, Dublin, men are not voters unless they graduate MA., which the theologians do, and which the engineers do not, as a rule ; but could that alone account for the difference of two engineers as against 2,145 theologians on the University register? Besides, why does not Trinity give votes to engineers also? Does not this in itself indicate the theological domination asserted in "Secular Control of Secular Education "? The MA. is usually the theologian's secular degree, and without it no graduate can be a voter, though he achieve the highest distinctions possible in other directions, which cannot but tend to keep the control and policy of the University under theological influences, as com- pared with what I may call the reproductive departments of its curriculum.—I am, Sir, &c.,
PAT.
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