In the debate on the Oxford Test Bill on Wednesday
Mr. Glad- stone very unexpectedly, and also, as we -have elsewhere pointed out, very unwisely, made a rather warm speech against permitting Dissenters to belong to the governing body of the Universities, so long at least as no guarantee is taken to prevent their interfering with the Church teaching of the Universities and Colleges. The
• speech irritated some very quiet members of the Liberal party,— as, for example, Mr. Evans, the member for South Derbyshire, who seldom speaks, but was roused by Mr. Gladstone's Toryism. Mr. Grant Daft whose nerves are always severely strained by the Chancellor of the Exchequer's religious caution, was exceedingly bitter on Mr. Gladstone's 'parental' argument—the argument
that parents and guardians' send their sons and wards to the University on the faith of the Chunth teac]aipercrand said it ought to be oailisi the ' maiden-aunt ' We . are not so sure of that. Maiden auntasare apt ko thihk- more, and therefore feel less empty fear, on these sulajeets than hampered mothers with bills and bhbies on theiruninds. Miss Cobbe seems to assert in another column that maiden ladies know more of politics than married ladies. That may very well be ; nor should we think them at all inferior in courage and general knowledge as theologians.
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