A controversy has been going on as to the intentions
of the founders of Keble College, Oxford, from which it has come out pretty plainly, as might have been expected, that while the pur- pose, as defined, certainly was to found simply a Church of England College in honour of Mr. Keble, and to make it one where plain living should be the ideal of the students, the name and example of Mr. Keble were from the first so held up to the subscribers, as the main motive to contribute, as to indicate, conspicuously enough, at least that special modi- cation of Church of England doctrine which might be expected to have most influence with the managers. And no doubt, as a matter of fact, Keble College has become a rather high Anglican institution,—one in which fasting in Lent, for instance, is not indeed enforced, but for several days in the week more than encouraged by the dietary provided, and in which, if second-hand evidence may be trusted, more distinc- tively Romanising practices,—though, of course, not on the ground that they are Romanising,—have been at times recom- mended by some of those in authority. On the whole, however, it is clear that the legal trust is in no way hampered by any limita- tion of the teaching to the school of Keble. The College, legally, is a Church of England College, and nothing more. It is not to be wondered at,—indeed, it would be something wonderful were it otherwise,—that the genius of Keble should have impressed itself on the actual administration of the College in its earlier years. Fortunately for the College, the first Warden is a man of eminently moderate mind, as well as very wide sympathies, so that in spite of the magic of Keble's name, no indelible stamp, even of the spiritual peculiarities of the author of "The Christian Year," has been as yet printed on a College which has already attracted to itself much wealth and influence, and is attracting, and will attract, more and more year by year.
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