On Wednesday Mr. Asquith made a pleasant and thought- ful
little speech at the prize-giving at the Yorkshire College, Leeds. The age for educational benefactions was not dead. We had witnessed a splendid renaissance in that respect. The country was covered with a network of primary schools. The grammar schools, which only a few years ago were asleep, had been awakened into new life and activity, and technical instruction was being provided. To crown our educational edifice we saw the growth of colleges like that at Leeds. Mr. Asquith ended his speech by noticing how Matthew Arnold had said that our ancient Universities and Colleges weave a spell over the imaginations of those who are trained within their walls. "A fresh institution lacked that incommunicable fascination. But that was only part of the charm of college life. There was a charm which was hardly ever experienced in after-life, and it was because for the first time they entered into collision of mind with mind, because they were engaged in rivalries which left no trace of bitterness afterwards. It was because they breathed and moved in an air as of an intel- lectual commonwealth. This was what the University College was in its essence." That is an excellent and sympathetic statement of the best element in college life.
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