A large number of the Principals, Professors, and Lecturers in
the four Scottish Universities, and of the Principals, Professors, and heads of departments in the constituent Colleges of the University of Wales, have forwarded to Mr. Birrell, Chief Secretary for Ireland, strongly worded Memorials in opposition to the proposals for the reconstitution of the University of Dublin. " We do not think," says the Scottish Memorial, " that an ancient seat of learning, justly proud of its past and present usefulness, should be forced against its will into a federation which it believes would be destructive of its prestige and its efficiency." The Memorial ends by declaring that it is presented " in no spirit of antagonism to the reasonable claims of the Roman Catholics of Ireland in respect to University education." The Welsh Memorial, while expressing sympathy with the desire of the Government to make provision for University education which will be acceptable to the Roman Catholic population of Ireland, declares that depriving so ancient and illustrious an institution as Trinity College of its autonomy would be "a serious misfortune for the cause of liberal education and the advancement of knowledge." The signatories to the Welsh Memorial go on to declare that their experience in the administration of the only remaining federal University in Great Britain is that a federation in which Trinity College would be united with the new College in Dublin and the existing Colleges at Belfast and Cork would possess none of the elements which are essential for the successful working of the federal system.
Previous page
