who, in the meantime, had turned himself back to a calm relish of his Five-Language Gothic Glossary. Junius quickened his enjoyment of work by thorough recognition of the fact, that however closely he stuck to his books, and avoided all empty inventions for the shovelling away of time, flesh and blood had as much claim on him as parchment. So he worked like a recluse; harder than most of the healthy men who are supposed to be killing themselves; saw only the best side of the world, and lived and died surrounded not by a gnat-swarm of acquaintances, but by a brotherhood of friends.

THOUGHTS ON THE COLLEGIATE SYSTEM.

To many, perhaps to most people, the idea of a university is inseparably connected with that of colleges. "Going to college" and "going to the university" are for them phrases of identical meaning; and, in the present condition of the Universities of Cambridge and Oxford, they are really so. Yet, not only are the universities of the Continent for the most part entirely destitute of any collegiate institutions, but the university which bids fair soon to stand at the head of all the educational institutions of the Unite Kingdom, whether we regard the reputation of its degrees, the number of its students, or the fame and ability of their teachers, the University in London, in many but by no means in all respects conterminous with the University of London, is but very partially provided with such; and originally the colleges were not at all a more integral part of the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge. "The universities existed before a single college was endowed," says Prof. Malden in an essay on the Origin of Universities,' published some thirty years ago; and the universities would continue to exist with all their rights and privileges unimpaired, even if the property of all the colleges was confiscated, and their buildings levelled with the ground. If they exercised their proper functions, and performed their proper duties, they might continue to be the instruments of national education." And although at present there is a regulation in force at both these universities, which does not allow any one but a member of some college or hall to matriculate, or become a candidate for any degree, yet an attempt has already been made to throw open all privileges and advantages of the university to those not connected with any particular college. There is no doubt that this attempt, in spite of the formidable opposition it has met with from the advocates of the present exclusive system, will

be repeated. It seems, therefore, that it would not be without interest at present if we were to attempt to consider the more prominent advantages and disadvantages of the collegiate system. But we may as well first premise a few words as to the origin of such foundations, the materials for which we have drawn from the little work by Prof. Malden, already quoted.

At first universities consisted solely of a connected and organized body of teachers; hence the name, which was in the civil law originally applied to any corporation, whether municipal, ecclesiastical, commercial, or literary: to these, students from all parts resorted, getting lodgings in the town where they could. But to protect them from exaction, committees of taxors, consisting each of two citizens and two masters or scholars, were appointed to fix the rent to be charged for apartments. Still, in spite of all such arbitrary regulations, the cost of living would often be beyond the means of poor students, and hence houses were founded for their gratuitous reception; first by the religious orders, and afterwards by the charity of individuals. Över these one or more graduates were placed to preserve order and discipline, and also to give instruction supplemental to that afforded by the public professors and lecturers.

"But the number of colleges," says Mr. Malden, “in which provision was made by endowment for the pecuniary benefit of their members, was nothing in comparison with the number of halls and inns, in which the students lived chiefly at their own expense, and which merely furnished cheap and convenient lodging and the supervision of a respectable tutor or principal, who was responsible to the university for the good conduct of his pupils. This principal was a doctor or master, chosen freely by the scholars themselves; and the institution flourished, so that, at the commencement of the reign of Edward II., we find about 300 halls spoken of, while the colleges were only three in number. At this time the universities were in a more flourishing state than ever they have been since. Wood tells us that at Oxford alone there were over 3000 students; but partly from the establishment of grammar schools, which supplied a great amount of that rudimentary education which previously had to be sought at the universities, partly in consequence of the invention of printing, whereby private study to a great extent was made to take the place of lectures, the number of students gradually diminished. At the same time, the colleges began the practice of throwing open their advantages to others than those on their foundation; and, by the superior tuition they were able to offer, attracted to themselves many of those who had previously filled the halls and hostels. These, conse

quently, became rapidly deserted; at the beginning of the sixteenth century, we find that there were only eight inhabited halls. The others were either desolate, or had been bought up by religious houses, or by the colleges, which just at this time were rapidly increasing in number. Some years before the period of which we are speaking, it had become the rule of the university, that the scholars who had been in the habit of attending the public lectures of the university should be no longer suffered to do so, unless they became members of some college or hall. Thus, as the halls, with few exceptions, became extinct, the colleges acquired that monopoly of university education which they have held ever since.

And now that we have seen the origin of the present system, let us consider briefly the advantages and disadvantages that attend upon it. It is by no means our wish to undertake the difficult task of striking a balance between them, at least in the present article, but simply to furnish material drawn from personal experience to those who may wish to attempt the work for themselves. To take first, then, the characteristic of colleges which gave them originally their monopoly, the superior quality of the instruction they afforded. Is this still provided? Now, no one at all acquainted with the present condition of our two great universities, can fail to see that the collegiate system of instruction is utterly inadequate to meet the present requirements of students. No one reading for honours dreams for a moment of contenting himself with the assistance given by college lecturers: the first thing he does is to look out for some "coach" or private tutor of high reputation, not necessarily a member of his own college, and place himself under his guidance. College lecturers are considered in nine cases out of ten a simple hindrance to the real studies of the place, and attendance upon them, instead of being sought eagerly as a privilege, has to be enforced, even upon steady and hard-reading men, by various penalties; more often, indeed, such seek as a favour to be excused from appearing at lecture altogether. This state of things is so completely recognised, that at one of the largest colleges in Cambridge there is no pretence whatever of furnishing any instruction from the college resources to candidates for classical honours during their last year of residence. But at what price can we value the tuition given by the colleges, when it is admitted by the authorities themselves that the best thing that can be done for men preparing earnestly for an examination of immense importance to their future, is to leave them altogether unhindered by it? It is true that at Trinity most zealous and praiseworthy efforts are being made by some of the younger lecturers to supply tuition that shall really

meet the wants of the students, and not drive them from that which the college supplies to seek extraneous help that will stand them in good stead. Whatever may be our opinions as to the system of private tuition that has now attained such a development, whether it be a good or an evil, we must recognise it as an established fact, and admit that a student unconnected with any college suffers few if any disadvantages, as far as tuition is concerned. Nor can it be said that such instruction as is furnished by the colleges is provided at a much cheaper rate than any which would have to be sought from without. It is true that the nominal charge for college tuition is 187. a year, and for a sizar only 67., whereas a private tutor charges 367. a year for his assistance, and in some cases more. But though the charge for mere instruction is but small, yet all who would avail themselves of this are liable to many other expenses that are not light. And this brings us to the second count of our accusations against the present collegiate system-its expensiveness. And this is no unimportant matter. For while, on the one hand, it is felt that if the universities are to retain their influence over the national thought and life, it is of vital importance that their benefits should be open to as many as possible; yet, on the other hand, there is little doubt that the expense of a university education is year by year increasing. This is of the more importance, because the value of fixed incomes is steadily diminishing in comparison with incomes derived from trade. A clergyman with a living of 500l. a year finds it far harder than his predecessor did twenty years ago to meet the expenses of his position; and if, in addition to this, he has to pay half as much again for his son's university education at his own cost, there is little doubt that in many cases he will be utterly unable to give his children the advantages he himself enjoyed. For this increased expensiveness there are of course many reasons. One of the chief, perhaps, lies in the tone of modern society. What would have seemed to our fathers rare luxuries, are to us merely the necessary comforts of daily life. Again and again the words of Wordsworth, in which Arthur Clough vented his grief over Oxford twenty years ago, rise to the lips of one who knows the college life of the present day

"Plain living and high thinking are no more."

The colleges are too rich to do the work for which they were intended. Instances are not unknown of the tenure of scholar. ships and exhibitions by an undergraduate, whose cumulative value exceeds 2507. or even 3007. a year. The possession of incomes of 150/., drawn from college resources, is far from

uncommon. And such men set the fashion of life among those of their own set in college-those who come from the same school. Undergraduates are reluctant to give entertainments less luxurious than those to which they are invited by their friends; and so a style of living is introduced, which is equally destructive of economy and of real hard mental work. But although such expenses are almost inevitable in the case of any one who finds his way into good circles in his own or in other colleges, and wishes to live as others do around him, still they are to a certain extent voluntary, and are not to be charged in fairness altogether upon the collegiate system. It is in the magnitude of the necessary expenses entailed upon undergraduates that colleges seem chiefly to blame. It would appear, at first sight, contrary to all principles of political economy that a number of persons living together should not be provided for at a much lower cost than the same number living isolated. But for the present state of things two main reasons may be assigned. The first is the shortness of the time spent at the university during the year. The great majority of undergraduates at Cambridge, (and we believe the same holds true to a yet greater extent at Oxford, where there is little or no residence during the Long Vacation,) do not reside in college for more than from twenty to twenty-four weeks each year. But of course the staff of servants required to attend upon them during this period must be maintained all the year round this must be done either by a fixed charge, or by a system of perquisites; and the latter, the worst device that could be adopted, as now universally admitted, is still the one resorted to. Hence it comes, that for a dinner, which outside the college walls a student could get for one shilling, within them he is charged two-and-sixpence ;* and careful mothers stand aghast when they learn that their sons are supplied weekly with a pound of butter at the rate of half-a-crown the pound. And secondly, the college affairs are managed by the fellows themselves, who, besides being unversed in business, are often, by the very learning which has won them their position, and the recluse and bookish habits which are the results of it, made unapt for it. We may seem to have been dwelling on petty details; but even petty details are not beneath our notice, when we find that, in consequence of them, students are begging to be allowed to avail themselves of the privileges of a university without being compelled to enter those institu

* In a college bill we lately saw, in one of the cheapest, and best-regulated colleges in Cambridge, the charge for bread, meat, and vegetables, for nine weeks' residence, was 91. 16s.