LEAVE.—FIRST READING. (Hansard, 22 April 1858)

§ THE LORD ADVOCATE
rose to move for leave to bring in a Bill to make provision for the better Government and Discipline of the Universities of Scotland, and improving and regulating the course of study therein; and for the Union of the two Universities and Colleges of Aberdeen. The hon. and learned Lord, who was very imperfectly heard, was understood to say that the Scottish Universities sought to provide a liberal education for a larger proportion of the inhabitants of Scotland than any corresponding system in any other country in Europe; and it was possibly to this distinguishing peculiarity— which had gained for them the high character they had obtained—that were to be attributed some of the defects which the proposed measure was calculated to remedy. The admission of students into those Universities had never been trammelled by any religious distinctions, and although it had originally been the policy of the Universities to require every professor to be a member of the Established Church, a measure had been passed about four or five years ago for relaxing that rule, and the consequence was, that any man who was properly qualified to be a professor might be admitted to a chair without regard to the religious community to which he belonged. The result of the system was, that these Universities had been open 1545 to the whole youth of Scotland, and that the scope of the education imparted there had been very liberal. At the same time, he was bound to say that certain imperfections had arisen from the system which it was indispensable to remove. It was one of the consequences of their seeking this very wide field of operation that the Scotch establishments had lost sight of the main objects of the Universities, and their educational standard had descended below the requirements of the age. From this it had resulted that great excellence in any department of science was no longer one of the distinguished characteristics of the students of those Universities. That which appeared to him to he at the root of the existing evil was the want of value which was attached to the degrees in arts, and any measure, therefore, which should have the effect of enhancing the value of those degrees and of creating an intelligent body of graduates, would prove very advantageous. He was bound to say, however, in justice to the professors, that within the last ten years a great improvement had taken place. There was nothing novel in the Bill which he proposed to introduce. It was founded, in a great measure, upon the Report of a Commission which had been presented to Parliament so far back as 1830. That Commission was appointed in 1826. The Commissioners conducted a most elaborate inquiry into the whole system of the Universities. They were persons of the highest weight and ability; and the Report which they presented contained a mass of valuable and instructive matter upon this most important subject. He should further state, that in framing his measure he had been under great obligations to his hon. and learned Friend the Member for Leith (Mr. Moncrieff), who, having had himself a measure on the subject in preparation, had furnished him with his materials and the sketch of his plan; and he (the Lord Advocate) had endeavoured to put in the form of a Bill such provisions as he thought would introduce into the Scotch Universities those improvements which were desirable. In the first place, in order to enhance the value of a degree in art, and at the same time create a body of enlightened men in connection with the Universities, he thought it essential that some means should be adopted to associate the graduates more intimately with the Universities by conferring on them a certain share in the administration of their affairs, and thereby to attach 1546 them to the Universities after the course of education there was brought to an end. He trusted that by this means it would be possible to improve the standard of qualification, and greatly to increase the aggregate amount of learning in the Universities without interfering with what was a most important element in respect to the efficiency of the Universities—the instruction and education of what were called "occasional students," who went to the Universities, not for the purpose of going through the regular course, but only for instruction in those particular branches of education which might be valuable to them. The raising of the qualification for degrees in art—the raising of the standard of excellence in all departments—would not prevent the Universities from affording instruction, as heretofore, to that class of occasional students. But it seemed indispensable, with a view to improvements in the Universities, that some change should be made in the government and administration of their affairs. As the matter stood at present, the whole administration, as well as regarded property and revenues as other matters, was vested in a body called "the body of teachers," composed of the Principal and professors of each University. The single exception from this arrangement was in the University of Edinburgh, where a great deal of the power, if not the whole, was lodged in the town council of the city, a body of whom he would venture to say that they were not better qualified for the purpose than the governing bodies of the other Universities. He thought that the way to improve the administration of the Universities was to adopt another most valuable suggestion contained in the Report to which he had already referred, and to institute what might be called a "University Board." It was important that a considerable amount of control should be placed in the hands of such a board, when it was considered what sort of questions were likely to come before a body of that kind for determination. In the first place, there must be many cases in which the professors of a University had different interests. He did not mean to say that those cases frequently occurred, but when they did they were at present productive of inconvenience, on account of the soreness and heart burnings they occasioned, the professors themselves having the power to decide on them. In the second place, there might on certain questions arise dif- 1547 ferences between the professors and the students, and it was extremely desirable that with respect to such questions there should be a power of appeal from a body composed entirely of professors. He also conceived that the control and disposal of the property and revenues of the Universities might more safely be entrusted to other hands. It was necessary that there should be some body whose duty it should be to regulate from time to time the course of the students, to introduce improvements into it, and to institute fresh subjects of study; and all these matters might be more beneficially placed in the hands of a body differently constituted from the existing governing power. He proposed, then, that this Board should in each university be composed, in the first place, of the Rector, an officer known in all Scotch Universities, and also of the Principal. In the next place, it should also consist of a body to be called "Assessors," who should be nominated by the professors and the graduates. Of course he should not now enter deeply into detail respecting all the powers to be exercised by such University Board, having sufficiently for the present purpose sketched out the nature of the Board. He now came to consider what improvements were necessary with respect to the position of the professors themselves, and he was bound to say that the professors, in many cases, had very just and well-founded cause to complain of their position. There could be no doubt that in some Universities the endowments of the professors were singularly inadequate. This arose from various causes. In the first place, it arose from the circumstance that their salaries had been fixed in money payments at a very distant day, and had remained stationary, while the relative value of money had very much altered. In the second place, a very great proportion of the revenues and funds belonging to the Universities accrued from tithes or "tends," and were subject to a diminution in value from time to time by the augmentation of the payments to the clergy, which formed the primary charge on them. Thus, as the necessities of the times required an augmentation of the stipends of the clergy, just in the same proportion were the revenues of the Universities diminished. [The hon. and learned Lord here road a statement on this subject in reference to the University of St. Andrew's.] He proposed that such a stipend should be allotted to the professors 1548 as would secure the services of able and learned men. He also proposed that moderate and reasonable retiring pensions should be awarded to aged and infirm professors, which would prevent them from continuing to occupy their chairs when they were disqualified for the active performance of their duties. In some of the Universities, also, additional chairs were absolutely required, and the Bill would provide for meeting that necessity. He further proposed that the professors of each department should continue at the head of their respective departments, but that they should receive the assistance of tutors or assessors to such an extent as might be deemed necessary. He proposed the appointment of what he might call an executive commission for the purpose of carrying out the details of the proposed improvements. He might add, that he did not think it would be necessary to interfere to any extent with the patronage of the chairs; and that no scheme of reform of the Scotch Universities would be perfect or satisfactory if it did not provide for the union of the two Universities of Aberdeen. Clauses would therefore be included in the Bill providing for the union of those Universities. The subject was one of great importance. He claimed no merit for originality; but he trusted that the measure he proposed would be found adequate to an object so much desired as the improvement of the Scotch Universities. He would now move for leave to bring in his Bill.

§ COLONEL SYKES
said, he had not had the good fortune to hear one-half of the right hon. Gentleman's statement, and therefore, without offering any objection to the introduction of the Bill, he could give no pledge as to the course he might hereafter pursue. The object the right hon. Gentleman had in view was one which was popular in Scotland, and if properly carried out it would no doubt secure to the people of that country many educational advantages. The right hon. Gentleman proposed the union of the two Universities of Aberdeen. Now, the term "union" admitted of various constructions, and the union proposed by the Bill might be exceedingly acceptable to the citizens of Aberdeen and to the Universities; but if the right hon. Gentleman meant to propose a fusion of the two Universities, he (Colonel Sykes) could not promise to support such a project.

§ MR. MONCREIFF
expressed his complete and cordial concurrence in the measure, the object of which, he understood, 1549 was substantially to appoint a Commission to carry out, as far as they might think it desirable or expedient, the recommendations of the Commission which reported on this subject in 1830. It was a singular fact that that Report should have lain upon the table from 1830 down to the present time without any attempt having been made to carry out its very wise provisions, and he trusted the main details of this measure would meet with the unanimous approbation of the representatives of Scotland. His right hon. Friend bad truly said that for the last four or five years no Professor in the Scotch Universities had been bound to take any test upon his admission to office, and he had added that the teaching in the Universities was of the most catholic and liberal description. That was the fact, and one consequence of this state of things was that persons of all denominations were able to unite in doing all in their power to promote education in the Universities of Scotland. He hoped this example would not be without its effect, and that when, by united efforts, an endeavour had been made to improve the University education of Scotland, the same union and energy would be applied to the improvement of the schools of that country.

§ LORD ELCHO
had, like the hon. and gallant Member (Colonel Sykes), boon unable clearly to understand what bad fallen from the Lord Advocate, but he thought the circumstance was mainly attributable to the inattention with which the right hon. Gentleman's statement had been received by the House. The subject of university reform bad engaged much public attention in Scotland, and he regretted that the noise which had prevailed in the House had prevented him from catching accurately what was the nature of his right hon. Friend's Bill. If it was, as he had no doubt was the case, a carefully considered measure, it would be received with general satisfaction by the people of Scotland.

§ MR. CUMMING BRUCE
said, he had occupied a position in which he had had the good fortune to hear the lucid statement of his right hon. and learned Friend. He believed the Bill would be regarded with great satisfaction by the people of Scotland, and would be attended with very beneficial results. With regard to the union of the two Universities of Aberdeen, as an official connected with one of those institutions he would say that any plan of university reform in Scotland which did 1550 not embrace that object would be extremely fallacious. The measure of the learned Lord would receive his cordial approbation and support.

§ MR. BUCHANAN
suggested it was desirable that the Bill should be laid on the table and circulated before the second reading came on. There bad been a general expectation throughout Scotland that when the number of graduates was increased, and a higher scale of education was adopted, there should be an application for a representation of these Universities in Parliament. Many advantages would flow from such an arrangement, and he would suggest the desirability of adopting it, and also of settling the relative status of the Professors on the old foundation and the Regius Professors.