§ MR. REEDsaid, he would beg to ask the First Lord of the Treasury, Whether his attention has been called to a certain provision in reference to the terms of residence for Degrees for students of the privileged class at the University of Oxford, viz.
Privileged students are these:—All Peers; all sons and the eldest sons of all eldest sons of Peers and of Peeresses in their own right; all Baronets and the eldest sons of all Baronets and Knights. All such students, if matriculated as such, and not on the foundation of any College, may be admitted to the Degree after Eight Terms' residence, yet not till their Twelfth Term. A Bachelor of Arts can proceed to the Degree of Master in the Twenty-seventh Term (if privileged in the Twenty-third) from his matriculation;and, whether the Government will introduce a measure which would place students, without respect to rank or birth, in an equal position with regard to Terms of residence required, before proceeding to the Degree of Bachelor or Master in Arts, Medicine, or Civil Law?
MR. GLADSTONEIn answer, Sir, to the Question of the hon. Member, I have to state that my attention was called more years ago than I care to state to the existence of this regulation, and that there is a similar regulation in the University of Cambridge. The utility of the regulation is a good deal contested, although it is only fair to the Universities to state that the privilege does not in the slightest degree tend to mitigate the rigour of the examinations, which must in every case be precisely the same, because I must state for the honour of the Universities that they are not so base as to descend from their standard with the object of courting the great. Looking at it as a matter of internal discipline, it is possible that the retention of this regulation may give rise to other questions otherwise distinct and separate. All I feel called upon to say at the present time, however, is that I am not prepared on the part of the Government to give any pledge that we shall be able to take up this question during the present Session, or that it is expedient to invoke the aid of Parliament upon a matter of this magnitude, whatever the merits of the case may be.