Short Studies 2012 MODERN OXFORD By Owen Henry Bynne. Oxford A. THOS. SHRIMPTON & SON. LONDON; SIMPKIN, MARSHALL & CO. 1886. Route SHORT STUDIES IN MODERN OXFORD . 1 Y OWEN HENRY BYNNE. “Vulnera nisi sint tacti tractata juc, sanari non possunt." LIVY, Oxford : A. THOS. SHRIMPTON AND SON. LONDON : SIMPKIN, MARSHALL, & Co. 1886. 1 L L F 51 .B 99 1 . . 1 ..-.. i TO GEORGE R. MOORE, OF DUFFIELD, DERBY, AS A SLIGHT TOKEN OF ESTEEM, AND IN REMEMBRANCE OF MANY PLEASANT HOURS, THIS BOOK IS AFFECTIONATELY DEDICATED BY HIS SINCERE FRIEND, THE AUTHOR. Introduction. THESE short essays, while not assuming to deal at all fully with the subject, will, it is to be hoped, while exposing some of the weaknesses of our University system, also present truthful pictures of modern Oxford life. Should some remarks seem over severe, the author can only say, that having carefully considered the subject he considers himself amply justified in all that he has put forward, as the result of a considerable experience, and leaves the issue in the hands of the public. O. H. B, Oxford, February, 1886. 1 wenley Library 10-15-40 Contents CHAPTER I. PAGE. “Dons" I CHAPTER II. OFFICIAL ENTERTAINMENTS 9 CHAPTER III. REGULATIONS 14 + CHAPTER IV. UNDERGRADUATE SOCIETY 23 CHAPTER V. DEBATING SOCIETIES 4 37 CHAPTER VI. OXFORD AMATEURS .. 42 CHAPTER VII. UNDERGRADUATES AND LITERATURE 50 CHAPTER VIII. THE FUTURE OF OXFORD. 58 ri ci APPENDIX A. LETTERS FROM OXFORD AND CAMBRIDGE PAPERS 62 APPENDIX B. COMPULSORY CHAPELS C-1 65 GEC Studies in Modern Oxford. CHAPTER I. "Dons." It is a curious fact, that even the reformers of the Nineteenth Century, who have been so fertile in expedients for removing abuses, have been unable to hit upon any feasible plan for getting rid of the typical "Don." Though educational facilities are increased, the franchise extended and the seats redistributed, still that solitary wayward remnant of a bygone time remains. The storms on the political sea affect him not, the clouds on the political sky have no depressing effect on him, save when, indeed, Public Opinion--that ogre of the privileged classes-- compels ministers to send down Commissioners to pry with sacrilegious eyes into college affairs. The members of these Commissions, however, treat the "Don" gently, and handle him with as much nicety as they would an old piece of china which they were anxious to avoid breaking. Yet they receive but little return for their courtesy, for there is B 2 STUDIES IN MODERN OXFORD, nobody so jealous of any interference with his privileges as the “Oxford Don." Nothing the Commission do, accord- ing to the theory of the authorities, can by any possibility be right, and every little trifle they leave undone is magni- fied into an omission of the gravest importance. The "Don" of to-day, when you can get a really good speci- men, is just as disagreeable, just as overbearing, and just as shabby as he was fifty years ago, the only difference is that there is not quite so much port consumed in the Common Room, but that is merely owing to the fact that constitu- tionally men are not now so capable of drinking as they were. Still, even at the present time, stories reach me of the effects of over-indulgence in the "flowing bowl." One divine, I am informed, was observed, after a rather prolonged stay in the common room, to reel up against the chapel door, and then exclaim in a plaintive tone of injury, “Shported your oak again, old fellow p” Another divine, of a rubicund visage, has the pleasing habit, after having imbibed somewhat more freely than would quite meet with the approval of his bishop, of going round men's rooms in the middle of the night, in each case being evidently under the impression that he has gained his own sanctum, which he does not generally reach till "morning doth appear." Another gentleman, of considerable reputation, was ob- served, somewhere towards the small hours, walking round and round a tree in the middle of one of the college gardens, dressed in the light and airy costume of a night dress and a college cap. On being remonstrated with upon this extraordinary conduct, he held up his finger warningly, and said in a solemn voice, “Hush ! hush! I'm lost in the forest !" “DONS." 3 > It is a distressing fact that our Oxford authorities are often so vulgar in their appearance and shabby in their dress, as to be taken by the uninitiated for scouts or well- to-do grocers. This probably accounts for the almost universal custom they observe of wearing their gowns at all times and places. I quote a few cases, which I am assured actually occurred in Oxford. Two ladies, seeing a rather seedy-looking individual hanging about in a college quad., concluded he was a servant, and asked could they see the chapel : he politely showed them in, and on their departure, after thanking him for his courtesy, they gave him half-a-crown. Their feelings next day were not altogether of unmixed pleasure, when they recognised him walking down the "High" in a Master's gown. He was one of the fellows of the college, who had been taking a “constitutional” round the quad. On another occasion, a lady chanced to see loafing about the University church, an individual celebrated amongst Oxford men for wearing trousers of so wide a description as to remind one of the clown's, which, as we all know, contained a turkey, two bottles of sherry, and a pork pie; also for getting more for his money out of the Union than any man on record. She thought he was probably a superior kind of commissionaire, and made several en- quiries about the High-street, to all of which he politely replied. When she left him she drew out a shilling, and offered it to him with a smile of thanks. He took off his hat and made her a low bow, saying: “Madam, members of the governing body of this University are not accus- tomed to receive gratuities.” If you see a pale worn-looking man, with a dusty felt hat, baggy trousers, a silver. watch-chain and a dingy black tië, B 2 4 STUDIES IN MODERN OXFORD, you may safely conclude that he is one of Oxford's lights of learning out for a stroll. Even in clothes our 6. Dons" respect antiquity. A good story is told of a gentleman well known to Oxford, who brought a friend in to show him some great curiosities contained in his college. He spent nearly an hour showing various antiquities, such as a priest's vestment three hundred years old, a coat that belonged to Charles II., and an old sock said to have been the property of Gilbert A'Becket. His friend thanked him very much, and just as he was going out saw a very threadbare and antique-looking pair of gloves on the table. “And whose were those gloves ?” he said. “Those gloves are mine," was the hesitating reply. Just as in the brilliant precepts of English law, the king can do no wrong, so in Oxford society any remarks about a "Don" are received with horror. If Mr. Jones, a hard- working Balliol undergraduate with little means but his scholarship, appears in an Oxford drawing-room rather meanly dressed, Mrs. Grundy will instantly be down on him; but let Mr. Robinson, fellow of the sanie college, appear in the shabbiest of costumes, she will only say, “What an eccentric man dear Mr. Robinson is !" Great minds like his of course cannot be expected to descend to the petty details of dress. In Oxford, as well as everywhere else, only great men can afford to be eccentric. The “ Don” is worshipped by his little set, the ladies flatter him and the men toady him—in fact, he reigns over his circle like a kind of intellectual demi-god. If he is vulgar, people call him absent-minded; if he is mean, they say "He has no time to attend to trifles;" if he is shabby, they say “Poor dear man, he has no wife to look after him;" if he drinks, they say that his work exhausts him so much that 6 DONS. 5 en he is obliged to take stimulants; in fact, everything that in another man would be called a vice, is in his case nothing more than a pleasing eccentricity. True it is that the young “Don" occasionally goes in for being a “masher," but he soon lapses into the beaten track of carelessness and indolence. There is no more insufferable prig in existence than the young "Don" just appointed examiner! How he delights in ploughing a man! With what keen zest does he select the most difficult bits in viva voce. He is the most severe of examiners, as he has but recently read the work himself. “Dons" and undergraduates can never mix, they are the oil and water of University life; and, indeed, it is not to be expected that men who (say what we will) are often possessed of the highest culture and refine- ment, should associate more than they can help with a set of bibulous boys just escaped from school and the whole- some correction of the birch, and whose highest idea of pleasure is to get drunk in company, and then sally forth to break lamps, wrench off knockers, assault policemen, and other such playful amusements of riotous youth. Until undergraduates learn behaviour more in accordance with civilization, they cannot expect to have much intercourse with people who have any intellectual tastes. Still, I think the authorities might, if they chose, raise the tone of undergraduate society greatly, by showing more interest and sympathy, and being less stiff in their dealings, with the men under their charge. They should consider that undergraduates form their raison d'être: if there were no undergraduates there could be no “Dons." But they regard the undergrad. as a necessary evil, as a kind of machine, wound up to go for three or four years, paying periodical sums of money and passing periodical examina. S 6 STUDIES IN MODERN OXFORD, tions. There was a well-known gentleman, the head of one of our colleges, who was observed invariably to give two fingers when shaking hands with an undergrad., three to a B.A., four to an M.A., and the whole hand to a fellow. His conduct may be taken as a good type of the social estimation a man receives in Oxford society. Every effort is made to keep up their dignity and duly impress their men, by college authorities. They never by any chance “call a spade a spade," but "an agricultural implement ” designed for the cultivation of the soil.” Some of their attempts to seem important are really ludicrous. I heard of a pupil who went to ask permission from his college tutor to “cut” certain lectures. » certain lectures. The tutor replied that he could do nothing without the consent of the Educational Council. On the pupil politely asking what he meant by the Educational Council, he was informed that the tutors of the college, taken as a body, were dignified with that euphonious appellation. When Oxford people begin to treat “Dons" more like men and less like divinities, they may improve. Even now, if they went more out of Oxford and mixed more with ordinary society, there would be hope for them; for else- where they are not toadied and made much of: quite the reverse, as people who are not educated up to them, generally consider them great bores. In Oxford they reign supreme: all they do is right; and the more conceited, weak- minded, and insolent they are, the more are they flattered and caressed. It is enough to be a “Don;" but to be a young “Don" s with a living! Words fail me to describe the enviable state of a man who unites both those qualifications. Unless he is ugly as a demon, and perhaps even then, he will be the " DONS." 7 admiration of whole bevies of charming girls with com- fortable dowries, and will only have to pick and choose between them. He will be asked to Dinners and “At Homes” until he will not know where to turn. The num- ber of times he will be inviteď to a little music to meet a few friends will be simply incredible ; his rooms will be decorated with the offerings of his fair friends; tobacco pouches, slippers, and afternoon tea cloths, enough to furnish a bazaar, will be showered upon him. He will probably end by marrying some brainless girl with a few thousands to her credit, and she too, will strike out in the social sea, and get as many people into as small rooms as possible, and give them bad music and worse tea, with ludicrous attempts at recitations in the intervals; and then she will delude herself into the belief that she has been "entertaining," and her guests will make themselves believe that they have been “entertained;" and so she will keep the social mill going, and be "much thought of” (as I believe the phrase is) and perhaps have daughters to bring up, to go through in their time the same routine ! Such an antagonism is there between “Don” and “Under- graduate," that whenever a man puts on many airs and appears pretentious, he is called "Donnish;" and this adjective will probably remain in the language long after the “Dons” themselves have given place to a less arrogant and more useful set of men. Just as people say that “all is fair in love and war," so do the “ Undergrads” think all fair when a "Don,” their natural enemy, is concerned; and accordingly they will lie and prevaricate, be hypocritical and flattering whenever it suits their ends, with a perseverance and a subtilty worthy of a better cause. And they are hardly to be blamed, because the system forces them to consider the 8 STUDIES IN NÍODERN OXFORD. recognised authorities merely as invaders of their liberty, to recover which they consider almost any means justifiable. In concluding this chapter, I should like to say that none of my remarks, here or elsewhere, are intended to be of universal acceptation. I have known many charming, kind- hearted men, whom not even being made “Dons” could spoil; still I could not say they were improved by that honour. Amongst Oxford "Dons" there are broad-minded, noble-hearted men, ever ready to help with their purse, and, what is often far more valuable, with their cordial sympathy, all who stand in need; ever ready to devote themselves to any object which has the general good at heart. I should be the last to refuse to them the admiration and respect which is so justly their due. They are unhappily least known—least appreciated; their good deeds are done in silence, and without ostentation. Need I mention names? All of us know examples. Would that I could apply the same remarks to more! unhappily, those who deserve such praise are but few CHAPTER 11. Official Entertainments. Ar most colleges some attempts are made by those in authority to gain more knowledge of their pupils by asking them to breakfasts, luncheons, and funereal evening parties, and sometimes even to wine after Hall. All these may be included under the head of official entertainments, though indeed they are generally entertainments only in name : they never help to bridge over the gulf which divides tutor from pupil, graduate from undergraduate, and are always the stiffest and dullest gatherings imaginable. Breakfasts are the favourite forms of entertainment adopted by the “Don." Whether it is because they wish to entice the unwary un- dergraduate from his couch, or whether, thinking as they do that the whole affair is a disagreeable necessity, they wish to get their troubles over as early as possible, I know not : I only know that the general hour fixed is 8.30; rather early on a frosty November morning for most people. Invitations from the authorities are not unnaturally regarded as Royal Commands, and few indeed have the courage to plead "another engagement." In fact the heads of some colleges have a regular printed form, with a blank left for the names, IO STUDIES IN MODERN OXFORD. which they send round. The wording of this is quite characteristic, and a fit specimen of the patronizing manner generally shown towards the undergraduates. Here is an exact copy of one (the italics are mine) : “The Master requests Mr. Jones' company at breakfast on Monday next, at 8.30. .. College, “Nov., He does not ask the favour or pleasure of Mr. Jones' company: that would too much resemble the politeness met with in ordinary society: he merely requests it, precisely in the same manner as he requests. Mr. Jones to call upon him the following Monday in order to ask him why he only attended chapel once on the previous Sunday. It is just another way of saying, "I, the head of your college, of my righteous condescension, have decided to ask you to break- fast. You mustn't think that I have really any wish to receive you socially; I am in a measure bound to ask you by my official position.” Surely a little more courtesy in dealing with gentlemen might be shown with advantage ; it would certainly cause the undergrads to respect those placed in authority over them far more. But these breakfasts who shall describe ? What daring mortal could venture to retail the epigrams--the political dicta--the honeyed words--the grave gossip which he has heard there? In the course of my enquiries I could pick up but little, still what I did find out gives us a fairly good idea of what a delightful and cheerful form of entertainment a “Don's ” breakfast usually is. The conversation always seems to give one the idea that the host has got up from a popular handbook some subject which he pertinaciously continues to drag in, apropos of nothing in particular. One learned gentleman I remember would insist upon talking . OFFICIAL ENTERTAINMENTS. I t about "sharks ;” do what you would, start whatever subject you pleased, he always came back to “sharks.” Nor was it that he possessed any very new and startling facts about the "shark," or if he did, at all events he did not give us the benefit of them; but I suppose he had a kind of idea that his conversation should combine instruction with amuse- ment, and so he steadfastly stuck to his "shark," and we merely wondered whether that much abused fish was any tougher than the leathery college beefsteak we were dis- cussing. On another occasion a gentleman of almost European reputation talked for a whole hour about "wrestling "--a subject not quite of absorbing interest to the ordinary in- dividual. This gentleman's conversation was really so very dull that I was obliged to conclude that in his case the popular handbook had not been used, but that he had gathered materials for his remarks from a surreptitious perusal of the sporting papers. I remember a kindly and good-hearted divine discoursing fluently during breakfast upon the subject of land drainage, which he evidently considered to be exceedingly amusing and peculiarly fitted for the breakfast-table. It was a delightful study of human nature to see the undergraduates present trying to affect a deep and becoming interest. A very learned divine on a similar occasion gave us his views as to the Rock of Gibraltar, and nothing could draw him away from that alluring topic. Yet another gentleman and his wife both talked the whole of breakfast time upon the westhetic subject, --not lilies or roses, but,- flowing locks of Oscar Wilde !-of sausages and tripe. When we find learned men entertaining their guests with such subjects as sharks, land drainage, wrestling, the Rock İ STUDIES İN MODERN OXFORD. i 2 of Gibraltar, and sausages and tripe, we not unreasonably ask ourselves why on earth they can't be natural, and cease prating about "matters which they do not understand." Their instruction is not required during breakfast: Heaven knows the undergraduate gets enough of it at other times. Every- body feels relieved when these senseless exhibitions are over; everybody prays devoutly that he may never receive another such invitation; and the wary man whenever he is asked again always pleads, not that he is otherwise engaged, but that his work presses upon him so much that he has been obliged to give up going out to breakfast entirely. As for the stately evening parties occasionally given by the head of the college, in order that the undergrads may have the privilege of entering the inner heaven and sunning themselves in the radiance of his presence, when there are about fifty people and somewhere about fifteen chairs, and weak tea and weaker coffee are dispensed under the delusive title of refreshment, I need not say much. They are about as enjoyable as a funeral luncheon, and every person, host and guest alike, feels thoroughly uncomfortable. Of course there are the usual evening party amusements : a good deal of singing, generally out of tune, from shrill-voiced young ladies who sing ridiculous sentimental ditties with bad music and idiotic words after the silly modern custom ; occa- sionally a pianoforte solo from the daughter of the house, sometimes a timid little school-girl whom you can observe counting as she rattles through one of Boyton Smith's fantasias with about as much expression as an inferior barrel-organ. Real pleasure, unless in the study of human nature, there is none. Such, then, are the ways by which the “Dons" try to cultivate social relations with the undergraduates; how e OFFICIAL ENTERTAINMENTS. 13 miserably they fail every one who has observed Oxford life can testify. I shall dwell no further upon this subject. When I think of what I have gone through at those per- formances, for they are nothing else, I feel that I can by no means agree with Cicero when he says: “Jucunda est præteritorum malorum memoria.” What I have said is designed to show that the failure of these attempts to cultivate better social relations between “Dons" and "Un- dergrads,” the two great classes at Oxford, is due to the arrogant spirit with which they are carried out--the spirit of supercilious patronage, rather than the spirit of true con- ciliation } : CHAPTER III. Regulations. (See aisa APPENDIX B.) THOUGH no one will deny the advantage, indeed the necessity, of a system of disciplinary regulations at universi- ties, there are few, I think, so hardy as to say that the present system, or the method of administering it, is en- tirely good. Many statutes, undoubtedly made at a time when men came up earlier than they do now, are still kept up on the same blind unreasoning principle of obedience to traditions which has kept alive most of the evils which so sully Oxford. The mere fact that a certain rule exists, is considered the best of arguments for retaining it; and there is no use in urging the great importance of conform- ing to the spirit of the age, and endeavouring to bring University regulations into harmony with modern thought; for prejudices are so rooted in Oxford, that a man needs to be a sort of intellectual dynamitard before he can hope to overthrow them; and, indeed, it is not only a thankless but a dangerous task to interfere. Still, occasionally complaints do find their way into the papers, and sometimes University authorities find themselves dealt with in a very off-hand and > .: REGULATIONS. 15 crushing manner. Even then they are so obstinate that they make every effort to resist reform. A great part of what I say is derived from personal experience, but I have also (of course, taking great care) made use of information kindly afforded me from various quarters. The regulations in Oxford, though in many respects they show great incon- sistency, still in one particular are consistent enough~- that is in never failing to extract as much money as they can from the unhappy undergraduate. That colleges, which were originally founded to help the poor scholar, should have become institutions existing mainly for the pur- pose of fleecing him, is a most disgraceful fact; but so it is, and, indeed, we find the same abuse in our great public schools. I shall only have time to note in passing a few of the most usual and striking rules, but they are a fair selection from the whole number. According to all college rules, the gates are closed at nine, and after that hour no one is allowed to go out; yet any person may go out at five minutes to nine and come in at twelve, if he likes. Between nine and twelve, however, gate fines are imposed; under no pretence of restraining the men from going out, but inerely to add to the college ex- chequer. These fines are not high enough to be deterrent, . nor are they low enough to be merely formal; and they really effect no purpose whatever, except filling the college coffers. This is shown by the fact that a man is rarely « hauled” so long as he manages to come in before twelve. If it is wrong to stay out after nine, it ought not to be allowed at all; if it is not, there should be no fine inflicted. Again, if a man stays in, even then the college gets at him, because for every friend who leaves his room ) 16 STUDIES IN MODERN OXFORD, а after nine a fine is inflicted; so that you can neither go out nor entertain your friends after nine without having to pay for it. It may seem to some that these fines are really too trifling to worry about. Sometimes, as far as the individual is concerned, they are ; but when we come to enquire, and find that some colleges have during term time a regular income of £5 per week from this source, we are driven to a different conclusion. Surely this cannot be considered an honourable way of making money. Again, there are all kinds of vexatious and absurd regu- lations about dining in Hall. For instance, undergraduates , are only allowed to remove their names a certain number of times from the hall list without incurring a fine. That is, men are to a great extent compelled to go to dinner or pay for it, no matter whether it be good or bad. As a matter of fact, the dinner provided is often disgraceful--watery soup, rough greasy beef, half cold vegetables, and sticky heavy pudding, washed down with thin table beer, being the general programme. In two or three colleges, to my own knowledge, the dinners became so bad that the men simply absented themselves in a body; and in many others petitions were presented, begging for its reform, but, of course, with slight success. Of course, the high table, where the “Dons” feed, is always well looked after; they would never tolerate any neglect when their own personal comfort is concerned. Rather more than a year ago, the hall dinners in one of the smaller colleges became so ex- ceedingly bad that the men unanimously agreed not to dine in hall on a certain day, and consequently there was not even the usual scholar to read grace when the authorities came in. The learned Head came up in a very unclerical fury, actually more purple than usual with indignation, and n REGULATIONS. 17 a ; insisted on the grievances being immediately formulated; and when the senior scholar appeared, followed by other undergraduates, called him a "nuisance" to the college for , having ventured to express his opinion. One of the minor complaints on this occasion was that, no matter what the dish was, there were always two kinds of sauce, and two only. The head, possibly thinking that the junior members of the college had sauce enough already, said that he “ didn't see what boys between nineteen and twenty-two wanted with sauce." This is only a specimen of the courteous replies so often made by our authorities. Very often they have been schoolmasters, and the overbearing, dictatorial habits acquired in that profession have clung to them. Somehow it is generally true to say, "Once a schoolmaster, always a schoolmaster." Some of the old monastic customs still cling round Oxford, and are occasionally severely enforced. Here is a case, copied from the Globe of a couple of years back, which raised considerable stir at the time. In a certain college, more distinguished for its pre-eminence on the river than for miraculous intellectual activity, an under- graduate serenely ordered his customary steak on Shrove Tuesday evening for the next morning. What was his astonishment-not to say disgust-to discover that, the next day being Ash Wednesday, only bread and butter was supplied by the college for breakfast. On enquiry he discovered that this rule originally applied to the “Dons” as well, but had been modified to suit their convenience. The undergraduates alone worked out the salvation of the college by an enforced fast. He remonstrated strongly, but of course all to no purpose, and I am informed that this absurd rule continues still in force. It seems hardly C 18 STUDIES IN MODERN OXFORD. . credible that such a tyrannous and altogether ridiculous regulation should still exist, but such is the fact. Again, living in a college is very like living in a jail, as far as regularity is concerned; breakfast and lunch are only supplied at certain fixed hours. At some colleges hot breakfasts are not served after nine; so that if you chance to come in a few minutes late you will have to betake your- self to a restaurant, or put up with half-cold things. On Sunday no hot breakfast is permitted, and hot lunch is never allowed, unless for strangers who have come to see you, and not always even then. I knew a gentleman at a well-known college, whose father came to see him. He applied for leave for hot lunch. “Who is it for, Mr. T.?" " For my father, sir.” “Oh! I am afraid I can't give you leave; he can do very well with cold lunch." I am happy to say that the discourteous individual who made that reply became so deservedly unpopular that he had to eventually leave Oxford. The college Common Room, for the supply of groceries, etc., is also open during certain hours only, which is a very great inconvenience. In fact, the number of idle and trifling regulations, which exist for no other apparent pur- pose than to harass the unhappy undergrad., is extraordi- nary. Here let me ,say a word about the Common Room charges. The great outcry of the college authorities is against extravagance, yet they do not think it advisable to adopt the best means of preventing it-lowering their own charges. Dealing with the Common Room is evidently considered a privilege, but it certainly is a very dear one. The articles supplied are either of the same or of an inferior quality to those to be obtained in the shops, and cost about thirty or forty per cent more. In fact the college grants the common REGULATIONS. 19 room man a kind of monopoly, and so he can charge ex- orbitantly without any danger of being “hauled up." Το take tea and sugar, two very important articles of daily consumption : in one common room I know of, they are charged 4s. 6d. and 5d. per pound respectively. Articles of the same quality could be obtained at any grocer's for 35. and 372d. Cups, ices, fruit, biscuits, in short everything is charged at a ridiculously high figure. I need not go further into details on the subject. To speak plainly, the common room scheme is just a gigantic system of extortion, and it is a disgrace to the University that it should be tolerated. There is not a Head of a college in Oxford who would not grumble exceedingly if his grocer charged him a penny a pound extra for tea, and yet it is quite allowable that the undergrad., to whom that Head is supposed to act in loco parentis, should be feeced in the way I have described. The fact of the matter is that the principal of a college too often only serves as a figure head, leaving the necessary work to be done or not done, he cares not which, by his second in command, if I may use the term. He of course generally only wishes to have as little trouble as possible, and to draw his salary regularly ; and so, to find a college in which these matters are properly looked after is very rare indeed. The way in which our authorities enforce petty regulations and allow really important faults to go unnoticed is simply contemptible; a man will be gated for a week for missing one or two lectures, but let him get drunk and tear half the college down and he will probably only be fined a guinea, if he does not escape altogether. Here is a case which occurred not long ago. An undergrad. was going in to dinner, and just slipping his arm into his gown as he was passing through the door. Just at that . C 2 20 STUDIES IN MODERN OXFORD. moment one of the Dons was coming in to dinner; he stopped and said, "Really Mr. —you must have your gown on properly when you enter Hall. I must fine you ten shillings.” In this case, however, I am happy to say the man had spirit enough to appeal to the college, and after much discussion the fine was remitted. This gentleman, who pushed his authority so far, became so obnoxious to every one that a petition was presented to the authorities, signed by an overwhelming majority of the undergraduates, begging that he might be removed from his position; and now, happily, Oxford knows him him no more. So venomous was this fellow that even after he had left he wrote to the father of one of his pupils giving him a long account of his peccadilloes. The father, however, took no notice, saying Mr. might have told him at the time instead of waiting till he was leaving Soon after his departure a wag posted up a notice on his house : "Let his habitation be desolate, and his bishopric let another take.” The regulations which prevent smoking in the streets, and insist upon academical costume being worn after a certain hour, are other instances of the absurdity of our system ; and indeed this seems to have been admitted by the authorities themselves, for I remember a scheme being set on foot to cease proctorizing men for not wearing their cap and gown, which of course fell to the ground. It is riotorious that the Statute Book still contains regulations forbidding the use of " that noxious weed," tobacco, and prohibiting junior mem- bers of the University from indulging in the exhilarating amusement of playing marbles on the Schools steps. I have never yet heard of the most childish of undergraduates taking part in the highly intellectual amusement of playing marbles on the Schools steps or anywhere else, nor have I REGULATIONS. 21 66 ever heard of a man being fined for buying tobacco; but who knows what may come about in Oxford ? Let me say one word in praise of the college authorities-- they generally refuse to allow “duns” to bring their bills to men's rooms; and this is indeed a blessing to many. At a well-known college, shortly after this regulation came in force, a very pertinacious "dun" insisted upon going up to a man's rooms to present his bill. The porter finally told him that he must see the Head. He was shown up, and said warmly, “In G—'s name, sir, I demand my rights." That, sir," was the reply, "is an authority not admitted at B." Many of our regulations could only be justified if Oxford were a preparatory school ; under the present state of affairs they are often as frivolous and intolerable as they are puerile and useless. Where there ought to be severe measures taken nothing is done, but where some trifling rule has been infringed the penalty is swift and sure. I have not in this little book dealt with the vexed question of the Proctorial system : that would alone require a volume; but I cannot close this chapter without noticing one or two of the absurdities which it brings about. It is notorious that as soon as the funds of the University run low, the proctors sally forth to raise money by fining the unhappy undergrads. Any member of the University found in a hotel, public house, or billiard room after nine at night is liable to a fine of one guinea, and this regulation is severely enforced always. I knew one undergrad, who had been out for the day and didn't manage to get back in time for dinner at the Hall of which he was a member, so he went and dined at the Mitre; unhappily for him the proctors chanced to come in, and in spite of his protestations and explanations, 22 STUDIES IN VODERN OXFORD. mulcted him in the sum of ten shillings and sixpence. And this to check extravagance! There are many instances in which the proctors have been unjustifiably severe. One of them, well known as an overbearing divinity examiner, was in the habit during his term of office of waiting about in dark cor- ners and alleys, from which he used to pounce upon the unwary undergraduate--conduct, I should think, utterly ,- unworthy of a gentleman. This individual, it is reported, one day rose from the Examination table, and, going over to a lady friend at the end of the room, whispered (indicating an unhappy looking wretch who sat awaiting his fate), "Do you see that man there?” “Yes !" "Well, I'm going to plough him.” Which he did. The spider, when he has got a fly in his web, feels no greater delight than this justly execrated creature when he has got a man to plough. • That some kind of discipline ought to be exercised over undergraduates I think few will deny; but nevertheless the Proctorial system as at present administered seems as inefficient as it is ludicrous. 6 . CHAPTER IV. Andergraduate Society. SONE persons, to whom the following remarks may seem over severe, will say that, no matter what is to be said against the present race of undergraduates, at all events they are a great improvement upon the undergraduate of the “good old times," whose academical career, if we can believe the books, was a continual round of drinking, lamp- breaking, knocker-wrenching, gambling, and hunting; varied, of course, with an occasional “town” and “gown” row, just to keep his hand in. Naturally, a man was considered spirited only in proportion to the amount of drink he con- sumed, and the number of times he set the constituted authorities at defiance. While admitting this to a very great extent--for I am not in the least inclined to be a laudator temporis acti-I must say that I could wish the improvement had gone a little further. Rowdy though many undergrads undoubtedly are, they cannot come up to the men of fifty years back in that respect. But where is the enthusiasm for the right-where is the chivalry towards woman,--where are the genial, kindly manners, of that period? It is true we have improved, but I fear it is equally 24 STUDIES IN NÍODERN OXFORD. true that we have improved but little, taking all things into consideration. We have less open vice, but more secret evil ; less public intolerance, but more bitter, uncharitable feelings in private ; fewer open abuses, but more hidden jobbery and trickery. In the remarks which follow, I have not pursued any particular system, but have just touched upon the peculiarities of the modern undergraduate as they occurred to me, and I think in this way I shall be able to give a better idea of what he is. The first thing that strikes you on becoming a member of a college is the fact that a large proportion of your fellow- students seem still to wish to retain their boyish, nay, their childish habits, while all the time they jealously resent any other name than “man” being applied to them; and the most peculiar thing about the matter is that the “ seniors" take part in these revels with even more zest than their younger associates. When you see a man of twenty-five or more "giving a back” in the middle of the college quad., or indulging in the intellectual pastime of seizing people's caps and throwing them up in the air, you not unnaturally won- der whether you have really reached the most cultured University in the world, or whether you have by mistake wandered into a badly-managed public school. Anything to make a noise, anything to raise a clamour, is the motto of most of this class; and so they will fling their cushions out of the window, or smash the college plates, or break in men's doors, merely for amusement, and will regard themselves as very ill-used individuals indeed if they happen to get "gated" in consequence. Another, and even less pleasing, characteristic of the Oxford undergrad. is his consummate impudence. He seems to have an idea that the mere fact of being an Oxford UNDERGRADUATE SOCIETY. 25 . man confers inmediate glory upon him; and the way he talks when he goes home, about what we do at Oxford, is enough to make some defunct Draconian schoolmaster leap from his grave to inflict well-merited castigation upon him. Consideration for other people's feeling is almost unknown to him; and so you will find him “strolling in casually” (as he would express it) to breakfast or lunch, half-an-hour or so late, without any heed to the inconvenience he has put his host to, and with the scantiest of apologies. The fol- lowing instances, the first of which afterwards appeared in The Globe, were related to me by the persons to whom they occurred. Not long ago, in a well-known boating college, there was a breakfast party of four. After two of the guests had arrived, and the time fixed for breakfast had been exceeded by nearly half-an-hour, the host thought it time to send for the fourth; he did so, and the reply was that he was fast asleep. Shortly afterwards the servant was sent to hurry him, and returned with the following message: “Mr. Tompkins' compliments, sir, and I was to say that he felt rather tired, and would feel obliged if you would send him his breakfast in bed.” Can impudence go further than this? A freshman once told me, that not long after he had come up, he was sitting writing one evening, when he heard a knock at his door. He said “Come in !" and a man with whom he had no acquaintance whatever, coolly walked in with his gown round his neck. "Oh, Smith,” he said, “I heard your rooms were rather nice, so I thought I would just come in and take a look at them.” He then walked round the room, examining everything with a critical eye, and, when he had fully satisfied himself, departed with a careless nod, and never returned. 26 STUDIES IN MODERN OXFORD. To be casual is one of the glories of the under- graduate; and, indeed, this seems to be the case with the "Don" also, though to a less extent. Here is an instance which occurred two or three years back. An undergrad., having occasion to consult one of his col- lege authorities, called and put his case before him. When he had finished, the “Don" said, “By the way, Mr. Robinson, who is your tutor ?" The undergrad. twisted the ends of his moustache a little, and after a short hesitation quietly replied, "I don't know, sir.” “What, Mr. Robinson ! you don't mean to tell me you have been up two years now and don't know who your tutor is? I consider this most disgraceful." Finally, on consulting the college book, the "Don" found that he himself was the undergraduate's tutor ! It would be impossible for me, in the space at my dis- posal, to describe all the various classes of undergraduates; all I can do is to touch upon a few of their characteristics, asking the reader to carefully bear in mind that I do not seek to include all in my remarks. I have known many brilliant exceptions; but, generally speaking, I feel bound to say that the tone of undergraduate society is rather low. Athletics, proctors, the newest thing in corduroy waistcoats, and the relative merits of meerschaum pipes, varied occasionally with an intensely scientific and interesting discussion upon the points of a fox-terrier, form the chief topics of conversation. Amongst the “mashers, of course, we hear of nothing but the Gaiety burlesques, and the number of times certain actresses, more notorious for the exceeding scantiness of their attire than for any special dramatic ability, are encored. These are the gentlemen who are the life and soul of the College Wine Clubs; and UNDERGRADUATE SOCIETY. 27 : think that by marching in to dinner in all the glory of evening dress, modified by a white waistcoat, and strength- ened by what one might call a miniature garden in their buttonholes, they discharge the whole duty of man. If the highest aims in life be—to become intoxicated periodically, to spend the night in gambling and the day in idleness, then indeed they can claim to have attained them. This is by far the worst class; there is something so very con- temptible and little in all their vanity. Having neither good qualities to be proud of, nor intellectual tastes to occupy their minds, they must endeavour to excel in the set of their ties and the spotless whiteness of their shirt fronts. Well may it be said of them : 1 “What profits it to understand The merits of a spotless shirt, A little foot, a little hand, If half the little soul be dirt ?! But, you will say, some of them may be of use to their college; they may row in the boat, or engage in some athletic pastime. Unhappily, the adulation which every- body showers upon them in that case will go near ruining them. They will be still more inclined to despise those who follow other pursuits, and will firmly believe that to row stroke in the Oxford Eight is about the highest glory the world can give. This I say without any intention to underrate the value of athletics when properly used, but merely to show that there is a tendency in Oxford to over- rate them, and to show little honour to intellectual gifts. This class will not have much taste for literature of any kind, except perhaps the sporting papers and spicy novels; and so too often they sink into merely sensual pleasures, 28 STUDIES IN MODERN OXFORD. I simply because they are quite incapable of appreciating anything higher. "Unknown to them, when sensual pleasures cloy To fill the languid pause with finer joy; Unknown those powers which raise the soul to flame, Catch every nerve and vibrate through the frame." Just as the “Dons” look down upon the undergraduates, so do the senior men look down upon the freshmen, though they have not the same excuse. In some colleges it is not even usual to call upon them. Naturally men who keep good wines and fine cigars are soon scented out, and rapidly acquire many disinterested friends, who will often come in just at lunch time. Friends who are willing to do more for him than taste his wine and smoke his cigars, he will find it difficult to come across, at Oxford as well as elsewhere. The way in which some of the senior men treat the fresh- men is really beyond endurance. I have heard of a face- tious undergrad. persuading a “fresher” to let him propose him for the college wine club, and then go and blackball him. Another entered a freshman's room and stayed till nearly three in the morning, by which time he had finished a bottle of sherry, and had become very garrulous in conse- quence. Finally he left, vowing eternal friendship in a somewhat thick voice. The very next day he met the freshman in the street and “cut” him dead. Doubtless many bumptious young fellows, coming fresh from school, are often benefited at Oxford by having a good deal of nonsense knocked out of them ; but then a great number have a vast amount of nonsense knocked into them. One good-humoured rough-looking customer came up to Oxford not long ago, to get a little polish," as he expressed V UNDERGRADUATE SOCIETY, 29 a it. He possessed a large landed property, and I suppose thought that to be an “Oxford man" would add greatly to his numerous attractions. He had about as much, or as little, brains, as are generally expected from a justice of the peace, which is placing his mental capacities not over high ; and, therefore, as may be easily imagined, he was utterly unable to take a degree. Some wag persuaded him that it would be only kind, considering his position, to call on the Heads of all the colleges. I am reliably informed that he actually did so; and no doubt they expressed themselves highly delighted with this delicate attention, and received him very cordially. The particulars of the interviews, however, never transpired. This same interesting rustic would frequently, to his most favoured friends, go over a list of the young ladies of his acquaintance, interpolating a few such humble remarks as—"I don't think I'll marry Miss Jones, she's rather ugly at the figure;" or, “Miss • Robinson isn't quite my sort;" or, “Miss Brown is a trifle “ old.” The idea that any woman living could have the assurance to refuse him never entered his poor silly head. He has now left Oxford, but seemed to have got very little polish after all. But possibly that was not altogether the fault of Alma Mater. It seems a generally accepted doctrine that a University education does everything for a man; in fact, is a kind of panacea for all the ills of rude untutored youth, and the surest stepping-stone to success in after life. All this may be true; but I should think it depended very much upon the man himself. Unfortunately, little care is taken by parents in sending their sons to a University. They have a belief that it is "the thing” to do, and do not pay enough atten- tion to the temperament of the individual. Doubtless for 30 STUDIES IN MODERN OXFORD. many natures such an education can do much; but on the other hand, there are many men to whom it almost always means moral and social ruin. * * * * With regard to the politics of the undergraduates, they are as a rule Conservatives. Most young men are; but at Oxford, Conservatism is joined to its not unusual concomitant- intolerance. Not only are the men unwilling to listen to new schemes, but they even go so far as to try and prevent other people from listening also. Any one who was present at Mr. Henry George's lecture, or subsequently at the meeting of the Socialist League, when Mr. William Morris (himself an honorary fellow of Exeter) came down to speak, can testify to this. Indeed I read a very severe letter in the Daily News protesting at the conduct of the under- graduates, who prevented a large portion of the audience who were willing to listen from catching anything that Mr. George said; and there also appeared a letter in the Oxford Chronicle complaining of the rudeness to which Mr. Morris was subjected. From the disgraceful conduct exhibited, it seemed to be taken as a personal insult that such schemes should ever be mentioned in Oxford. It is more than pain- ful to reflect that at Oxford, which holds so high a reputa- tion for culture, prejudice should run so high that able and devoted men who have come down to discuss questions of the highest social importance-questions to the considera- tion of which they have given up their lives-should be unable to get a hearing, and only meet with silly jests and childish clamour, when they might reasonably expect courtesy and attention. However, uproar and clamour, though for the moment they may stifle, can never completely crush truth; and we can only hope that experience will UNDERGRADUATE SOCIETY. 31 teach these young Goths more tolerance—more common- sense. With regard to the shameful behaviour of the Oxford undergrads on the occasion of Victor Hugo's death being mentioned at the Union, when they seem to have lost all sense of decency, and disgraced both themselves and their University, I shall here say no more. I have reprinted in the Appendix the letters which appeared in the Oxford and Cambridge papers on the subject, as well as the paragraph in which the editor of the Cambridge Independent Press commented upon the matter. The letters, one of which I notice is signed, were never answered, and I believe that the statement of the facts is quite accurate. Let me in concluding this chapter just refer to one class which unhappily we meet in Oxford more frequently than elsewhere. I mean indolent selfish youths, whose mothers have struggled hard to give them a good education and push them forward in the world, youths who, instead of being grateful for the sacrifice, made in their behalf, give themselves up to idleness and dissipation, and leave Oxford burdened with debts which hamper them for the rest of their lives. This generally arises from the wish to be thought "a man of spirit.” Because The Hon. Bertram Bertram keeps choice weeds at £3 35. the hundred and drinks vintages at £5 55. the dozen, his fellow undergraduate, John Jones, who has an allowance of £150 a year, must do the same. Because the before-mentioned scion of the aristocracy bets in "fivers," and gives dinners at a cost of £2 25. a head, poor deluded Jones must run into debt to do the same. His mother wears faded gowns and keeps one servant; his sisters seldom go out because they are so shabby, and in private devote themselves to needlework to make a little 32 STUDIES IN MODERN OXFORD, . addition to their slender income; every item of household expenditure is cut down so as to save enough to keep dear Johnny at Oxford : and yet he can take all, and in return waste his time and give himself over to dissipation. Watch him as he walks down the High the day before the Derby with flushed face and sparkling eyes. He is going to his bookmaker to put that crisp five-pound note on “Jingo," , which every one says is a sure thing. That money was the entire savings of his sister for over a year; and poor inno- cent little heart!—when he went away she pressed it upon him. Of course the scapegrace promised to repay it, insisting that he would only take it as a loan; and, to do him justice, perhaps he did intend to do so; but his fatal passion for gambling made him restless till he had “put it on." Let us hope, next day, when Jingo turned out to be nowhere, that he had some qualms of conscience and felt what a despic- able creature he was; but most probably he felt nothing of the sort, only cursed his luck, and reflected that after all May did not want the money much. And she, I dare wager, if he had confessed it to her, would have readily forgiven him, and been just as ready to give him her next little nest- egg. I wonder is there any man living who can fully appreciate the value of the affection of a true loving woman! where they give, they give all; and even when at last they have learnt with bitter humiliation that their idol was only clay after all, do they desert him then? No! they only cling to him and love him the more. Ah! poor kindly loving Mrs. Jones, as you are sitting down with your daughter to that scraggy mutton, could you but see your son now! He is just finishing what his landlady calls a recherchey luncheon, which she has kindly consented to supply him at ten shillings a head, exclusive of wines. Opposite him sits . UNDERGRADUATE SOCIETY, 33 the Hon. Bertram Bertram, who is just helping the pine; and the other guests are Smith, the son of a rich stock- broker, and young Robinson, the banker's nephew. They are all in high spirits, and after a while will probably com- mence cards of some kind. Poor Jones, whose head is not over-strong, and who plays a very poor game even when he is sober, will probably drop three or four pounds at least,--a large sum to him, but a mere trifle to his comrades. But, of course, he has been showing himself to be a spirited young fellow, and what matter a few pounds? If to give himself up to idleness, while his mother and sister slave at home-to live in luxury while they genteelly starve--to be a fine gentleman while they are in poverty-- is to show himself spirited, God save us from such spirit ! Then, by and by, the term ends, and he finds that already over half of his slender allowance is gone-lost at cards chiefly--and the college bills will come to more than the other half. Of course he has been "plucked” in his exam- ination: no man of spirit could think of reading hard; and besides, tradesmen's bills begin to rain in upon him. These he manages to put off for a time, and pacifies the tradesmen by ordering a host of other things he doesn't want. It does not require much imagination to guess the end. At twenty- two he finds himself cast adrift from the University without a degree, and with a mountain of debts which his mother perhaps contrives to pay out of the little money she meant to leave him. Thus, though young, he has no bright anticipa- tions of the future, and only bitter memories of the past : he is already a broken and a ruined man, and will probably end his miserable life as master in a tenth-rate school, or as clerk on a wretched pittance; unless indeed he manages to get into the Church by means of one of those ecclesiastical . . D 34 STUDIES IN MODERN OXFORD, back-doors, known as theological colleges, and then he may aspire to £150 a year as a curate. He will have a pang of envy when he sees Robinson, his old classmate, who was up at Oxford with him, and is now his rector, pass by in his carriage. Often had he made his threadbare coats the subjects for his ridicule, and scorned his simple way of life. But Robinson, by industry and economy, succeeded well in his career, and is now a fellow of his college, and has a good fat college living. But then he never was a “man of spirit!” To sum up, what we chiefly want amongst undergraduates is a spirit of tolerance, a desire to hear both sides, a belief in the conscientiousness of those who differ with them, and a hearty desire to give a free expression of opinion to all, Bigotry and prejudice are at the root of almost every evil found at Oxford, and we can hardly hope to carry out any reforms of practical value, until all classes become a great deal less narrow-minded. Certainly, we seem to be making very slow progress in this respect, and we have to hope against hope, when we see the utter want of charity generally displayed. But we must remember the words of a gifted and noble-hearted woman, now, alas, gone from our midst, * that the first test of tolerance is to be able to tolerate intolerance," and not quite despair of our University because its young blood lacks the generous impulses of youth without having attained to the sober thought of mature age. In an Oxford which has cast out Shelley, we cannot be surprised to hear Hugo reviled; and in an Oxford which could not appreciate Hugo when living and did not respect him when dead, we can hope for little culture. It has been said of Oxford, by one of the ablest of her sons, that not only does she not build the tombs of her great men, but that she does * George Eliot. (6 UNDERGRADUATE SOCIETY, 35 1 а. not even know their names, How long shall this be? How long shall Oxford be the home of insolent intolerance, instead of the abode of true culture and freedom? The answer must depend upon the spirit of her youth, and the new generation, let us hope, will atone for the short- comings of the old. I think it would be well if parents, when they sent their sons to Oxford, contrived to procure them an in- troduction to one or two families resident there. The influence of the society of ladies is just what is wanted to counteract the evil effects of the constant intercourse with boys fresh from school, and therefore, as a rule, without either culture or refinement. It is good even to be on ceremonious terms with a family, and go occasionally to one of those gatherings of "borers and bored,” which are called “At Homes," and are the general form of entertainment in Oxford. Good, not because it is particularly pleasant, but because it tends to bring men where they may occasionally hear of something higher than boating and burlesque, and where they may escape for a while from those Bacchanalian revels which alone seems to be recognised as hospitality by the modern undergraduate. I dare say very often they might even be better off drinking three-and-sixpenny champagne and bawling music-hall choruses, than listening to the tittle-tattle, petty gossip, and silly slander of some tea tables, where each one vies with the other in saying illnatured things of his neighbour, and picking to pieces the reputation of the friend he has but lately flattered; but still, fortunately, 1 it is not ever thus, and a man may pick up a good deal worth listening to in Oxford drawing-rooms, if he chances to know the right people. But a man is indeed lucky who, during his University career, is on intimate terms with a pleasant family, . D2 36 STUDIES IN MODERN OXFORD, who will always make him welcome, sympathize with him in- his little worries, and advise him in his difficulties. Such friends are hard to find, and perhaps harder at Oxford than elsewhere; but the influence upon a man of constant inter- course with cultured people, and association in that English domestic life which is so dear to all of us, cannot be over- rated. Of course it quite depends upon the people as to the advantages to be gained from their intimacy. Some worthy persons seem to think that giving a young man a little weak tea once a fortnight, and a little weaker music and singing three times a tern, is shedding a home influence around him which cannot fail to keep him straight. These are not the sort of friends likely to be of service, but those who will take a real interest in you and give you a word in season, which may often keep you clear of the quicksands of University life. The temptations to which youth is exposed are far greater at Universities than anywhere else, and the need of good friends is consequently proportionately great. I freely admit all the evils of Oxford society-mits littleness, its love of scandal, its empty pretensions (faults, by the way, not confined to Oxford), but still I say that it is good for a young man to mix in it. To some this To some this may seem inconsistent; but my reason is that it is by no means en- tirely bad, indeed little worse than elsewhere ; and unless he does mix in it, the undergraduate never gets the refining influence which pure cultivated women alone can give. Even though he be so lucky as to move in an intellectual set of men, there will still be wanting to bring out his qualities that more subtile and more delicate sense which a cultured woman alone possesses,—that keenness of percep- tion, that tenderness of imagination, that fulness of sympathy, which we can only love and admire, without pretending to understand, . CHAPTER V. Debating Societies. WHATEVER people out of Oxford may be deluded into thinking, and whatever we may delude ourselves into believing, the fact remains that the standard of debating societies has become very low in Oxford, and, what is more, seems to be getting worse every term. Even in the last six years there has been a marked deterioration in the quality, though not, alas ! in the quantity of the speeches. This seems to be the opinion of many members of the University of long standing. Again, the kind of men who occupy the highest offices in connection with these societies very rarely seem to take any real interest in the subjects discussed : they only care for office just for the honour and glory of the thing, and once elected trouble themselves little further. Perhaps it is somewhat unjust to blame them overmuch for this; as to do as little work as possible, and get as much glory for it as possible, seems to be a principle adopted by men of all classes. However, I mention the fact because at that well-known debating society in the Corn-market there is more eagerness to get office anyhow, and less eagerness to perform any of its duties or even to learn what they are, than can easily be matched by any similar organisa- 38 STUDIES IN MODERN OXFORD. tion. Before men are elected you find them talking per- petually about "raising the tone of the Society," etc., etc., but once elected they cease entirely to worry about im- proving things, and only endeavour to make matters as comfortable as possible for themselves, and to push forward that inner circle of friends to whose efforts they owe their success. Sometimes they forget these friends altogether-- but this is only when they have absolutely no further use for them. It is a notorious fact that the government of most debating societies in Oxford, and notably of the great one in the Corn-market, is entirely in the hands of a clique, who cause the offices to rotate amongst themselves. Just as we find in Oxford men whom the outside world is not likely to appreciate forming themselves into a kind of Mutual Ad- miration Society, so do the cliques who rule with tyrannical sway over our debating societies lose no opportunity of forcing their candidates into notice. There has been privately much discussion about the length to which this system has been carried, and the evil results which have necessarily resulted, but no one has had the courage to come boldly to the most important of all the debating societies, and openly bring the matter before the society; and most probably if he did, he would only be received with the hisses and groans of the assembly, so utterly opposed to any reform is the modern undergraduate. The motions are confined to a small circle of men among whom the offices briskly circulate; and it is always easy to tell what candidate the clique means to nominate, by noticing to whom the standing committee allot the last two or three motions in term. As a rule the gentlemen who are favoured by the oligarchy are allowed to propose motions merely to bring them into the notice of members, no matter how. utterly incapable they may be. . DEBATING SOCIETIES. 39 0 These are facts, and moreover well-known facts; and I defy any person to disprove them. Moreover I say that they clearly show the whole management of the society to which I refer to be disgraceful in every sense. The result is that the opposition candidates, if there be found any bold enough to attack the powers that be, not having had the advantage of being so recently before the society, are rejected, and gradually the strength of the clique increases. Thus the committee, who have the right of selecting the motions to be moved, have practically the power of always getting their own candidates elected, and this system naturally results in the worst men being very often chosen. Such abuses as this ought certainly to be made public, and I only regret that my limits do not permit me to go into the whole matter in detail. In this case, however, I am bound to say, it is not so much the system which is at fault, as the way in which it is administered. Probably what I have said may cause some indignation, but nevertheless I know that a large number of members will bear me out. Another tendency in our debating societies is to be frivolous. No matter how important the subject of dis- cussion may be, there are always plenty of stupid dolts ready to create a disturbance and turn the whole matter into ridicule. The idea these persons have of a joke is somewhat remarkable. I remember at a college debating club an amiable though somewhat silly individual who used to get up regularly at every debate and evoke roars of laughter by a preliminary address something like this :-"Sir, I know nothing whatever about this matter, but I trust that for this reason the House will not refuse to listen to me, as I am very much in the same position as the hon. member who moved the motion." 40 STUDIES IN MODERN OXFORD. Another used to come in regularly, and in a solemn voice: ask the treasurer whether the water was filtered, and shortly afterwards leave. I have known the rage for putting ludicrous questions and endeavouring to "score off” the officers, get to such a pitch in one college, that the men elected a par- ticularly silly individual so that they might sport with him as the Philistines did with Samson. At this same society, and also at others, the insults I have heard the officers receive, the imbecile questions that were asked amid applause, and the general uproar which prevailed, were more worthy of Colney Hatch than an assembly of sane people. The monkey house at the Zoo is generally a trifle compared to a body of undergraduates who have come together for the sole purpose of creating a disturbance. It is needless to say that in such societies the quality of the speeches is rarely excellent. How can a man of any delicacy of feeling speak with any earnestness when surrounded by a lot of grinning and shouting fools, who are trying to put him down with their silly clamour? I have even heard oaths muttered in very audible tones during debate; and on one occasion, at the mention of Elizabeth Barrett Browning, whom Poe.called “the noblest of her sex," and whose name is revered wherever the English language is known, I heard a particularly degraded and ignorant youth say: “D_Mrs. Browning!” This is a specimen of the spirit in which many discussions at college societies are carried on. Of course it may well be replied, “We are no worse than the House of Commons after all.” But even if that be true, which is at least doubtful, it is neither a reason nor an excuse for such disgraceful conduct. In the debating societies the same faults are to be found as in so many Oxford affairs,-firmly rooted prejudice and blatant intoler“ DELATİNG SOCIETIES. 41 ance. The popular side alone can get any hearing, the other side find it hard even to get a chance of expressing their opinions. I have actually known at a certain college more famed for general rowdyism than for any special intellectual activity, a motion to be sent to the executive, "That in the opinion of this House the Right Hon. W. E. Gladstone ought to be hanged.” This was actually accepted by the committee, who, however, persuaded the mover to alter "hanged” to “impeached.” The motion was moved in the amended form and carried by a large majority. I commend this tale to the Venerable Archdeacon whose rabid and remarkably imbecile utterances about Gladstone have recently caused so much amusement. It is almost equal to the reverend gentleman's characteristic and Christian remark, that “a man might as well vote for the Devil as for Gladstone." Of the slovenly management of many college debating societies, and the gross ignorance of the rules which is so common amongst their officers, I need not here speak at length. Certainly, it is a great pity that there is not some better principle of management adopted, as there is no doubt that in this way Oxford might be made a valuable school for the orator—that it is so at present is a popular delusion. Before we can have any real improvement, the tone of undergraduate society will have to be greatly raised, and men will have to set their faces against that spirit of idle clamour which seems to have spread so much in Oxford, and use combined effort to put it down once and for ever. CHAPTER VI. Oxford Imateurs. THANKS to the liberal-minded conduct of our present justly respected Vice-Chancellor, a great stimulus has been given to theatrical entertainments in Oxford, not only professional but amateur. Excellent London companies now come down to the Town Hall frequently during term, and always attract a large audience. A theatre has also been built and will shortly be opened. This has long been wanted, and it is disgraceful that the small minority of University authorities should have been able for so long to prevent the great majority of townspeople from providing them- selves with a place of amusement. All this is very satisfac- tory; and I feel sure that the institution of a theatre will be a great advantage to Oxford, and will probably tend to put down entertainments of the music-hall stamp, which un- happily have hitherto been very popular. At one time it was thought shocking to allow a good comedy or opera company to appear at the Town Hall during term ; but no objection was made to music-hall performances, no matter of how low a type, taking place as often as their promoters thought fit. Fortunately, we have changed all this; but OXFORD AMATEURS. 43 this encouragement of the drama has produced almost as great an evil, by the impetus which it has given to Oxford amateurs. I will here candidly confess that I have but little sympathy with amateurs, especially those who go in for acting; though I quite recognise the fact that the stage is often recruited from their ranks, and that some of our best actors have made a beginning in private theatricals. It is certainly true that many actors have received valuable training in this way; but while they were receiving that training, their performances were no more interesting than is the attempt of a child, who has just mastered the rudi- ments of reading, to spell out the Times leader. Another reason why amateur theatricals are generally uninteresting to be found in the fact that amateurs invariably select both plays and parts quite beyond them; forgetting that experience is a great deal in acting, and that it re- quires years of hard unceasing study, before a man acquire sufficient knowledge of stage-craft and experience in human nature to play such parts as Othello or Shylock. Professionals generally recognise this fact; and, accordingly, it is never until an actor has made a name for himself, and has devoted a very large portion of his time to thoroughly mastering the whole play, that we find him attempting such a part as Hamlet. But the amateur, and especially the Oxford amateur, is eager to play the whole round of leading parts, before he has even acquired the mechanical part of the actor's art, and the result is always miserable failure. When we see, as we have seen, boys, who could only with great difficulty attain to the not over high intellectual standard required for “Smalls," masquerading as Shak- spere's heroes, and evidently cherishing the delusion that reasonable men would hail them as interpreters of the poet, can 44 STUDIES IN MODERN OXFORD, we can only wonder still more at the consummate audacity and absurd conceit of the Oxford undergraduate. Parts which a Salvini or an Irving would not venture to play without long years spent in the profession, and many weary hours of patient analysis and keen thought, these silly strip- lings imagine they can get up in a few weeks. Perhaps they might, if the actor had nothing else to do but speak his lines; but if his vocation is to be in the highest sense the interpreter of the poet, bringing out his subtile, delicate shades of meaning, and making the ideal a living, moving reality, then such attempts can only appear despicable. We have a society for the protection of animals, and numerous others of the same kind; but as yet, unhappily, there is no society for the prevention of the desecration of the master- pieces of our literature by insolent incompetency. Even in these days, when stage management has reached a pitch of perſection never before attained, we very rarely get a good all-round representation of any one of Shakspere's plays; and yet we find the public not only tolerating, but actually applauding to the echo, the puerile attempts made by amateurs. It would be easy enough to understand people who have dramatic taste wishing to appear in light comedy or farce, though even then the actors would be far more amused than the audience; but why will they insist upon interfering with plays utterly unsuited to them, and quite incapable of receiving an adequate representation, unless at the hands of trained actors ? We all know that the Vice-Chancellor will not allow the University Dramatic Society to perform anything but Shak- spere's plays. While regretting this, I can only say that it is better not to play Shakspere at all than to play him badly. To criticise seriously either the Philothespian performance OXFORD AMATEURS. 45 of the Merchant of Venice, or that of Henry IV., given by the University Dramatic Club would be tedious and useless. No disinterested person, with any knowledge of acting, could call them anything but slovenly and inartistic produc- tions. It may be replied with truth that the Press spoke . very highly of both. So it did, especially the Oxford press; but then sober criticism is never applied to the amateur; and as for the Oxford undergraduate papers, their critics are generally so ignorant that their opinions are worth very little. I remember reading in one of the undergraduate papers a criticism upon a performance of Sweethearts given by Oxford people. The critic, having filled nearly half a column with twaddle about the acting, proceeded to speak about the play. “We are not aware," he says with fine contempt, "who the author of this production is, but we think—" and then followed some remarks attacking the piece. Now, Mr. Gilbert's little play has been for many years before the public, and it is disgraceful to find a man calling himself a critic, and being so grossly ignorant. He might, at least, have taken the trouble to find out the author's name, before exposing himself in the way he did. The public, however, have only themselves to blame for the craze which has reached such alarming proportions; for they encourage with their presence and their money every body of conceited young fellows, who-under the cloak of that charity which, indeed, covers a multitude of sins--take the opportunity of showing themselves off, in the most extravagant costumes, to delighted female relatives and friends. Did the public see the accounts after the perform- ances, they would too often find that instead of the funds of the charity being benefited, the expenses, owing to bad management, frequently swallowed up the whole of the 46 STUDIES IN MOEDRN OXFORD. a receipts. I have known a performance given for a well- known charity in Oxford, and the house to be crammed, while the charity only gained the large sum of three shillings and sixpence! Far better would it be if each person who takes a ticket for an amateur performance on behalf of a charity were to send the money direct to the charity, for in that case there would be no percentage for expenses to be deducted. But people won't do that, for the simple reason that they are too anxious to get all they can for their money. They want to amuse themselves, and gain the credit of doing a charitable action at the same time, and so they wilfully encourage conceit and ignorance to desecrate the works of our noblest dramatists in order to gain notoriety for their miserable selves. The utter ignorance of the most ordinary facts concerning stage management, displayed by people who undertake to get up amateur theatrical performances, is positively appalling. I could give many instances, but will content myself with one or two. I remember a play being in active rehearsal and advertised extensively (of course on behalf of a charity) for some weeks, without anyone dreaming that it was neces- sary to ask the author's consent to produce it. Finally a letter arrived from the Dramatic Authors' Society claiming three guineas for each performance, a charge which seriously lessened the surplus the charity received. Some time before the Philothespian broke up-considerably in debt, by the way—they rehearsed a play frequently in London, and spent a great deal of money in advertising, before they discovered that the hall they had engaged was not licensed for dramatic representations. I make no comment upon the above instances: they speak for themselves, and are good samples of the way in which amateur stage management is carried OXFORD AMATEURS, 47 on. Considering the fulsome and often grotesquely false praise which they receive, we can hardly wonder that in Oxford amateurs flourish like the green bay tree: in fact, the only question is what is coming next. We have had the Merchant of Venice, and Henry the Fourth, and now I suppose we shall soon have some youthful aspirant to stage honours appearing as Hamlet. Nothing is beyond the audacity of the Oxford undergraduate. Lastly, we see the unhappy results of the great encouragement which the public have given to amateurs in the numbers of miserable failures at Gaiety matinées, and every day we find more people going on the stage who are utterly unfitted for it. Every hard- worked governess, every poor clergyman's daughter sickened with the dull monotonous regularity of blanket and tract distribution, every sharp little milliner, every prepossessing barmaid, every poorly-paid clerk, and every oily shopman, sees in the stage a brilliant future. It looks such delightfully pleasant and easy work from in front; but the nights and days of wearisome toil, the hard struggles to obtain engage- ments, the temptations and the trials which have to be endured by the votaries of Thespis, are hidden from them. Somehow, the stage has a strong fascination, and the ranks of victims to their own self-conceit swell daily. Then, when they find all so different to the glittering accounts they have heard, when at last they come to realize that, instead of idle- ness and luxury, the stage only offers hard and unremitting work, they are completely overwhelmed, and most of them sink, never to rise again above the dark waters of the social Those who have still a grain of sense left, when they see that the profession is altogether unsuited to them, turn to some more certain if less alluring mode of livelihood. I dare say at this moment there are many men contentedly ܪ sea. 48 STUDIES IN MODERN OXFORD, driving Hansoms whose aspirations originally were to play Hamlet. James Payn says he has known many poets make excellent drysalters, and why should not an actor make an excellent Jehu? The love of notoriety, now so strong among us, has given rise to the amateur craze which so disfigures every form of artistic production. Truly, as Mr. Whistler says, " the amateurs and the dilettanti stalk forth hand in hand." This is essentially the age of mediocrity, and real talent stands but a poor chance when bad workmanship is tolerated merely because it is done by those who only take up the profession, whatever it may be, for amusement. The truth is that the utter insignificance and worthlessness of the amateur is shown by the fact that we have to make a distinction between amateurs and professionals at all, and the division is really into good and bad workers. In most amateur theatricals the prompter carries off the palm, because you hear most and see least of him; but the audience, pre- disposed to be gracious, pretend not to notice him, and indeed they never do notice any of the glaring faults in the acting, and all this because it is not being done by pro- fessionals. Amateur actors, poets, novelists, musicians, artists, and alas ! even statesmen, are now common, and the hardworking professional is thrown into the background and compelled to submit to the humiliation of seeing inferior men preferred to him. How much further this craze will go it is hard to say; but it is the duty of the public, and especially of the Oxford public-because in Oxford this sort of thing goes on to a greater extent than most places to discourage the childish attempts of those who do nothing but degrade the art which they profess to adorn. I do not think I need dwell further upon this subject, but will only say that it is high time people ceased giving their patronage to so OXFORD AMATEURS. 49 great an extent to amateur theatricals. There are plenty of excellent professionals who too often have to play to empty benches. Let these first be supported. We must remember that it is doing a great injury to society, it is lowering the dignity of the stage, and it is dangerous to the individuals who are deceived by it, to give money and time to the en- couragement of incompetency and ignorance at the expense of knowledge and skili. E CHAPTER VII. Undergraduates and Literature. In the outside world, where Oxford is a synonym for culture, and her students are believed to have attained the very beau ideal of refinement, the utter ignorance of standard English literature displayed, even boasted of, by many senior as well as junior members of the University, would scarcely be credited. Doubtless a large, and, let us trust, increasing proportion of graduates, do devote them- selves to the study of that glorious literature of which we are all so proud; but, unhappily, as a general rule, a spirit of apathy, and not unfrequently of contempt, prevails con- cerning it. How far University authorities are to blame for this, in throwing the obstacles they do in the path of a man who wishes to take up literature in his Finals, I shall not here discuss. The fact remains that few care to read for this subject, as the examination is always made so dispro- portionately severe. The same thing we know occurs in the case of Modern Languages, and also in the matter which may be substituted for Divinity; and I have heard of men who were natives of France, and spoke French and German fluently, giving up all idea of examination in those sub- UNDERGRADUATES AND LITERATURE. 51 over jects on account of its extreme difficulty. The authorities frequently make a pretence of giving you a choice, but they always take good care to make things very uncomfortable for you if you do not follow the course they wish. One would have thought that the splendid advantages Oxford affords to all who have any intellectual tastes, might have induced many to give a little of that time, which they often employ in investigating the quality-or want of quality-of the various concoctions which serve the purposes of wine to the immature palates of young Oxford, in acquiring a knowledge of the best works of our language; but such is not the case. It is very rare indeed to see any of the libraries overcrowded, though the sporting papers are worn and crumpled directly; and any novel on the Union shelves of at all doubtful morality is snapped up at once. Perhaps, however, it is not quite fair to blame the undergraduates much for this, when we reflect upon the sort of books which are most popular and eagerly sought for in the circu- lating libraries by our friends of both sexes. Not only do we find this indifference amongst men who are devoted to athletic pursuits, but also amongst those who are called “Reading Men," - this latter class regarding any other reading, except what is directly connected with their work, as utter waste of time. The result of this is that men of this kind are most unpleasant companions; their minds get into a narrow groove, and beyond their special subjects they have nothing of the slightest interest to say. This con- stitutes the chief objection to our Honour Schools: they have a strong tendency to narrow a man's mind, whereas a fair amount of knowledge in a variety of subjects would tend to expand it. On the other hand, it is argued that this dis- advantage is more than compensated for by the opportuni- E 2 52 STUDIES IN MODERN OXFORD. ties a man has of gaining a really thorough knowledge of his subject. Perhaps, on the whole, the Honour system, though not altogether satisfactory, is the best that can be devised, and ought to remain as it is. But, nevertheless, I think I cannot protest too strongly against the project of allowing Honour men to read for their subject immediately after they have passed “Smalls," which has received the sanction of Congregation, though not as yet of Convocation. Oxford is par excellence a classical University, and if a man cannot get up the not enormous amount of work required for “Mods.," let him go elsewhere. It is only fair to give a , man every chance in his Finals, but it is surely going too far to excuse him “Mods." merely because he is reading for Honours. Should this project ever be carried into effect, it will do an infinity of harm, by intensifying that tendency to become a specialist which already prevails to so great an extent. I shall only mention a few instances of the gross igno- rance of literature generally displayed by Oxford men; everybody who has lived long in Oxford can supply many more. 66 One gentleman, who was on the point of joining a literary society, asked what had been read at the last meeting. He was told that “The Raven,” amongst other poems, had been read. “.Who wrote that?” he quietly asked. "E. A. Poe. Did you never hear of him?" "No! Who has heard of him? Who wants to hear of him?" Another gentleman asked me one day, when speaking of Othello, whether it was ever played now; and seemed quite amazed when I told him that it was frequently produced. This man was not, however, entirely ignorant; he did know that it was by Shakspere, UNDERGRADUATES ANI) LITERATURE. 53 . Yet another, chancing to hear from a friend of mine that Cymbeline was about to be produced by Miss Wallis, asked who was the author? He was evidently under the im- pression that somebody had written it specially for her! In fact, Shakspere, Milton, Shelley, Tennyson, and Browning are known only by name to most undergraduates. Swinburne, it is true, is a good deal read; so much so that you can seldom find a book of his in the Union library; but I fear the only reason for this is that he has the reputation of being rather indecent,---of dispensing what Tennyson called "poisonous honey, stolen from France." Swinburne, it will be remembered, replied to this that he preferred the "poisonous honey, stolen from France,” to the home-made treacle of the Laureate's morality; and readers of Tennyson will admit that he has written more than one poem alniost as bad as anything ever laid to the charge of Swinburne, despite the high tone which he sometimes finds it convenient to adopt. Be this as it may, the grandeur of the melody and the subtilty of the metres of the immortal author of the Atalanta in Calydon are but little appreciated or understood by the undergraduate of to-day. When we realize this state of things, we cease to wonder so much at the general tone of undergraduate society. These youths have only the prin- ciples they have been brought up in; and as they never read the works of men fully competent to discuss important questions, and never take the trouble of listening to other opinions than their own, it is easy to understand the almost hopeless condition at which so many of them have arrived. There is no more horrible sight than a man without intel- lectual tastes, with only sensual pleasures, taking no thought about the advantages presented to him-living, in fact, like a brute : and this is a spectacle we see only too often in Oxford. 54 STUDIES IN MODERN OXFORD. a Such a man's life is purely sensual: of the higher pleasures of the intellectual life he knows and cares nothing. For him, neither the graceful fancies of the poet, nor the careful studies of the novelist have any charm. To him, nature is a closed book, and nothing outside his miserable self can be of interest. The song of the birds awakes no responsive music in his heart; the sportive sunbeams, merrily dancing upon the quivering leaves, bring him no sense of happiness; and the fragrance of the summer flowers has no delight for his torpid senses. His days are spent in debasing idle- ness, without even an attempt at mental improvement, and he leaves Oxford worse than when he entered it. I cannot help saying that the undue preponderance given to athletics, both at our schools and Universities, has much to do with this. Athletics are of course not only useful, but neces- sary, and have done much to prevent the English nation from degenerating into effeminacy; but it is going to far to allow them to usurp all the time, to the almost entire exclusion of mental pursuits. Certainly the body requires training, but so also does the mind, and to a far higher degree; and both ought to be exercised --- greater attention being of course bestowed upon the mind. The man who gives himself entirely up to athletics, soon becomes a most intolerable bore, and too often ceases to have any liberal-minded pleasures. Again the pleasures generally indulged in, when the period of training is over, are utterly sensual. Every year the scenes of drunkenness which occur at the conclusion of the boat-races are something appalling. Sometimes in one college alone property to the amount of fifty or sixty pounds has been destroyed, and almost always there is a scene which would be a disgrace even to savages. Men do not, unhappily, go into mental training: if they did they would find new UNDERGRADUATES AND LITERATURE. 55 pleasures springing up daily as the result of that training, and would have no occasion to resort to dissipation as a means of amusement. Their minds gradually expanding under the influence of cultivation, would always be a source of the highest and noblest pleasure to them, and they would possess within themselves a never-failing delight. If a man can express nothing but trivialities and commonplaces, he is unfit for any cultivated society: if he has no ideas of his own the least he can do is to read and pick up those of others, and if he has original ideas he will find it to his advantage to develop them by study. The man who has no ideas of his own, and will not endeavour to benefit by those of other people, is merely an animal, not worth the room he takes up on God's earth. I should be the last to seek to discourage sports, but when they are allowed such precedence over mental pursuits, I think it time to enter a strong protest. I am quite sure that I am not exaggerating, when I say that to row stroke of the 'Varsity eight is considered at Oxford to be much more praiseworthy than taking a Double First, and rowing in his college boat even always confers more glory on a man than coming out high in the Honour list. Indeed, as we all know, for a college to get the reputation of being a good boating college, even though its charges be more than usually exorbitant, its “Dons" more than usually inefficient, and its members more than usually rowdy, is worth any number of Firsts in the Schools. Then, again, to be athletic covers a multitude of sins : faults which an ordinary person would be severely punished for, are frequently glossed over when the delinquent is in the Eleven or the Eight; and many a man is only allowed to remain in Oxford at all, because he excels in some branch of athletics, and his college are there fore loath to lose him. I have heard queer stories of men 56 STUDIES IN MODERN OXFORD. a being allowed to pass matriculation with considerable ease when they happened to have brought a reputation for athletics with them, just as at a certain college the passport to favour is to belong to some Asiatic nation-to be anything, in fact, but an Englishman. Is this quite fair to the other men ? Is it becoming to allow—with but a faint show of protest those Bacchanalian revels which occur after every boat-race, when drunken wretches will cast chairs, tables, screens, nay even portmanteaux into the flames just for amusement? If eight men, on passing their examination, proceeded to become gloriously drunk and destroy the furniture, few would rally round them and still fewer pity them when they had been sent down in consequence; but let them have rowed in the boat, and gone up even one place on the river, and they may tear the college down unrebuked. It is true, indeed, that many do celebrate their success in this way, but they generally come from a class to whom "passing" is a very rare occurrence, and a matter for the greatest surprise. Some make up their minds to get drunk as soon as the exam, is over, whether they are successful or not, and one might wish that they paid their tutors with the same regularity with which they carry out this principle. I was told once of a man who met a friend on the way from the Schools. “Do you know, Smith," said he, “that there is a testamur for you? let me congratulate you." "Dear mel Is there? Then I must go and get drunk !"--which he promptly did. To conclude. In spite of the efforts frequently made in the shape of Shakspere Clubs and Literary Societies, to arouse some degree of interest in standard works--the very names and authors of which are generally unknown to most under UNDERGRADUATES AND LITERATURE. 57 grads--the condition of the men is deplorably uncultured. They care more, as a rule, for the Sporting Times and Referee than for all the poets, historians, and novelists, that ever lived ; and it is to be feared that the prospect of a good “Wine" has far more attractions for most of them than the most refined intellectual pleasures. CHAPTER VIII. The Future of Oxford, So long as Oxford keeps aloof from the spirit of the age, and prefers the worn-out traditions of the past to the enactments dictated by a wise spirit of progress, in com- pliance with the requirements of advancing thought, so long will it be impossible to reform abuses. True, the light of public opinion may flood in and cause improvement, and the tendency of the age to recognise the national character of Universities may raise its tone of feeling, but still there is no doubt that the first steps to a really iniproved state must come from within. Other reforms will, it is to be feared, be only temporary, and until the internal nature of the place undergoes radical change, no lasting good can be effected. When an apple is bad at the core, there is no use in peeling it. We have no modern Hercules capable of clearing out the Augean stable of Oxford abuses ; evils so great we can- not expect to remedy in a moment, but yet we must make far better attempts to set them right than have been hitherto made. We can never have any acceleration in our rate of progress until--disregarding their differences in politics and religion-our authorities unite together for the common THE FUTURE OF OXFORD, 59 2 $ good; until our scholars lay aside their musty books, even for a brief moment, and awake to the fact that a great social and moral revolution must be accomplished, and that soon, if we wish Oxford to retain her position as chief University in the world. Our students, too, from whom the ranks of our authorities will afterwards be recruited, must endeavour, if they have any wish to see reform, to put away childish things, and live a more thoughtful and intellectual life-be more men and less schoolboys. The great difficulty is to arouse any interest whatever in the question. The average undergraduate, so long as he can get as much to eat and drink as he can comfortably hold, and can contrive to pass an occasional examination, cares very little about anything else; and the average “Don," so long as the quality of the Common Room port remains all that can be desired, and the numbers of the college kept up, also cares but little about considering the question of reform. Things are good enough for him : he is well attended upon, his rooms are comfortable, his work is light, and his pay is heavy; and therefore, as he sits in front of one of those comfortable fires which are amongst the pleasant reminiscences of college life, he can afford to snap his fingers at the world. Perhaps the greatest obstacle in the way of reform at Oxford is privilege. Many men are ready enough to forward any movement they think likely to benefit the community, provided they themselves are left alone, and their privileges are not curtailed. Reform in any and every other department but their own they will generally welcome, except when they begin to fear lest it should be extended to themselves, on the principle that when your neighbour's house is on fire you ought to look out for your own.' Thus it is a matter of the greatest difficulty even to get to 60 STUDIES IN MODERN OXFORD, know the abuses that exist, and when you have found them out, it is a still more difficult task to remedy them. Though, as I have said before, the necessary steps towards reform must come from within, still the outside world can do something. The University might be brought more under the direct control of Government, might be made what it ought always to have been, - a national institution. It is obviously of the highest importance to the nation that its youths should be properly educated, and it certainly ought to have the institutions which exist for that purpose more under its control. One result of such a change in our system, and a very desirable result too, would be that the cost of Univer- sity education could be materially lessened, and certainly at the same time improved. Universities have been, so to speak, the trustees for the expenditure of money left by benefactors for the purposes of education. They have been again and again convicted at the bar of public opinion of having badly fulfilled that trust, and it only remains now for the nation to take it from them again, unless they consent to administer it upon principles of public policy rather than those of individual or class interest. Progress, in Oxford especially, is slow; would that it were equally sure! Unless the whole tone of Oxford alters, and its members devote themselves seriously to reforming its abuses, I fear no brilliant future can be expected. How truly those words of Tennyson, written of another University, now apply to Oxford few can doubt; how long they will continue to do so depends upon the spirit and vigour of New Oxford. “ Therefore your halls, your ancient colleges, Your portals statued with old kings and queens, Your gardens, myriad-volumed libraries, Wax-lighted chapels and rich carven screens, THE FUTURE OF OXFORD. 61 Your doctors, and your proctors, and your deans, Shall not avail you when the daybeam sports New risen o'er awakened Albion,--no, Nor yet your solemn organ pipes that blow Melodious thunder through your vacant courts At morn and eve; because your manner sorts Not with the age wherefrom ye stand apart, Because the lips of little children preach Against you—you that do profess to teach, And teach us nothing-feeding not the heart." . APPENDIX A. Letters from Oxford and Cambridge papers. Though various other letters have appeared with reference to the intolerant behaviour of some of our undergraduates, I have only thought it necessary to reprint the two following, one of which is signed. I was present on the occasion referred to, and can fully endorse the account of the writer. I should be sorry to think that the scene which occurred was a true index of undergraduate opinion in Oxford, and hope that it was only ignorance and not malice which caused it. In any case it is deeply to be regretted that there was so utter a want of respect shown to the memory of the leading figure of this century, the glory of the French nation, and the admiration of thinking men throughout the world. Oxford Chronicle, June 6th, 1885. MR. MATTHEW ARNOLD'S “YOUNG BARBARIANS." Sir,--I feel it my duty to publicly allude to the disgraceful scene which took place at the “Union" on the 27th. I asked the President what steps I could take to obtain the expression of the Society's sympathy upon the death of Victor Hugo. Incredible it may seem, my remarks were received with laughter and jeers. Finally, I attempted to inove the adjournment of debate, as a mark of public sympathy, but was pre- vented by a technicality in the rules from giving my reasons. While as : APPENDIX. 63 a this discussion was going on there was a scene of uproar which would have done shame even to savages. All this unseenly exhibition might have been avoided if the President had, as in the case of Lord Beacons. field, expressed sympathy from the chair. I could scarcely have believed that any men who were members of a University of culture could have shewn themselves such intellectual savages as to make the death of so great a man a subject for indecent mirth. Such a spectacle was really shocking to all lovers of humanity; to think that young men, at an age when their sympathies ought to be most generons and their admiration most enthusiastic, should have shewn themselves so unworthy of their great advantages must be painful to every right-thinking person. Let me, however, take this opportunity to here tender my thanks to those members of Worcester College who sent a beautiful wreath to the "Master's” grave, and whose voices of approbation were inaudible in the tumult. Their conduct has done honour both to themselves and to their college. I shall coniment no further upon this painful subject, but will leave that to the Press. Hoping you will oblige me by inserting this at your earliest con- venience, I am, sir, yours truly, OCTAVIUS BEATTY. THE OXFORD UNION SOCIETY AND VICTOR HUGO'S DEATH. [To the Editor of the Cambridge Independent Press.] SIR,—Will you allow me to call public attention, through your columns, to the disgraceful scene which occurred at the Oxford Union Society on Thursday, May 27th. A member wished that the society should in some way express its sympathy with the French nation on the death of Victor Hugo. On his publicly asking the question, the President replied that there was no precedent for such a course, and that the hon. member would not be in order in asking permission of the Flouse to move such a motion. The hon, member then moved, “That this House do now arljourn in token of its sympathy with the French nation on the great loss they have sustained in the death of Victor Hugo," and was proceeding to give his reasons, when the President ruled that this in no way concerned the society or its affairs. Your readers will hardly credit me when I say 64 STUDIES 1.V VODERN OXFORD. that every time that illustrious name was mentioned, it was received with jeers, laughter, and uproar of every description. Without entering into the political side of the question, Victor Hugo was a man who had gained the admiration and affection of all thinking persons. He was the truest patriot, for the world was his country. It is, therefore, the more painful and, indeed, humiliating to reflect that a society like the Oxford Union, representing, as it does, the young generation of our University, should have been so ignorant and so foolish as to receive the name of such a man with such an utter want of respect. Possibly many of the gentlemen who were loudest in their hooting have not yet acquired that knowledge of French which is necessary to appreciate Victor Hugo's works, and cherish a strong hatred of everything French from a lively recollection of the many applications of the birch aud long hours of detention which their studies in that language caused them. If this be so (and from the way in which Hugo's name was pronounced in the course of discussion, it seems very likely), it would have been more wise, and, indeed, more decent on their part to refrain from jeering at what they are unable to comprehend. Some people may think it a matter of trifling importance that the Oxford Union should have acted in the way I have described ; but I must confess that it was to me a terrible sight to see an assembly of young men with so little respect for a universal genius like Victor Hugo. What can we hope for in the future, if our young men have so little enthusiasm ? I am, sir, yours truly, OXFORD GRADUATE. Cambridge Independent Fress, Fune 6th, 1885. THE letter of an Oxford graduate, which we publish elsewhere, will not be pleasant reading for those who admire genius and who like to respect our ancient Universities. Surely, Victor Hugo was, of all men, the man to charm young men if they had known anything about him. The Lord Mayor and Alderinen of London are not supposed to be connoisseurs in anything but turtle soup, and so there was no reason why they should not make an exhibition of themselves. After all, the world did homage to Hugo. The London Corporation and the Oxford Union were but as the ill-bred dogs who always will get in the way when the course is cleared for a great event. ܪ APPENDIX B. Compulsory Chapels. do so; PEOPLE who have not frequently attended chapel services in Oxford Colleges, are fond of saying that it is good dis- cipline for a young man to be obliged to go to chapel, and that it tends to make him like religious services, and get into a habit of attending them which he never loses. This is just nonsense. As a matter of fact, as soon as an under- graduate commences his fourth year of residence, when he is no longer obliged to go to chapel, he at once ceases to or perhaps goes about three times a term, for decency's sake. Nor can we be surprised at this, even in the most pious of men; since the college services are too often conducted in a slovenly, apathetic way, which is sufficient of itself to discourage men from going. When we see chaplains coming in to afternoon service just after returning from hunting, with their top boots and spurs just covered by their surplices, we cannot respect them much, and when we have ceased to respect them we soon cease to care to go to chapel at all. Religion is essentially an emotion of the mind, and we cannot compel people to be pious; it is, therefore, absurd F 66 STUDIES IN MODERN OXFORD. to make attendance at religious services compulsory. If you do so, the probability is that the men will misbehave themselves, and regard the service as a farce, which it too often is; and it is certain that very many of them will soon get to hate all religious services. At a well-known rowdy college, not very far from the Bodleian, I have known men throw the hassocks about before service commenced, and it was quite a regular habit for one or two of them to mimic the chaplain's voice in the responses. Ordinarily, the men never respond at all; and I remember one afternoon the chaplain commenced, in his usual harsh, grating voice, “My soul doth magnify the Lord :" there was no response, so he quietly repeated it again. Again no reply. At last he turned round and said loudly, “Make the responses, please." This was not the only time he made that remark during ser- vice. On another occasion, the organist, a young clergyman, chanced to take the service : as usual, no one responded ; so he quietly read the Psalm straight through himself, and com- menced the next, when shame made the men respond. If discipline be the only advantage gained by compulsory chapels, that purpose could be served equally well by com- pulsory roll-calls, and the House of GOD would not be desecrated by unwilling attendants—for in no sense are they worshippers. The only purpose chapel seems to serve now is to give the undergraduates an opportunity of learning their Articles for the Divinity Exam. Whenever you see a man very intent upon his Prayer Book, you may be pretty well sure he is struggling with that farrago of nonsense, the Article on Predestination, or mastering the intricacies of the Doctrine of Original Sin. The result of the present system is that men have no reverence whatever for the college chapels. I have known # APPENDIX. 67 inebriated youths to break in at night, toll the bell till they broke the rope, and have a regular game all round the building, jumping over the seats, etc. One point more I must notice : that is, the disgraceful fact that in many colleges Holy Communion counts as an attendance at chapel. As it is generally at twelve noon, men who are too lazy to get up for morning chapel go to Communion instead, and turn that most holy office into a mere means of keeping their chapel. I don't say that this is often done; but, at all events, to have the regulation so, is putting temptation in men's way. In conclusion, to make religious services in any sense compulsory is to make them lose all that renders them useful, and tends to make men lose much of their reverence for sacred things. +2 . 58 UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN 3 9015 07316 6913 3 h