University Life at Cambridge 30 Years Ago.

Auckland Star, Volume XV, Issue 3757, 26 August 1882, Page 1 (Supplement)

University Life at Cambridge 30 Years Ago.

A Lecture by the Bishop of Auckland, Delivered iufoke tub V.M.C.A.

TnE Bishop began by saying that, in preparing his matter for the evening's lecture, ho bad in his mind an audience of young men, and young men who could not know much of the subject to be treated of, and to whom, therefore, it would not be unbecoming to state facts which might be considered truisms by older men, or by those who have been at an £nglish university, His subject was university life at Cambridge 30 years ago. Since those days very great changes, and nearly all for the better, had taken place in that university. The number of undergraduates resident in the colleges was tbenjabout 1,700, the number at the present time being over 2,800. Every undergraduate had then to belong to one of the 17 colleges, bat this U not now the case. The colleges then, aa now, varied in size and reputation ; Trinity College—at which there were about 500 undergraduates—being the largest, with the great Dr. Whewell, a king of men, for master. At chat college there were not rooms for all the undergraduates, so that many had to live in duly licensed lodgings. The Bishop's own college was the Law College of the University, the master being one of the judges, viz., Sir Herbert Jenner Fust, of whom it used to be irreverently said that the principle on which ho bestowed hia patronage was, "Fast come Fust served," The master of a college had very little to do with the undergraduates, and was rarely seen by them except in the college chapel, lie was the only person in college allowed to be married. Next to the master there were the fellows of the college, from whom the tutors were appointed. Fellows not holding college offices lived away from the university, being clergymen or barristers, or men following their own pursuits; the fellowship being on an average worth about £300 a year, in many cases without; duties attached, and tenable for life so long as a man did not marry. Next below the fellows wera the scholars, who were for the most patt appointed by competitive examination; scholarships averaging about £50 per annum in value. The Professors weie not so many in number as they are now; and as a rule only those who were obliged to attend their lectures, a comparatively small number, ever did so. Among the most distinguished of them 30 years ago were Dr. J. J. Blanc, one of the Professors of Divinity; the prelent Sir Henry Sumner Maine; Profess oh Stokes and Uhallis, of mathematical renown ; Henslow and Sedgwick, of botany and geology; and the late Sir James Stephen, of modern history. The Bishop then described an ordinary day's life at his own college, after stating that the undergraduates had to be in residence from October to the end of May, excepting for a few weeks at Christmas and Easter, each such period being a University "year," three of whicb, together with a fourth October term, were required to ba kept by candidates for the B.A. degree.

" The day began'with the collego cbapel service—at which all the undergraduates were expected to be present—at seven o'clock, summer and winter. Those who preferred bed to chapel at so early an hour were not found fault with, go long as they appeared in their places on Sunday morning, and at the evening service on other days. The ordinary services consisted of morning or evening prayer, tbe lessons being read by the scholars in turn. It was not the custom to preach at the ordinary services. After chapel the boating men, cf w % hom I was one, took their run along the measured ruijo behind the College, to keep themselves in training. This we did, dressed in flunncl, in all weathers ; it being especially enjoyable in a snow-storm, inasmuch as it fostered the feeling of "spurning ■delicacies." About eight we had breakfast in our own rooms. A regular supply of bread and batter and milk, which went by the name of "commons," was brought to us morning and evening; everything eke we had to eat or drink at theae meals had to be got from outside tbe college, or ordered from the college kitchen and paid for separately. We commonly boiled the water and made our tea or coffee for ourselves. It was nsnal for two or three men to club together and breakfast in each other's rooms in turn. Generally each undergraduate had two rooms'—a "keeping" room, as it was called, and a bedroom—and a man (called a " gyp ") and his wife (the "bedmaker") looked after all the sets of rooms on one staircase. After breakfast, at 10 generally, the undergraduates had to attend lectures in mathematics and classics in the college hall. These lectures were commonly of little help to the more advanced students, who were often excused from attendance, the lecturers having to lectnre down to the level of men who were blundering over the binomial theorem, or a Greek play, or something even more school-boyish. At 12, those who attended professors'lectures did, so, and generally the " reading " men (those who were studying for honours) went to their private tutors. It was these private tutors, to whom we went for an hour two or three times a week, and paid 7 or 14 guineas a term, according to attendances, who did the main work of teaching. Some of these tutors, had a very large number of pupils, and were famous for training tbam year after year to take the highest places in the examinations. At 2 o'clock everybody, studious and idle alike, laid aside his cap aad gown, and entered upon his favourite recreation. The boating men—and of them I, as a boating man, am best able to speak—rowed down the river in their eight-oared boats regalarly between two and four, whatever the weather might be, except in summer, whan the time was between six and eight p.m. Strict discipline was kept in the boats, and regular rowing necessitated temperate living. Bowing was the least expensive of the athletic sports, and on that account partly was the most peDUlar. The cricketers incurred many incidental expenses, and only men with money could keep horseo. Among those who rowed in the same boat with myself was the present Postmaster-General of Great Britain, Mr Fawcett, who distinguished bimsdf as much m mathematical learning as he did in boating. It has been sometimes feared lest university training might make men unpractical in after life, I have found the opposite to be the result. The more thoroughly you educate a man, the easier does

he find it to adapt himself to all circumstances. It will bo allowed that Mr Fawcett is practical enough when we read that he made the Post-otlico yield seven million pounds to the revenue of Great Britain last year. Another practical man who pulled in the same boat, was the late Sir William Pallisor, who aid much to improve the shot and shell of tho British army and navy. Another waa Leslie Stephen, of literary fame. On their return from rowing, it v»;is time for dinner io the College Hall, where there was a high table, at which the fellows sat. On a lower level were the lone tables of the scholars, and of the general body of underfgraduates technically colled "pensioners." Our fare was plain, good, and abundant, wholesome joints of beef and mutton, accompanied by draughts of toast and water out of old fashioned silver mugs. Beer and all luxuries were called " sizinjs," and could be had su extras and paid for separately. After diniiir the undergraduates met in one another's rooms for social converse, which commonly lasted until the chapel boll rang at 6 for evening prayers. At those social meetings, held daily, much of the most permanent g-'od effected by college life was done, Men interchanged opinions freely, and discussed all points Of interest then uppermost in the minds of young men in the early prime of life. It was customary to provide wine and dessert at these meetings, but intemperance was never seen at them. After evening chupcl tho studious men sat down to their books for three, four, or five hours' steady reading." To obtain a B.A. degree, in those days, a man had to pass two University examinations, besides those of hii own college The first of these took placo in tbe fifth term of residence, and the second in the tenth term. Among the subjects of the former of these examinations, the Mttlego, were eno of the Hospeln in Greok, Palcy's "Evidences," aad Old Testament Hintory. At the final examination for an ordinary B.A. degree, the tollo»iu« wera among the subjects : .Fourteen chapter* of the Acts of the Apostles, and one of the longer Epi9tlea In Greek. The final examinations for h-raours in mathematics, or classics, wero in special subject*l, and tho.se who were successful were arranged, according to merit, in three c^as«cs, which were culled a " tripos." The first class of tho mathematical tripos were called wranplers, of whom the first was called " Senior vVrangler "of the year. There is to be no senior wranglers after this year, it is saa to fay, bat all will be arranged in cIaMM alphabetically. The last man in the 3rd clas-f of mathematical honours in each year was known at tho "wooden spoon." Among those who took their B, A. degree at the same time with Bishop Cowie were three other Bishops to V, viz., those now of Rupert's Land, Batburst, and Pretoria.

Aftc an interral, during which Mho Purchas, Mies Corbclt and the Mi«ne« K>mpthorne played and sang, the Bishop, on returning, gave an account of an undergraduate's Sunday in those <Ja>s. It brgan with the chapel service af. 8, not commonly accompanied by a sermon. At the Bishop's college most of the Fellows were laymen, but even when this was not the case, sermons in chapel were not common. The Sunday breakfast was a great institution. Six, eight, or more friends would coraraqply meet .for that meal, each contributing his "commons," and the host one or more "dishes" from the college kitchen; and as there were no lectures to be attended, they would sit on and talk afterwards to near mid-day. Then came a saunter, with some'ehosen companion, through the grand old elms along the river Bide at the backs of the colleges, ending at 2, when the bells of Great St. Mary's rang for the University sermon. During term time famous preachers were always appointed to preach this sermon; which was not preceded by any " service," and often lasted nearly, or quite, an hour. In those days there were huge h<nvy galleries, in which the undergraduates sa fa. St, Mary's, the " heads " ot col egei sitting apart in another gallery (called from them the " Golgotha ") in the chancel arch, and the grad. uates and general public occupying the floor. The most favourite preacher* at that time were the present Bishop of Carlisle (Harvey Goodwin), and the present Dean of Manchester (a senior wrangler). In November, 1854, the preacher was the late Bishop SelwyD, then home f om New Zealand after twelve yeats' sojourn in this colony. Hid name had been famons since his boyhood at Eton; and he was more thought of by the undergraduates as a late University oar than as a Bishop of the Cannibal Islands, as he was jocularly styled, Every corner of the grand church was filler! when •' the great Bishop," as Kebte called him, came to preach. It was a time of much excitement and some anxiety. One of the four sermons was preached on the Sunday after the news of the battle of Inkerman reached England ; and the Bishop, as his 'friends would suppose, made good nse of hia opportunity. The Bishop's earnest manner and grand countenance produced a wonderful effect on his hearers, many of whom regarded him as some hero of romance, having for years heard of his swimming feats at Eton, his rowing on the Cam and the Thames, and his daring cruises among the Melaocaian islands in the little Undine, a schooner of 21 tons, unarmed, and visiting men whose language he conld not speak. On that memorable Sunday he told the crowded congregation that as soon as the slaughter of Inkerman became known, the Commander-in-Chief was beseiged by applications from young men tbronghoutthe United Kingdom for commissions in the army. He said that the Archbishop ot Canterbury ought to be applied to in like manner by young churchmen desirous of filling vacancies in the missionary ranks of the church. One result of that appeal was that a distinguished mathematician, the second wrangler of his year, the late Bishop Mackenzie,offered himself for work in South Africa, where he, before very long, died at his post, of fever. After the University sermon on Sunday afternoon,thosft who had been to the church sauntered about the colleges until 4 o'clock, dianer time, after which there was the usual social meeting at wine and desaertuntil evening chapel at 6. All were required to attend that service, delinqnents being fined and "gated," that is, forbidden to be outside the college gates after a specified time for several days following ; the ordinary hour at which all had to be within the w»lls being 10 o'clock. After evening chapel there was a general rush, on the part of those who cared for such things,to attend some one or other of the town churches, to hear gsome favourite

preacher; tho Wov. liarvey Goodwin (now Bishop of Carlisle) baing tho great attraction. Ho was, moreover, at that time, one of the chief mathematical tutors of the University. The crowd of undergraduates leathered like a swarm of bees outside tho chief door of St. Edward's Church, waiting quietly until the hymn before the sermon was given out. Then they poured in closely packed, but without noise.like the rising tide, until overy available space was occupied, even up to the top of the pulpit stair-case—as soon as the preacher had sliut his door, lie was one of that dais of preachers who preach because they have something to Ray, and not because they hare to say something. Harvey Goodwin's sermons were not specially characterised by learning or eloquence, but by common sense and plain speaking, flavoured with humour. In tbe preface to a volume of these sermons, afterwards published, he said of sermon writing, as near us I can remember, " a man of good abilities, by taking pain:*, may writo one good sermon a week; a very superior man may write two; anybody can preach three." Hundred* ot thousands of Eujilish-speiiking people throughout the Hritiah Empire have been indirectly influenced, and doubtless bcnclited, by those wonderful sermons eagerly listened to by hundreds ol thoughtlul young men, who have since become preachers of the Gospel. After Harvey Goodwin's sermon, many used to go to the Union—the great University CLub—where they wrote their hoiuu letters, to mothers, and sinters, and cousin*, a Sunday occupation which Bishop Cowie warmly commended for imitation t<> members of the V.M.C.A. wnen away from home.

Discipline was maintained in the University : outside the college walls, by two ollieers, called proctors, graduates of the standing ot Masters of Arts, who wont about the town, chiefly »ltor uark, in cap and gowu, accompanied by two burly and long-legged attendanis, known as "bulldogs," who were often seeu in full cry after some undorgradnate who had ventured beyond the college walls uuattircd in univorsity dress. After other milder ponaltics for the breach of college or uuiversity laws, an undergraduatt) was sometimes "sent down " for ono or moro terms. This punißhmeat was known as rustication ; the University town boine, parcmiaencs, the opposite t» " country." From the beginning of June to the end of October, Cambridge used to be nearly deserted, comparatively few students being allowed to remain in college during that time the long vacation. Indeed, some of the colleges were virtually closed for the greater part of that time. Men reading for honours used commonly to form parties, under the direction of a tutor,-often a young Fellow not much their senior,—aud take ladings at some seaside place in 'England, Scotland, or France, where, for two or three months, they would combine study with amusement. The average eosc of the University course at Cambridge 30 years ago was about £100 a year. M«ny undergraduates cost their t'riends much loss, especially when helped by scholarships; and many spent a great deal more. It was much to the credit of a young man in those days to leave the University, after ten terms, free of debt, if possessed of only small means; an unlimited credit was allowed by tailors and other tradesmen, and great inducements to extravagance were held out to those whose friends were known to be possessed of money. With all its defects, an English University course in those days was a grand preparation for after life, even though a man took away little knowledge of classics or mathematics that could be turned to direct account. The r.ourso was commonly fatal to bigotry, narrowness, pedantry, and provincialism generally; a high sense of honour was universally cherished ; manliness in all its forms was encouraged; and not a little strengthening of the faith was experienced by thousands who saw before their eyes quiet Christian profession and work, combined with deep learning.and its attendant, humility.