labour and Higher Education,

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 15, 12 October 1907, Page 11

labour and Higher Education,

< iTHE WORKING MAN AND Is UNIVERSITY DECREES. „iA NEW OXFORD MOVEMENT. Tho worker - of tho - future wants vto ■ vrito M.A. as .well as M;P. after his . v jiamo. -At . a conference of , working class and educational associations,, hold at' Oxford ■ on : August l lo,■ one speaker; laid that i'he had -'the 1 faith- which .'.•.'inspires us with the conviction that our appeal will not bo 111.yam, and that the i doors of this historic university,will be opened •so wido that < the 1 sons of toil mil passi through, as a matter of course, in thoir efforts ■to reach tho ] ' higher life." ! A Resolution. • Beforo rising, tho- conference.. passed | , (be following resolution—. . • , , i ' , "That this National Conference, • consisting, of working .class and : ■■ 11 educational organibations, affirming; ■H -.the growing-desiro oni the,part of^ • '''workpeople for-higher • education, '/ ■and anxious, for tho . ,fnmer ~; c o-. operation of Oxford .in tho: system- ' v " ®tio teaching ■ ; of: historical,. econor ; juic, and' other liberal Subjects, - - approves ■ the-, formation of :a com- ' •■<l mitteo, composed of sovon- persons, • ' nominated by 'tho : Vice-Chanccllpr of the Umversity of Oxford, and • ' ' seven persons nominated, by, the '■*■!--Executive of.'tho AVorkers' Educa- " ' ,tional Association, . with,-i,instr.uc- - '-'-jtions to report before Easter, next, «--to the 1 organisations 'horojropresoji-. '• tedi"aS''to • the' beistimeans 'of carry■■■■ing«into .-•'>effectthe.iisugge^tiMis. 5 made-'in tho two papers. read ,bo- '< fore the conference." ' v 'fho Bishop of'Brfmingham;.presided, antl there wero more than a thousand .' delegates gathered '.togethor frpm .all. parts of the kingdom. , ; These, consisted for tho greater part of .represontativea (malorand,female) from\trade:unions and Socialist and • Social-Democratic .institutions-* :.Ono speaker.'went 50 far as to say.that thoro could bo.no roal.edu-cationi-whibh did-not incluflo tho scienco, of Sociology. ;At >tho outset.'Mr. Mar-! nott-welcomed .those prevention behalf of-tho'iOxford .University,' Extension De-' legacy?' ta tnbuto to* the re- ' iorin work:being done by the Workers'-: Educational: Association*' -under the-auspices-of. which: they were met- to-gotner.'-Its aim,-, and theirs/ .was :-.to, mako thb great umvorsities, more liko ■ national' institutions, : nots.bythe ext, elusion .sofi'the.'nch, < but by ■tho iinclusion of the poor' ' % ' , --,The : chairman-toutlined' th§ scope-of tho : <What \ho -wanted, to ' , see ; *as, a; small .class of earnest stud-, presided; over .by., a • 1 •>- teaoner.-'pronded> -byi.ono \ofr -the--umrer-Btieslv-;:;y ; ■: ?-v-;KV ..-■!■!!• Sir'!Robert;Morant f. said>.that i«.the : r.. Board.'of;;Education..wasj keenly mter r . / ested : in- the subject,- andrhe: had ~the 1 ■, authontyioof;. the, ,Govornmont. ,to - say '.•.,that/flit--';thoy;!Could';show treasonable .'holp would mot bo .with--1 hold,:;.;. On ■ the contrary,;.:thovGovorn- , mont nplsi prepared- to-openi out lupon them "a, golden'stream." Is asked,to do. )'i?^oy,papers roferred-to:in the resolu- ■ i-f-Q.) r "What ' i'workpeople want '-Oxtod/ to do,"i read'by Mr. Wal- . :t®r;.Neild . (presidont:» I 'North-Western' - fcoperatiyol. Education', Committees'! : sociatiori),' i and 1;• (2) ■,:"What 1 Oxford i ih'Cßii do for-workpeople," by Mr: Sidney , //i,Ball;>/MiA'.;•( jeflofr- andi Tutor ;■ St.; • ij'. 1 John s vGollego,-' Oxford).-! The!,former' Eafid.that-ho wanted thos#who tirdi'coii-l ~V 1 with' theliUniversity 1 Oxford : ?to consider-seriously 'what'they could •5 do .to 'help on. tbo, work^of',education . among ' the "''pborer classes,', and' .nof to' , t , until Jtfgaini.Tho •.! ■ • moans wero;how available:,for arriviug at .'a'cleari'understanding;' .Tho AVorkers • Educatioßal.,; Association '- could ' furnish

': -,- actual'data ;as :to the position 'and 'the - ;; : '.- • possibilities of .the ..Working olass—what j! f. v..- Venditions] •? needs';.' . 1; .: prospects' were. 1 "With this . knowledge J ;:. .. it should .riot;.be; difficult: for v.l .Oxfqrd;'to i f6rmulato' a''scheme : embocly- |; ing ( ;ithe.' features.-j suggested../.-They !' • wanted ,Oxford to-put before them 1 : that I ; ;; ®ducationiwhich' would:' mako tliom bet- ;. < ter : citizens,: and.- to; so? arrange* the 1 fees that those who) study; inreasonably-sized/classfcs' *(uri'der':um- , versity conditions);; and: to ' draw-; the, , ' . . Jjest of them; by her own-.peculiar magfletism,'- fon-'a'-itime to herself. '> ■■ :, . Mr. Ball said that: Oxford could; (in ... co-operation :.with; '-'other -.universities) ;i. - i . put: herself: at; the head of a'', national >: moyement- fpr'.f-liberalising" the edu-. :(' cation;_of 'thejworking classes fromithe beginning. ; sHe went further.- It was; rK: he thought,- as much to the'• interest, • as;it. was ;tho'.duty,- of universiti&'to v -; co-operate 'in'; ( the' "removal-of hihdran- ' • .ces' ■; - some' at; least;-of .'.the ;'new, : , ed; i ''to; be . 'their ■ . ideal—the.-ideal.;of ;a-,university educa- ' tion for all. Not, , indecd, tliat it. was .; necessaryto'"concerveyjuniversities'; ?still ; > '•■•' less ..any/single 'uhiyersityi; as Ccharged . with the-rfu'cation as" '' : gLvingjstfmUlus.iland Vgiiidanco; to. - all ' c. rpL' • -T

i educational , f agencies. ,>ThisV however, Ahoy: could rrioti do -without realising ithe , inseparability of educational-and social reform; ;/(/: ■ A Chance for Oxford. v .; j: Mr: :wont' on"At any rato,', ; l ; cannot think that' Oxford 'can. remain: - , in'sohsitive;-:-to j;the; wonderful.'.Jhomagd which is-being paid-to it-by the work-' ii'g men jof the. country, , or remain i in- • dilfer'ent to an,appeal.:that rests on;an : orgapised'; and representative,'; I :might , • almo'st say_ a national,.movement-; a movement,. moreover,*, of men-who" are not-only, possessed, of an'ideal; but-are : ■ ■ Becking .:.earnestly. for ; a...definite ,'and intelligible jplan'-for: carrying; out that : ideal,;into:practice/-'; ; ls;;it;too'muchi to hopothat.'Wemay,:disoern;,the-begin-ning of ,a; nowOxford,movement—even ,jf, it bo' ho largef;'at present-than 'the .. ; ,Bize.of,;'a ndaii's, hand?;.;'At any rate, I ; . do;not\think,.that..l...am speaking en- ■ tiroly ;for'myself,.if ; , I'arid on a: noto of hopo and 'aspiration. : Oxford has' such a chanco, as;it : may never,ihave again • • May- it ! 'rise!,to';tho' full'>;height'.bf:'its opportunity.l; May it:eagorly;tako :Up and resolutely .press forward .with, its high . mission of a university 'co-eiten-sive with the .'nation!'. - -May it not bo long: beforb ■ thei working' men' of the country, can .begin :to look up to Oxford < as- their .Alma'Materl''-;• ~ Among those who "took part' in the discussiori-which followed werp Mr.'Mac-tavisK.-"^(Portsmouth' Trades f, -.Council); ■ and ; Mr'.; f .S. ' (Oriel . ». College,,-Oxford). It,,was/a very * carnost meeting, the.fflajority of-.tho , ; Bpeakbrs.. : 'were'.moderate,:.but,l impressivbiv .;Thb:;Bishbp , ofvßirmingliam stim- ; mod up; thb discussion briefly; j the ' following - morning - made,; direct i rofer-' ericb tp the objects of the. conference in . his: sbrmoYi at the church of St.' Mary - tho'Virgin. . ;'.\;y