CHANCELLOR OF GLASGOW UNIVERSITY.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 13180, 13 January 1905, Page 5

CHANCELLOR OF GLASGOW UNIVERSITY.

INSTALLATION OF LORD KELVIN.

Lord Kelvin was on November 29 formally installed as Chancellor of Glasgow University, with all the ceremonial duo to tho honouring of oue of her most distinguished sons, and to her own celebrity us a seat of learning. One has lo go back to 1884 to find the record' of the last similar ceremony. That was on tho occasion of the appointment, of tho Karl of Stair, who held the Chancellorship till his death in December last. Lord Kelvin wius eicoted his successor unanimously early in tlio present yeur. 'l'o-day's eeremuuy took place in the Bute Hall, which was crowdcd by tho fashionable audience, moro than two-thirds of whom were Indies. The proceedings were rendered the moro interesting from tho fact that-11 member of tho Royal Family (Princess Louise) had been in the list of distinguished persons to be made Doctors of Law in honour of tlio occasion. Among ttao present wero tlio Duke of Argyll, Lord Blythswood, Lord Glasgow, and Mr A. Graham Murray, Secretary for Scotland. There wero few students present, and the noise and rowdyism which seem to me inseparable from tho usual graduation coreinony did not occur to mar the proceedings. Just 011 the stroke of 12 Princois Louise entered from behind tho rostrum. Ilcr Royal Highness was at once recognised and loudly cheered as she took a seat to theright. A moment later tlio procession, with the mace-bea.rer in front, mado its way up tho middle aisle towards the rostrum, which was 'mounted by Principal Story and Lord Kelvin, accompanied by Dr Stewart, clerk of tho Senate.

Tire Principal llion read tlio Latin prayer. In. the absence of Dr Hutchison, convenor of the Business Committee, who is indisposed,/the Rev. Dr John Smith, Partick, vico-convener, then formally reported the election of the Chancellor by tlm Bonoral Council. In doing so ho said that members of tlio General Council, and old students of Lord Kelvin in all parts of the earth, liailcd with one voice his election as the distinguished head of that ancknt peat of learning. Tho groat career of Lis Lordsnip, oncc a student and afterwards a professor, was most fitly crowned with the highest honour his Alma Mittcr, through her General Council, had to bestow. They wore all prom! of Lord Kelvin. He' was tho Kelvin not only of this time, but of alt time, not only of that University, biit of all tlio universities of the world — (Glitters.) And it was no small tribute to Ins greatness thot lie had striven through a long life to interpret nature in a devout nild reverent spirit. Willi the illustrious Bacon and Newton, he occupied the front rank among Christian philosophers. It was ■their hope that, he might 1» spared for ;uumy years to come to preside over that University and- to enjoy the 'brilliant triumphs he had won on the fields of soicnce.—(Cheers,) Sir James King, Dean of Faculties, in moving that tho Chancellor bo now installed said that was not the-fitting time to endeavour to trace the marvellous career of Ins Lordship, or to estimate the amount of reflected glory that hud coino to his Alma Mater through his Iriumphs and brilliant discoveries; nor should he attempt to enumerate those invaluable inventions which had made the whole world his Sufnee it to say that by common consent- Lord Kelvin was recognised as-the first scientist of the ago, and almost every notion and every learned bndy of distinction had bestowed upon him honours the most varied and most valued.—(Cheers.) Principal Story, in tho capacity of viccehancellor, then administered the oath, and' tho chancellor signed the book ainid much encoring.

Tho ceremony of bestowing the degrees of LL.D. was next proceeded with, Professor Sinister, as Dean of the Faculty of Law, presenting: the graduancls. " ' 1 Tho first graduaiul to bn passed was Iter Royal Highness Princess Louise, the mention of whose name was greeted v.-ith enthusiastic applause. Her Royal Highness's connection wMi Glasgow, said Professor tJlttistcr, had been for several years of a vcry intimate .character, and her 1 loyal Highness had ever been among tho fcremost ill extending her favour to various schemes, civic, philanthropic, and educational, which had their origin in that city. The university on the present occasion remembered gratefully (lie eloso relation Iwtwecu her Royal, Hiohness and tho Association for the Promotion of tho Higher Education of Women, which took its rise in , (dasgow. During the 16 years of her presidency, her Royal Highness visited Queen Margaret College on two occasions, and personally inspected the arrangements which hart been nrovidnd for tho tnmhing of women ill arts, science., and medicine? By tho solicitude of her. ltoyiil Highness on behalf of Queen Margaret College, which would always be reuiimlbctcri as the munificent gift of Mrs Elder,. and by Ik l ]' personal example in the pursuits of literature and of the arts of painting and sculpture, her Royal Highness had ennobled the efforts, now so successful, which bad been made for the advancement of the higher education of women throughout the wholoJiingdom. It would, doubtless, be of interest to her Royal Highness to learn that since the beginning of the movement inaugurated under her presidency Queen Margaret College had educated and. sent forth no fewer than 274- women graduates, of whom 167 graduated in arts, 7 in science, and 100 in medicine. For Ihcs-j reasons, that university desired Lord Kelvin to confer on her I'oyal Highness r.ha highest honour which it Ms able'to offer.

Hop Royal Highness, who met with a event, ovation, smile ! sweetly anil blush-.id slightly as fli" went, forward to be capped. After bestowing the hciiour, Lord Kelvin greeted tlio Princes* with/ a warm shake of tho hand. \Vhii*!t was as warmly returned. A great reception also/awaited the announcement of the name of Ouglielmo Marconi, whose fame- is abroad among tho nations of tlio earth, beeause of his wonderful discoveries relating to the transmission of elcctrio message signals' over very long distances \vitlioiit connecting Wires. Marconi is a man of spare build, with a cleancut, intelligent face, and although, as Profossor Glaisfer said ill introducing liim, lie bears an Italian name, ho claims a link with theso islands through Ilia mother, who i 3 a daughter of Erin. ' -

Tho lioil. degree of-LL.D. was.also conferred upon tho following: —

Tho Most Honourable the Marquis of Ailea.

•Taiiies Thomson Bottomley, M,A., D.Se., F.R.S., Arndtt and Thomson Dehionstrator. in Experimental Physics in the XJliK'cisity of Glasgow for 24 years from 1875. Dr .lames Donaldson, Principal of tho University of St. Andrews. The Hon. Sir John Charles Dalrymple Hav, P. 0., G.C.IS., D.0.L.. F.R.S., 108 fit. George's square. London, 9.W.' Very Rev. Dr John Miirsh&ll Lang, Principal of tli» University of Aberdeen. The Right Hon. Andrew Graham Murray. r.C.. M.P., Secretary for Scotland. The Hon. Charles A. Parsons. M.A., D.Sc., F.R.S., Holeyn Hill, Wylam-on-Tync, who has developed the steam turbine arid rendered it applicable (o tho generation of electricity and the propulsion of ships. ■ • The Hon. tlie Lord Provost of Glasgow, Sir .Tnhti Urc Primrose, Bart. • . Lord Kelvin, who \tas received With Idiid choers, said:—Mr Principal, vdur, VRoyal Highliess. my Lord Duke, my Lords, ladies and gentlemen, I th'atik you all' fnr: j'onr kindness in coming here to-day. Members of tlio Genc-ral Council. I fliank voii for .the great honour you have oonforrcd on nio in olecting me to lie Chancellor of the Unfvrreity of Glasgow as sucoessor to Lord. Stair, by .whose death wo'have loct a steadfast friend aiid : a wise fuler in all xa&es ,

Which his 'Judgment was required. _ 'Roccnl ■ ■ ootistitutiohal changes have diminished th« oxeoiitivo power and responsibility of tha Phinibellor. Nevertheless I slxtll always endeavour .to lx> as heartily, devoted to tlio good pf tho University, as any of my predecessors in Jbe o(Tk» eim havo, been. It lias been a great pleasiiro to mo to-day to hivo the privilege of conferring tho bono- ; r:iry uogrfX; of Doctor of Laws on' & Royal lady, daughter of our late beloved Queen Victoria, ami sister to his Majesty the King, a, lady who has endeared herself to all m Qlasgow und throughout our Wost Country by her kind sympathy aiid active- ; co-operation in.all good works. It has also : been for myself a very agreeabJo duty to ' confer tlio degree on caeh of tho nine distinguished men presented by tho Senate of the' 'University as worthy bf this hbnoM.r., To be' Chancellor of 01:0 of the universities of our eoiiutry is indeed a distin-, : gujslied honour. For mo to be Chancellor of this my beloved University of Glasgow iimoro tlian an honour. I am a child of t.ho University of Glasgow. I lived in it 67 yjirs (1832 to 1899). But my veneration for the ancient Scottish University, then prao - ticnlly- the University for Ulster, began earlier than that happy part of my life. •My father, born in County Down, was for' foiir years (1810 to 1814) a student of the University of Glasgow, and in bis Irish . home, as first professor of m tho newly-founded Royal Belfast Academical Institution, his children wore tauglit to venorato tho University of Glasgow. Ono of my earliest memories of tlioso old Belfast days is of 1829, \yhon t-lin joyful intelligence came that the Senate of tlio University of 'Glasgow.lind conferred the honorary dogreo of Doctor of Laws on iny father. Two years later came tho announcement ' that the i ■Faculty of Glasgow College had elected him ' to tho professorship of mathematics. Afy father's experiences as a Glasgow, student are naturally of supreme interest to myself. May I briefly sneak of them, not because yinir kindness to me tempts me to be egotistical, but because the difficulties over. : borne and the precious lifo-lolig benefits won by the struggles of an Irish student of the University Of Glasgow in the beginning of the nineteenth century illustrate the "vitality. 1 and efficiency of the university in that pi'iinitiive time. There were no steamers, nor railways, nor motor .ears in those days. Can young persons of the present time imagino life to be possible under such conditions? My father and his comrado-stn-dents. chiefly aspirants for tho ministry of (lie Presbyterian Synod of Ulster and for tlw medical profession in tho North of Ireaiw.l, lmcl to cross tlio Channel twice a. year in whatever sailing craft they could' find to take tfiem. Once my father was fortunate . enough to get a passage in a revenue cutter, which took him from Belfast, to Grconock in 10 hours. Another of his crossings was in an old smack, whose regular duty was to carry lime, not students, from Ireland to Scotland. Tho passage took t.hrco or-four days, in the course of which the little vessel, liooalmed, was carried three times round Ailsa Craig by flow and ebb of the tide. .At the beginning of his fourth and last university session (1813-14) my father ami n party of fellow-students, after landing at Greenock, walked tlicnco to Glasgow. 011 their wa.y they saw a prodigy—a black chimney moving rapidly lroyond a field 011 tho left-hand side of their road. They jumped the fCnee, ran across the field a.nd saw to their astonishment Henry Bell's comet (then not a year old) travelling on the Rivor Olyde ibetwoan Glasgow and Greenock. Their successors fivo years later found in David Napier's steamer Rob Roy (which in 1818 commenced plying regularly between Belfast and Glasgow) an easier, if a less picturesque and adventurous way between the College of Glasgow and their homes in Ireland. Those students who had. experience of cross-channel passages before and after tlie advent, of the Rob Roy may well have been grateful to their college, not only for what it did for themselves, hut for what 60 years before, it did for steam navigation in giving to James Watt a scientific home, and congenial friends, and a workshop in the old university territory adjoining to the Higli street of Glasgow. In tlio comst; of his four student years my father attended tho classes of humanity, moral philosophy, niathcmaties, natural philosophy, anatomy, divinity. Though his passion was for science, and espeoially mathematics and natural philosophy, be attended during his first three sessions ' and won prizes in tho Latin olass, then happily as now called humanity. It is scarcely pos-. sible to overestimate the life-long gift presented to a scientific student 100 years ago, as now by universities in giving something of the .liter® bumaniores to all wfio can and will take it. 11l 1834, two years after my father was promoted from Belfast to the Glasgow Professorship of Mathematics, I be.camc a matriculated member of the University of Glasgow.. Having referred to memories of old Glasgow College and to the ' memorial windows presented to the University of Glasgow to permanently marie its admiration of three men of genius—John Oa'ird, John Pringle Nichol, and his eon John' Nichol,—tho speaker gavo particulars showing that for two centuries and a-quarter it hatl been very progressive. He congratu-. ' latcd the City of Glasgow on having for her god-daughter a university splendidly equipped and admirably provided with workers.

Tho benediction was followed by "God save the King."—Evening 1 Citizen, November 29.'