EVENING MEETING

DURING THE EXAMINATION AT EXETER,

JUNE 18, 1857.

Speeches of the Rev. F. TEMPLE, Mr. BowSTEAD, and Professor MAX MÜLLER, and Address of the Schoolmasters.

THE REV. F. TEMPLE said-Mr. Mayor, ladies, and gentlemen, I am afraid I am hardly able yet to give anything like a report of the way in which the papers and the other work in the examination have been done, or to say anything in detail about what we found as to the genius or talent there; but at any rate, the meeting of so many pupils for such an examination, and the meeting of so many here on such an occasion as this, is something like an augury from which to calculate what we may expect hereafter, in respect to all that the Mayor is hoping for. (Cheers.) It is to me more than an ordinary pleasure to speak upon such a question to-night, because among all the other examiners I have this additional interest - or at least, beyond some of them-that I am a Devonshire man-(cheers)— that I spent all my childhood in Devonshire, and that I owe a debt of gratitude which I shall never be able to repay for the instruction I had from a most excellent teacher in a Devonshire school (Rev. Henry Sanders). (Hear, hear.) From that Devonshire school I found the means of going to the University of Oxford, and ever since I have always found that absence from Devonshire does not, at any rate, diminish that kind feeling which Devonshire men feel towards those who belong to their county. (Cheers.) It is no slight pleasure to me to come down here, deputed by the government of the country, and to meet so many who show such an interest in a movement like that which has been commenced this week, but about which neither I nor any one else can prophesy what the end of it will be. (Hear, hear.) As far as I can see, it will grow to something which I hope will live long after the names who have commenced it have been forgotten. (Cheers.) There is, I think, good reason for hope that this be

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ginning is something really worthy of all that these western counties have hitherto done. There is some foundation for hoping that both from the interest here taken in the movement, and everywhere throughout England, and the hearty and warm reception which it has had from both Universities—(cheers)—that it will go on and prosper. I do not think that when Mr. Acland first proposed to hold these examinations he himself had the slightest idea—and most certainly when I heard from him I had not the slightest idea— of what was to come out of his proposition. (Hear, hear.) It appeared at first sight to be a proposal to do something towards the improvement of the schools in the western counties, but as it went on, and the more it was discussed, the more it seemed to grow under our hands-it appeared to grow more important every day, and everywhere it was taken up with warmer interest. It was put first before a few members of the Universities, who accepted it, as they said themselves, "with the greatest delight," and it was only doubted whether it was possible to expect that the country at large would follow up the movement which had been commenced. It was followed up by applying to different parties in the country; and everywhere, as I have said, it was taken up with the warmest interest, and memorials poured in as fast almost as they could receive them, praying the Universities to adopt some scheme-not for the western counties only, but for the whole of England. (Cheers.) These memorials were presented to the Universities, and several of us who were most interested in the subject applied to the authorities of Oxford first, and afterwards to Cambridge-explaining what it was we had been thinking of, and how the country was prepared to support it in so hearty a manner if the Universities would take it up. I was in Oxford on a Friday, with several other gentlemen, and appeared before a committee of the hebdomadal council; and they (the council) had a statute printed, and ready to be presented to the council on the Monday following. (Hear, hear.) I was also at Cambridge on a Friday, and on the Monday following the council of that University had their report ready, and were prepared to go forward with the plan-so that both Universities showed the heartiest interest in what was proposed to be done. (Hear, hear.) The interest still continues, and can be seen even at this moment. (Cheers.) We are sorry, indeed, that Dr. Acland (who would have been here as one of the representatives of Oxford) should not be present. He has, however, evinced all the interest he possibly can by what he has sent here, which is a pleasing addition to the interest of the Meeting

-viz., the specimens which were collected on the shores of the western counties, and which form a part of the Museum at the University. The microscope also he has sent down, with a gentleman who acts as his agent, to show and explain it to all who wish to see it. (Cheers.) This is all that Dr. Acland has been able to do; but it shows how real his interest is, and I may say how really, in this matter, he represents the university to which he belongs. (Hear, hear.) Although, however, he is not here, we have a Professor of Oxford, who was not, indeed, educated at Oxford, but of whom Oxford has learned to be really proud-Professor Max Müller. (Cheers.) That gentleman has come to show the real interest he also feels in what has been done. What, then, is this scheme which we are all met together to support? What is it that Mr. Acland proposes to do? It is this. Mr. Acland felt that whilst there was a great deal said about the improvement of the education of the middle classes- -a great deal that was valuable in the way of suggestion-that it was advisable to begin by finding out what we had already got, and to improve that to the utmost. (Hear, hear.) "Let us," he said, " build on the foundations we already have. Here are

a number of schools in the western counties-let us invite pupils in them to come forward to show what they can do. (Hear, hear.) Starting from that point, let us endeavour to give them assistance in improving themselves. Let us endeavour, by pointing out where they have already succeeded and where they are at present deficient, to show them what they are to persevere in, and how the deficiency ought to be supplied." (Hear, hear.) This is the foundation of Mr. Acland's plan. It is to take the schools as we find them, and to endeavour to make them as good as it is possible to make them. (Cheers.) This is what he proposes to do for the western counties, and this it is that the University of Oxford proposes to do-if the schools are willing to accept the offer-for the whole of England. The University of Oxford this day has passed the statute-(cheers)—which will commence a system of examinations, and will confer the title of Associate of Arts of the University on all those who come for examination and are able to pass it. (Cheers.) There is the very strongest reason for accepting the offer of the Universities. In fact, I need not say much about the reasons; because the country, without hearing much on that side of the case, have already expressed in the plainest language their wish that the Universities should undertake the work, by the memorials and addresses which were poured into them in such numbers. But there are strong reasons, I say, why they should do it,

and why they can do it better than any other bodies that can be named. Whatever there is in Oxford and Cambridge that is faulty-(and I do not mean to say they have no faults, for I do not know anything very good in this country that is perfect, inasmuch as it seems to be a sort of condition of high excellence that it should have combined with it the actual existence of very frequent faults; and the universities have their faults accordingly, and these faults they are doing their very utmost to amend as fast as they can)-but they have also some great merits. (Hear, hear.) In the first place, the universities have an excellent method of teaching. They may not always have endeavoured to teach the right thing. It is possible that their system is too exclusive, and it may be a great improvement-in fact, I think it would be a great improvementto introduce other subjects into the university course. The universities have, indeed, already shown that they think this would be an improvement, by enlarging their course so as to admit other subjects which have been hitherto excluded. (Hear, hear.) But within the range of the subjects taught the universities certainly have a method of teaching which I do not think can be rivalled by any in the world-that method of teaching which makes the learning really a part of the learner's mind; and by which the teacher does not merely pour so much knowledge into the learner's head without any consideration as to the effect it will produce upon him. There is a very great difference between stuffing a man's brains with a certain amount of knowledge, and working that knowledge upon his character and upon the powers of his mind so as to turn him out really more of a man than he was before. (Cheers.) It is this latter mode that is the merit of the university system of this country. It is acknowledged everywhere that the men who are turned out of the universities of this country do show that the knowledge they have gained has really been absorbed into their minds and becomes a part of themselves; that they are really elevated above what they were before; and that it has not been merely so much information taken out of a book, and shoved, as it were, bodily into their heads. (Cheers and laughter.) This great merit of the universities constitutes them, beyond all others in Europe, the best guides that can be taken for the improvement of education in general. But there is another merit, and it is this-I have never heard, and I am sure I never shall hear, one single word against the absolute impartiality of their decisions. (Cheers.) The universities are known for this-that when the examiners give their decisions upon

the examination, they may indeed make mistakes--as all men are liable to make mistakes; there may indeed arise errors of judgment, but there is the most rigid and absolute justice as far as man can secure it. (Cheers.) This is a reason why they should be entrusted with such a work as that to which I have alluded. I may add something more-that the universities certainly have running through them a high tone and a high principle, which places them at the head of all education in this country. No man can have lived long in them without feeling that with all their faults, these faults are never such as to interfere with that kind of nobleness of character which has always distinguished them from the first. (Hear, hear.) But, besides all this, there is still something further to be said as the reason for putting the universities forward as the guides of education in this country. There is this to be said—that everything we do for the country at large should be of a character to bind all classes together. (Cheers.) The universities educate the members, or a considerable portion of the members, of what are called the learned professions. The universities also educate the great body of the upper class. It is of the greatest consequence that there should be a strong opinion entertained of the importance of binding together this class with all the other classes in the country; and the universities should be made to feel that they have an interest in the education of all England, and all England should be made to feel that they have an interest in the prosperity and excellence of the universities. (Cheers.) It is with this hope that we have attempted to persuade and have succeeded in persuading the universities to undertake the work; as well as a considerable body who are interested in the education of those who do not go to the universities, to support them. It is gratifying that here in these western counties so many see clearly what ought to be done, and are determined to do it; and what has been done and is doing must be really gratifying to a Devonshire man. (Cheers.) I was asked to speak to you on the subject in general, and on that part of the examination which I have had more particularly entrusted to my charge. That which I have to deal with has been more especially language and literature. The vivá voce examinations and the papers on these two subjects have chiefly engaged my attention. We lay very great stress upon this part of the examination, because we think that it is of pe'culiar value. It is so, because it is quite certain that one of the most important things you can do for any man is to teach him