my discovery of england-第11部分

快捷操作: 按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页 按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页 按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部! 如果本书没有阅读完，想下次继续接着阅读，可使用上方 "收藏到我的浏览器" 功能 和 "加入书签" 功能！


r　Christmas　presents　in　Manchester。

It　is　wiser　not　to　do　anything　of　the　sort。　England　should　send　them　a　good　old…fashioned　ultimatum；　mobilise　all　the　naval　officers　at　the　Embankment　hotels；　raise　the　income　tax　another　sixpence；　and　defy　them。

If　that　were　done　it　might　prove　a　successful　first　step　in　bringing　English　politics　back　to　the　high　plane　of　conversational　interest　from　which　they　are　threatening　to　fall。



V。　…　Oxford　as　I　See　It

MY　private　station　being　that　of　a　university　professor；　I　was　naturally　deeply　interested　in　the　system　of　education　in　England。　I　was　therefore　led　to　make　a　special　visit　to　Oxford　and　to　submit　the　place　to　a　searching　scrutiny。　Arriving　one　afternoon　at　four　o'clock；　I　stayed　at　the　Mitre　Hotel　and　did　not　leave　until　eleven　o'clock　next　morning。　The　whole　of　this　time；　except　for　one　hour　spent　in　addressing　the　undergraduates；　was　devoted　to　a　close　and　eager　study　of　the　great　university。　When　I　add　to　this　that　I　had　already　visited　Oxford　in　1907　and　spent　a　Sunday　at　All　Souls　with　Colonel　L。　S。　Amery；　it　will　be　seen　at　once　that　my　views　on　Oxford　are　based　upon　observations　extending　over　fourteen　years。

At　any　rate　I　can　at　least　claim　that　my　acquaintance　with　the　British　university　is　just　as　good　a　basis　for　reflection　and　judgment　as　that　of　the　numerous　English　critics　who　come　to　our　side　of　the　water。　I　have　known　a　famous　English　author　to　arrive　at　Harvard　University　in　the　morning；　have　lunch　with　President　Lowell；　and　then　write　a　whole　chapter　on　the　Excellence　of　Higher　Education　in　America。　I　have　known　another　one　come　to　Harvard；　have　lunch　with　President　Lowell；　and　do　an　entire　book　on　the　Decline　of　Serious　Study　in　America。　Or　take　the　case　of　my　own　university。　I　remember　Mr。　Rudyard　Kipling　coming　to　McGill　and　saying　in　his　address　to　the　undergraduates　at　2。30　P。M。；　〃You　have　here　a　great　institution。〃　But　how　could　he　have　gathered　this　information？　As　far　as　I　know　he　spent　the　entire　morning　with　Sir　Andrew　Macphail　in　his　house　beside　the　campus；　smoking　cigarettes。　When　I　add　that　he　distinctly　refused　to　visit　the　Palaeontologic　Museum；　that　he　saw　nothing　of　our　new　hydraulic　apparatus；　or　of　our　classes　in　Domestic　Science；　his　judgment　that　we　had　here　a　great　institution　seems　a　little　bit　superficial。　I　can　only　put　beside　it；　to　redeem　it　in　some　measure；　the　hasty　and　ill…formed　judgment　expressed　by　Lord　Milner；　〃McGill　　is　a　noble　university〃：　and　the　rash　and　indiscreet　expression　of　　the　Prince　of　Wales；　when　we　gave　him　an　LL。D。　degree；　〃McGill　has　　a　glorious　future。〃

To　my　mind　these　unthinking　judgments　about　our　great　college　do　harm；　and　I　determined；　therefore；　that　anything　that　I　said　about　Oxford　should　be　the　result　of　the　actual　observation　and　real　study　based　upon　a　bona　fide　residence　in　the　Mitre　Hotel。

On　the　strength　of　this　basis　of　experience　I　am　prepared　to　make　the　following　positive　and　emphatic　statements。　Oxford　is　a　noble　university。　It　has　a　great　past。　It　is　at　present　the　greatest　university　in　the　world：　and　it　is　quite　possible　that　it　has　a　great　future。　Oxford　trains　scholars　of　the　real　type　better　than　any　other　place　in　the　world。　Its　methods　are　antiquated。　It　despises　science。　Its　lectures　are　rotten。　It　has　professors　who　never　teach　and　students　who　never　learn。　It　has　no　order；　no　arrangement；　no　system。　Its　curriculum　is　unintelligible。　It　has　no　president。　It　has　no　state　legislature　to　tell　it　how　to　teach；　and　yet；it　gets　there。　Whether　we　like　it　or　not；　Oxford　gives　something　to　its　students；　a　life　and　a　mode　of　thought；　which　in　America　as　yet　we　can　emulate　but　not　equal。

If　anybody　doubts　this　let　him　go　and　take　a　room　at　the　Mitre　Hotel　（ten　and　six　for　a　wainscotted　bedroom；　period　of　Charles　I）　and　study　the　place　for　himself。

These　singular　results　achieved　at　Oxford　are　all　the　more　surprising　when　one　considers　the　distressing　conditions　under　which　the　students　work。　The　lack　of　an　adequate　building　fund　compels　them　to　go　on　working　in　the　same　old　buildings　which　they　have　had　for　centuries。　The　buildings　at　Brasenose　College　have　not　been　renewed　since　the　year　1525。　In　New　College　and　Magdalen　the　students　are　still　housed　in　the　old　buildings　erected　in　the　sixteenth　century。　At　Christ　Church　I　was　shown　a　kitchen　which　had　been　built　at　the　expense　of　Cardinal　Wolsey　in　1527。　Incredible　though　it　may　seem；　they　have　no　other　place　to　cook　in　than　this　and　are　compelled　to　use　it　to…day。　On　the　day　when　I　saw　this　kitchen；　four　cooks　were　busy　roasting　an　ox　whole　for　the　students'　lunch：　this　at　least　is　what　I　presumed　they　were　doing　from　the　size　of　the　fire…place　used；　but　it　may　not　have　been　an　ox；　perhaps　it　was　a　cow。　On　a　huge　table；　twelve　feet　by　six　and　made　of　slabs　of　wood　five　inches　thick；　two　other　cooks　were　rolling　out　a　game　pie。　I　estimated　it　as　measuring　three　feet　across。　In　this　rude　way；　unchanged　since　the　time　of　Henry　VIII；　the　unhappy　Oxford　students　are　fed。　I　could　not　help　contrasting　it　with　the　cosy　little　boarding　houses　on　Cottage　Grove　Avenue　where　I　used　to　eat　when　I　was　a　student　at　Chicago；　or　the　charming　little　basement　dining…rooms　of　the　students'　boarding　houses　in　Toronto。　But　then；　of　course；　Henry　VIII　never　lived　in　Toronto。

The　same　lack　of　a　building…fund　necessitates　the　Oxford　students；　living　in　the　identical　old　boarding　houses　they　had　in　the　sixteenth　and　seventeenth　centuries。　Technically　they　are　called　〃quadrangles；〃　〃closes〃　and　〃rooms〃；　but　I　am　so　broken　in　to　the　usage　of　my　student　days　that　I　can't　help　calling　them　boarding　houses。　In　many　of　these　the　old　stairway　has　been　worn　down　by　the　feet　of　ten　generations　of　students：　the　windows　have　little　latticed　panes：　there　are　old　names　carved　here　and　there　upon　the　stone；　and　a　thick　growth　of　ivy　covers　the　walls。　The　boarding　house　at　St。　John's　College　dates　from　1509；　the　one　at　Christ　Church　from　the　same　period。　A　few　hundred　thousand　pounds　would　suffice　to　replace　these　old　buildings　with　neat　steel　and　brick　structures　like　the　normal　school　at　Schenectady；　N。Y。；　or　the　Peel　Street　High　School　at　Montreal。　But　nothing　is　done。　A　movement　was　indeed　attempted　last　autumn　towards　removing　the　ivy　from　the　walls；　but　the　result　was　unsatisfactory　and　they　are　putting　it　back。　Any　one　could　have　told　them　beforehand　that　the　mere　removal　of　the　ivy　would　not　brighten　Oxford　up；　unless　at　the　same　time　one　cleared　the　stones　of　the　old　inscriptions；　put　in　steel　fire…escapes；　and　in　fact　brought　the　boarding　houses　up　to　date。

But　Henry　VIII　being　dead；　nothing　was　done。　Yet　in　spite　of　its　dilapidated　buildings　and　its　lack　of　fire…escapes；　ventilation；　sanitation；　and　up…to…date　kitchen　facilities；　I　persist　in　my　assertion　that　I　believe　that　Oxford；　in　its　way；　is　the　greatest　university　in　the　world。　I　am　aware　that　this　is　an　extreme　statement　and　needs　explanation。　Oxford　is　much　smaller　in　numbers；　for　example；　than　the　State　University　of　Minnesota；　and　is　much　poorer。　It　has；　or　had　till　yesterday；　fewer　students　than　the　University　of　Toronto。　To　mention　Oxford　beside　the　26；000　students　of　Columbia