NOTES AND NEWS. THE Hebdomadal Council would appear to be unusually active just at present. In anticipation of the Jubilee Commemoration they have just promulgated a scheme for two new kinds of Doctors' Degrees, the degree of Doctor of Letters and that of Doctor of Science. Would it not be well to have a special degree of D. Jub. for this year only? or, perhaps on the analogy of LL.D. it should rather be D. Jub. Jub. It might then be conferred in the first instance on the author of Alice in Wonderland, who, as is well known, has published writings in many branches both of letters and science, and has rendered services to learned education too. Jesting apart, however, we welcome these degrees as of real utility. It will now be possible to confer degrees with some significance and propriety, and we shall no longer perhaps see painters and general officers, mathematicians and engineers all equally dubbed Doctors of Civil Law. The D.Lit. and the D.Sc. will be genuine and coveted distinctions. The provision that the D.Lit. may be conferred on persons who have done service to learned education is peculiarly liberal and judicious, as in these days, when it is a distinction not to have written a book, there are many persons whose claims to such a recognition are well known and established. I always advise young Oxford men, said the unrivalled author of Oxford sayings, the late Professor Henry Smith-I always advise young Oxford men to do two things, to write something and to save something. "I myself have done neither." That of course was not fully true, yet although he may not have written any magnum opus, who would have graced the gown of Doctor of Science better, or conferred upon the degree more lustre by wearing it than Henry Smith? But the Council has we hear in petto another scheme, which we cannot regard either as ornamental or useful. It is considering a plan for establishing no less than four Final Schools of Philology, namely, Romance, Russian, Teutonic, [PRICE SIXPEnce. 8.45 p.m.-Canon Greenstock's address to the Maritzburg Mission Association, in Brasenose Hall. MONDAY, January 31. 8 p.m.-Concert in the Corn Exchange. 8 p.m.-The Magistrate, at the New Theatre. 8.30 p.m.-Mr. Crookes' Lecture, "The Genesis of Elements," at the Museum. O.U.A.F.C. v. Stoke, at Stoke. TUESDAY, February 1. 2 p.m.-Convocation and Congregation. 8 p.m.-The Magistrate, at the New Theatre. WEDNESDAY, February 2. O.U.R.U.F.C. v. United Hospitals. 8 p.m.-The Magistrate, at the New Theatre. and Celtic. We cannot think this plan a wise one. The multiplication of Examinations and of Schools is in itself an evil. There can never be any sufficient number of students to give such Schools any recognised standard or prestige. A whole new machinery, first of examiners, then of teachers, and then of rewards and encouragements in the way of scholarships and fellowships, will be called for-and all to endeavour to create a race of precocious specialists. Can we not recognise at once that Examinations and Degrees are the tests and the hall-marks of what men ought to be at one or two and twenty, not of what they cannot be before thirty, the hall-mark and the tests of educated young men, not of profound savants. Moreover, Philology-if we must use the term in the erroneous popular application-is in such an unsettled and tentative state that it will be quite impossible to institute Schools or Examinations in it, unless we are to do with these languages what has been done with Greek and Latin, adopt a stereotyped provincial system and teach and examine in that. The philology of Russian still desiderates its Georg Curtius and its Papillon. We are glad to hear that Professor Freeman is already much better for his change to the climate of Sicily, where, we presume, he is still awaiting the arrival of Mr. StrachanDavidson. The Professor has displayed such marvellous energy and productive power since his accession to the Chair, that he has set up a new and formidable standard of professorial activity. Most of those whom he loves to designate as his "brethren" will find it difficult to live up to this standard, and we frankly confess that, as regards the publication of printed matters, there is a good deal to be said on their behalf. Meanwhile we have no History Mods., the historians cannot make up their mind to sit down with a mere preliminary like the lawyers, and Pass Mods.—like so many threatened institutions-continues to survive. That so important a School as that of Modern History should have its demands rejected, while Natural Science and Mathematics trample down all opposition, is at first sight not a little surprising. But the historians have no one to thank but themselves. In spite of the perfervid protestations of unity in last Term's debate, it is notorious that they could not agree as to what they wanted, and the University had some right to non placet the crude proposal of a narrow and accidental majority. This Term is marked by an unexpected professorial Renaissance. The statistics of sensational journalism and the vituperations of Mr. Thorold Rogers are confounded. The Professor of Greek, relieved of his labours as ViceChancellor, has resumed with youthful vigour the lectures on Early Greek Philosophy which once had so great an influence on Oxford. Professor Max Müller also, we are glad to see, is giving of his learning and his lucidity to the students of Sanskrit in the University. But all this is as nothing compared with the activity promised us by Professor Herkomer in a notice which should make yesterday's Gazette the herald of a new epoch in the history of Professors. He actually proposes to lecture twice a day, and every day of the week, and for two hours at a time, and says that he is anxious that the same persons should attend each day at the hour named. We only fear that there will be serious foundation for his anxiety: we imagine that his lecture-room, which, as he plaintively announces, only holds sixty people, will be filled from day to day by fresh crowds eager to see the man who could imagine such a scheme. Tutors and pupils in the School of Modern History had a hard time of it at the beginning of Term. Their lecture-list failed to make its appearance with the rest. On Saturday it was eagerly expected, but it never came. On Monday it was indignantly demanded, but the Press refused to publish. At last it appeared in the general synopsis of lectures, but still it was not issued in the usual form. On Tuesday night, after lectures had already begun, useless bundles of the list were carefully distributed. Somewhere or other the wheels of procedure had been clogged, but no one has discovered the exact point or cause. The most plausible rumour attributes the delay to the malice of a permanent official. How best to train the Oxford Undergraduate is one of the most difficult of modern problems. There are, however, one or two broad principles which should certainly be adopted, and acted up to. The Undergraduate is young and inexperienced, perhaps headstrong and hot-blooded: he should therefore be kept out of the way of evil influences, of temptations to lead a gay or a fast life. He is filled with buoyant hope, and a touching belief in ideals: he should therefore be brought to face the realities of life gradually and gently, and, above all, he should not be perpetually irritated. "It was incessant irritation and petty annoyance which embittered the declining years of Anacharsis Clootz, and enabled Socrates to contemplate with resignation, and perhaps with complacency, a lingering though probably painless demise." But Oxford authorities have forgotten these facts: if you go into the streets you hear at all hours of the day church bells ringing as if they were in for a tournament; you find roads constructed of some peculiar material rendering the passage of the lightest vehicle impossible without a noise like Niagara among broken bottles; you meet men ringing large handbells, who, if you remonstrate with them, give you no answer but the offer of an inferior periodical. These, however, are old abuses, and if these were all we should be silent. This Term there stalks unchecked through the city an awful boy with a cart: his voice when he stands at Carfax can be distinctly heard at Magdalen and Worcester; he only says one thing "Potatoes all 'ot." He has been evolved from countless generations of Stentors. This boy is the last straw upon the back of Undergraduates. Those of them who occur in after life will be taciturn and even morose men. With what bitter certainty, as we look upon the scene, do we utter those lines of the great Greek poet : διφρηλατῶν ἥσει μέγαν κωκυτὸν ἐν πάσῃ πόλει πύτατος αὐλοτ αύλοτ. of the floods, and the floating ice which seriously hampered The University Eight has been regularly at work, in spite the course a week ago. Coaching from the bank has hitherto been impossible, as the towpath is covered with water, and has been completely washed away in places, especially between Iffley lasher and the lock. We have not seen the river so the same magnitude having occurred in November, 1882, high as it is now for more than four years, the last flood of and then the water rose nearly eight inches higher than at present. It is too early to speak with confidence of the rowing; neither the President nor the Secretary have taken seat, but is not likely to be a permanence because of his a seat in the boat so far, and Frere is occupying the stroke want of strength, although his rowing is fairly good. We are glad to notice that the difficulty of filling No. 7 seat seems to be in a fair way to being solved, Williams showing Most of the other very promising form in that position. oarsmen are in a state of probation, and it would be premature to pass any judgment on them this week. brilliant form. Brasenose are perhaps the pick of the lot; The Torpids are all in practice, none of them showing any Magdalen, Exeter, and Trinity look as if they might turn out good crews, but the present flooded state of the river, which utterly precludes all idea of coaching from the bank, prevents the crews from making rapid improvement. We have to congratulate Balliol on another new organ. This is the second they have had in one year. One would think there was no stop to their organs that they have so many. In the present case the new instrument has been placed in the Chapel. It was certainly wanted, the old organ being very rough and noisy. Whilst we are on the subject of Balliol music, Mr. Farmer is also to be congratulated on an excellent idea which he realised last Term and will carry out again on Feb. 14th. There is to be a concert, in which the chief part of the burden will be borne by several of the singing clerks from various colleges. Many often regret how rarely it is that they hear these, the finest voices in Oxford, outside the chapels to which they belong. If Mr. Farmer succeeds in bringing these artists into closer contact, not only with one another, but also with many others who have the highest appreciation of their talents, he will have indeed rendered some service to music at Oxford. The Musical Club concert, at which Herr Joachim will play, has been fixed for March 9th. The Sheldonian Theatre has been granted by the Curators for the purpose. It is now many years (not far from twenty) since Herr Joachim's violin was heard here. To those who are prevented in Vacation time from hearing him in London, his visit to Oxford will be a landmark in the Term. Many too, who for their own part would disclaim much musical discrimination, will no doubt be attracted by the mere personality and overshadowing reputation of the violinist. It is said that applications have already been made to Mr. Russell for tickets. Mr. Gibson and Mr. Ould, both well known to Oxford, will also play in the concert, and we have |