Pagan Revival Research Articles

An Analysis of the Pagan Revival of the Late Fourth Century, with Especial Reference to Symmachus

An Analysis of the Pagan Revival of the Late Fourth Century, with Especial Reference to Symmachus

The Functions of Universities

As it is most desirable that students of all classes should, as far as possible, be in contact with one another during the impressionable years of training, it is eminently desirable that schools of engineering should be connected with Universities. It is distinctly contrary to public policy that the present denominational education of students of different professions in special seminaries, whether they are ecclesiastical, or medical, or engineering, should be encouraged. The existing separation of professional and commercial education is most mischievous, and is very largely due to compulsory Greek. Anent this, all that I said was that the danger of a Pagan revival was the best argument for compulsory Greek; I did not say it was a good argument. About going to Colleges and Universities, I did not say that the student should go to a College and not to a University, if he ever had time and ability to benefit by University training. Very few can do this, hardly any undergraduates ever do; and what I deprecate is that University Professors should be expected to waste their time in making cripples run—that is what College teachers and private coaches are paid for doing. Some Universities, as, for example, that of Dublin, are too poor to pay double sets of teachers, but that is their misfortune, and should not be a precedent for a rich country like England, nor for the wealthiest city in the world, like London.

The Value of Useless Studies

IT is rather surprising that Prof. Ayrton should indulge in covert sneers at Universities for devoting themselves to useless studies. It certainly ill becomes one whose life is bound up with electrical science, which is of such recent growth that nobody can pretend to forget how it owes its origin to those who studied it while useless. If Universities do not study useless subjects, who will? Once a subject becomes useful, it may very well be left to schools and technical colleges, to patent-mongers, and the trade. Mr. Bury is, on the other hand, mistaken in two respects. That a subject is useless is hardly worth considering as a recommendation for its being made compulsory on students. There are too many useless subjects for that. The great objection to compulsory Greek is that it is the principal stumbling-stone in the way of any literature being studied by ordinary University students. The Bible produced very little effect until it was read in translations; and the danger of a pagan revival, if ancient literature were studied without the obstruction of difficult languages, is the best reason for insisting on these languages in a Christian University. The second mistake of Mr. Bury is that it is any part of the business of a Universtiy to teach. Universities should certainly give facilities for students to learn. It is the business of the students to learn. If they are so ill prepared that they have not acquired the art of learning, they should go to a college or school or private teachers, and get taught; for teaching is the business of these institutions and persons. The business of Universities is to advance culture and knowledge, and to afford students an opportunity of learning how to do this. Prof. Ayrton, by omission rather than by commission, seems utterly unable to appreciate the value of literature for its own sake. How can all this fierce toil he extols so justly advance a lot of savages?