Mr. Auberon Herbert made a gallant attempt on Tuesday to
reform the Universities by what we may call anticipation. See- ing prophetically that the Fellowships would one day be appro- priated to those who do real educational work, he wanted to provide for that time by legislating at once to the effect that the compensation awarded on the abolition of a fellowship should be limited to three years' value, and took the opportunity to descant on the present waste of academical funds in the shape of the great rewards given for passing good examinations. The House was impatient of this rather premature legislation, and threw out his Bill by a majority of 107 against gl ; but several of the Ministers, —Mr. Gladstone, Mr. Childers, and Mr. Forster,—voted, in the minority, and we cordially concur with Mr. Herbert that the Fellowships at present are for the most part by no means spent even indirectly on education. Still, it is unwise to legislate before the time comes. Mr. Herbert does not anticipate, we believe, returning to the next Parliament, and naturally wishes to stretch out his hand into the future. But that is just -what Parliaments will seldom allow.
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