The University Extension Movement at Cambridge

Author(s): Oscar Browning

Source: Science, Vol. 9, No. 207 (Jan. 21, 1887), pp. 61-63
Published by: American Association for the Advancement of Science
Stable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/1760197
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 SCI EN CE.-SUPPLEMENT.
1_____11_______

FRIDAY, JANUARY 21, 1887. and directly connected with university degrees.
No more efficient means can be found of connect-
ing the old English universities, which have too
THE UNIVERSITY EXTENSION MOVEMENT often been considered as hot-beds of clericalism
and toryism, with the growing life. of the nation,
AT CAMBRIDGE.
especially in the most democratic districts.
THE university extension movement Letwas begun
us now see how the system practically
at Cambridge about fifteen years ago. It occurred
works. A town wishes to establish a course of
to some energetic men, especially to Professors
extension lectures. The first business is to elect a
Stuart and Sidgwick, that the university should
committee, and to raise the necessary funds. The
attempt to influence the education of the extends
session country from September to April, and oc-
not only by examinations, but by direct cupies teaching.
two courses of three months each, either
It was thought that young men were sent out of which may be taken separately. The lecturer
every year by alma mater for whom there was nois paid forty-five pounds for twelve weeks, the
place in the teaching system of the university it-last week in each term being devoted to examina-
self, but who might find a field of activity in the
tions. When it is found that funds can be pro-
great towns of England. The system has grown vided either by subscriptions or by the sale of
up from very small beginnings. At first a private tickets, communications are opened with Cam-
enterprise, it shortly became part of the univer- bridge. If the town is situated in the neighbor-
sity organization, and it is now a recognized de- hood of other towns which have previously
partment of university work. During the last established courses, matters can be arranged on a
six years the growth has been very marked. In more economical basis. The university informs
1880 there were thirteen centres, in 1885 there the town what lecturers it has at its disposal, and
were thirty-six. In 1880 thirty-seven courses of what courses they are able to give: the town
lectures were delivered; in 1885, eighty courses. determines what kind of lectures it desires to re-
The attendance at lectures, which in 1880 was ceive. The subjects vary very much. The
4,300, rose in 1885 to 8,500. The movement has northern miners are keen for instruction in
spread all over England. The miners of North- science: suburban ladies prefer the literature a
umberland form a numerous and intelligent audi- art of mediaeval Italy or Germany. The lecture
ence. There is a centre at Torquay and a centre belongs to one of two classes: he is either a man
at Portsmouth, but, as might be expected in Eng- who has taken up this occupation as a profession,
land, the northern centres far outnumber the whose reputation is well known, and who occu-
southern. London is the seat of a separate pies a position not inferior to that of a recognized
management under the joint government of the university teacher, or he may be a young man
two universities, which extends its ramifications who has just taken his degree, a senior wrangler,
into the suburbs. Hitherto the teaching has beena senior classic, or a senior historian, who looks
scattered over the country without any definiteupon the occupation of university extension lec-
order or arrangement. Each centre has chosen turing as one of the best openings available for
that subject which seemed to suit it best. There an ambitious and successful career.
have been examinations with classes and marks of The first duty of a lecturer is to prepare his
distinction, and a certificate has been given by It was laid down at the commencement
syllabus.
the vice-chancellor of the university, but there of the scheme that every lecturer must, before he
has been no systematic and continuous arrange- begins his work, write an elaborate syllabus,
ment of teaching analogous to that which exists partly as a guaranty that his lectures are really
in the university itself. This want will now be good and thorough, but chiefly as an aid to his
supplied. The university has determined that at-class in threading a difficult and unfamiliar sub-
tendance at certain courses of lectures, tested byject. Two of these syllabuses lie before me, both
examinations and marked by a certificate, shall by lecturers beginning their work. The first
take the place of a certain amount of residence course, by a senior wrangler, is on work and
at the university. When this scheme is put into energy: it consists of twelve lectures. The first,
working order, we shall have a system of academ- being introductory, is on the study of natural
ical teaching extending over the whole country, science, on its results, its methods, and the various

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 62 S CIA J- Y'CE~VL. VOL. IX., No. 207

manners of discovering scientific truths. The an hour. The hour which precedes or follows
second lecture is on the laws of motion, includingthe lecture is taken up with what is known as
a popular exposition of Newton's three laws. The'the class.' In this the formal method of the
third lecture is devoted to the examination of lecture is abandoned, discussion of difficult po
work, energy, and gravitation. In the fourth is invited, questions are put to the lecturer on
lecture certain simple machines are described, -thing that appears obscure, or the lecturer giv
the pendulum, the different kinds of lever, and additional details and illustrations. The class is
the water-wheel. The next lecture deals with the open to all who attend the lectures, but in a ser
nature of heat, and the sixth with the more of years this is generally found not to exceed on
elaborate theories of Mayer and Joule. The half. At the end of each lecture in the syllabus
seventh lecture deals with light and sound, the will be found three or four questions which are to
eighth with chemical energy, the ninth and tenth be answered by the students at home; and help is
with electricity and magnetism. The eleventh freely given in the little pamphlet, as to the line
lecture is devoted to the conservation of energy to be taken in answering the questions, and the
and the manner in which it is transformed from books to be used. These exercises are purely
one shape into another. The last lecture treats voluntary:
of the answers are sent to the lecturer,
the dispersion of energy, and concludes with whoan returns them with corrections before the
account of the sun. following lecture. The number of those doing
It may be thought that this course is somewhat papers is not more than one-third of those who
too extensive and ambitious, and its practical suc-
attend the class, or one-sixth of those who attend
cess remains to be proved by the examination; the lectures. Finally, at the end of each term,
but no one can deny that it forms a brilliant at- an examination is held, conducted, not by the
tempt to deal in a single view with the main lecturer, but by independent examiners appoint-
truths of physics. ed by the university. The numbers examined
The second course is of an entirely different form about one-fourth of the class, or one-eighth
character: it treats of the origin and early history of the whole attendance at lectures. In connec-
of the English colonies in North America. Like tion with each course of three months, certificates
the former, it consists of twelve lectures. The are granted on the double basis of the lecturer's
first lecture is devoted to ancient and modern report of the weekly exercises and the examiner's
systems of colonization, the Greek, the Roman, report of the final examination. In this way is
and the systems of modern states. The second tested not only the capacity of getting up a sub-
lecture treats of the early voyages and settlementsject and passing an examination, but the con-
in America from Christopher Columbus down totinuous effort of steady work throughout the term.
the foundation of Quebec. Then, follows the It is very interesting to consider what classes of
colonization and early history of Virginia, the people are reached by the university extension
colonization of New England, of Maryland, of lectures. Although the movement was first de-
the two Carolinas and Georgia; next come the vised for adults, yet the lectures have been gener-
Quaker colonies of New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and ally frequented by schools, and especially by girls'
Delaware. In the eighth lecture we have reached schools. They are useful in cases where a compe-
the subject of the early colonial wars of France tent visiting lecturer cannot be obtained. Much
and England, from King William's war in 1689- more accessible to these influences are young peo-
97 down to the conspiracy of Pontiac in 1763. ple who have left school, and have not yet settled
The condition of America in 1763 is then dealt in life. This is the golden age for education, cor-
with, with a sketch of each colony from the be-
responding to the time spent at college by those
ginning of the eighteenth century up towho thatcan afford it. From these classes, if from
time. The tenth lecture treats of the war of in- any, must be drawn the affiliated students whom
dependence; the eleventh, of the Americanthe con-
extension movement will link with the uni-
stitution; and the twelfth and last, of the history versity. If the lectures are delivered at night,
of modern Canada down to the present day. they are usually attended by clerks and shop peo
These syllabuses are printed in little pamphlets, ple, who are at work in the day.
and the chief criticism to be made upon themHowever, is the most interesting field of work
that they are often somewhat too long and elabo- which the movement has yet found has been the
rate. Where so much is printed for a course, artisans, and among these are pre-eminent the
there is less room for detailed exposition. This, miners of Northumberland. Mr. Roberts, the
however, is a fault on the right side, which ex- organizing secretary, writes, after a fortnight's
perience will prevent. visitation to Northumberland, "I wish I could
The lectures are given once a week, and last adequately describe the impression this fortnight's

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JANUARY 21, 1887.] SCIEi-CE- 63

work
work made
madeupon upon
me. The
me. sturdy
The intelligence where the higher
sturdy intelligence
of ofeducation, like every thing else,
the
thepitmen,
pitmen, theirtheir
determined
determined
earnestness, is organized
earnestness,
the ap- themainly
ap- for the privileged classes, such
preciative and, responsive way in which they an enterprise is an incalculable boon.
listened, the downright straightforwardness of Some few years ago, on a summer afternoon, a
their speech,- all these it is impossible fully to body of artisans were watching our Cambridge
express. I am persuaded that in the Northum- undergraduates amusing themselves on the river
berland and Durham districts the pitmen are ripe which flows by the backs of the colleges. Their
for a scheme that will bring higher education and conversation was overheard by a passer-by, and it
culture within their reach." The northern popu- was discovered that they were under the impres-
lation is eager for knowledge, and travels long sion that all Cambridge undergraduates were sons
of noblemen, and that no one could live at the
distances to seek it, in all kinds of weather, over
the roughest of roads. Some persons here walked university under a thousand pounds a year.
regularly six miles to hear the lectures. At New- This was the exaggeration of ignorance, but let
castle some travelled as much as ten miles to hear us hope that the extension movement will in
the lectures. Two pitmen, brothers, attended a another generation render all such misunderstand-
course regularly from a .distance of five miles: ings impossible. OscAR BROWNING.
they went there by train, but were compelled to
walk home. This they did for three months on
THE TRAINING OF THE FACULTIES OF
dark nights, over wretchedly bad roads, and in
JUDGMENT AND REASONING.'
all kinds of weather. One miner writes in grati-
tude, "I deeply deplore the last thirty-four years I AM going to endeavor to show, as far as I
of my life. Being buried in the mines since I was have the power to do so, how the psychological
nine years of age, and taught to look jealously onand logical principles which relate to judgment
science as being antagonistic to religion, I little and reasoning may be applied to the treatment of
thought what pleasures of thought and contem- our ordinary school subjects, - what our methods
plation I lost; I have, however, broken loose from of teaching should be, if we desire those methods
my fetters, and am proceeding onwards." It is to be framed in accordance with the laws and
sad to think that this energy and hunger for suggestions of mental science. I must refer you
learning should be cramped by inability to pay to Mr. Sully's indispensable ' Teacher's handbook
for it. Working-men can seldom afford more of psychology,' for the discussion and full exposi-
than one shilling or one shilling sixpence for a tion of the psychological principles. But also, I
course, yet at two shillings a ticket it would take shall begin by running over the chief points which
an attendance of seven hundred to make the lec- require our attention, before I attempt to sketch
tures pay. Besides, the cost of the ticket is not my lessons, so that you may have the principles
the only tax on the artisan. Text-books must be on which I work freshly in your minds. My
bought, weekly papers posted to the lecturer, whiledesire, as you know, is not to upset or change this
wages are lost by attendance at the evening or that method of teaching this or that subject,
classes. The whole system requires a solid pecun- but to bring the precepts and laws of psychology
iary basis to make it permanent; and that, up to bear directly on the actual practice of the class-
to the present moment, has not been forthcoming. room. In what I have got to say on the logical
Although much has been done, we may hope for side of the matter, I am largely indebted to Mr.
much larger developments in the future. A staff Jevons, to whose excellent and suggestive little
of thoroughly trained lecturers should grow up, book, Elementary lessons in logic,' I must refer
who will make this occupation the work of their you. And let me say here that I think every
lives. The courses of instruction will be more teacher ought to own the book, and to make a
systematic, and will be spread regularly over a point of mastering especially the last ten lessons.
number of years. In some cases the lectures will To judge is to connect two notions, two repre-
crystallize, as they have already done, into local sentations or mental images of what has been
colleges or small universities; in others they will perceived; and the outward expression of this
remain in a more fluid state. Whatever may be act is a statement in words, or a proposition.
the result of the movement, there is no doubt that Thus, if we have acquired the general notions or
the problem has been solved of bringing the high-concepts, say, of hardness and heaviness, we may
est university education within the reach of the connect either or both with any particular thing
lowest classes who are capable of receiving it. or class of things, or with any other notion. We
Such a movement may be less necessary in coun- may say, ' This ground is hard,' or, 'This table is
tries where education is more democratic, and 1 From the Journal of education, a paper read before
where no class has been left out; but in England, the Education society, Oct. 25,1886.

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