Εικόνες σελίδας
PDF
Ηλεκτρ. έκδοση

Those who intend taking both courses, should take the Arts Course first. When two courses are taken it is necessary to give six terms to the first, and one term at least to the second. No one gives more than three terms to the second. It is advisable, therefore, to give the longer period to the course which affords the best training; i.e., six terms to Arts, and one, two, or three terms to Theology. Moreover, a professional education should in all cases follow, not precede, a liberal one. This is another reason why Theology should follow, rather than precede Arts. Thirdly, to take the Arts Course first is slightly less expensive. £2 are saved in fees; and the Licentiate's hood, which costs £2, is rendered quite unnecessary. Fourthly, those who take the L.Th. after B.A. are excused the exercise for M.A.; those who take B.A. after L.Th. are not excused. Lastly, every year there are the Van Mildert Scholarship (£50) and two Graduates' Exhibitions (£40) for those who enter the Theological Course after taking their Degree. There is nothing of the kind for those who enter the Arts Course after taking the Licence in Theology.

Candidates for Holy Orders who wish to do the very best for themselves at the University, should take Honours in Arts, and then Honours in Theology; and any one capable of obtaining Honours in the first could make sure of Honours in the second. Such a career would require from six to eight terms for the Arts, and two or three terms for the Theological Course ;-three to four years in all. If only the time can be found, the expense need not be feared. There are so many scholarships, exhibitions, and prizes to be won at all stages of the career, that a good scholar might almost pay his way from first to last. For the sake of example, let us see what might be done by a student who succeeded in winning all that is possible. At entrance, a £70 scholarship for two

years; later on, the University Scholarship, £30 for one year; at the Final Examination in Arts, the Van Mildert Scholarship, £50 for one year; on entering the Theological Course, the Graduates' Exhibition, £40 for one year*; at the Final Examination in Theology, a Prize Exhibition £30. Besides this he might at Collections during his six terms in Arts gain prizes to the amount of £10; and during his three terms in Theology, prizes to the amount of £6. Lastly there are various prizes for Hellenistic Greek, Foreign Languages, &c., by which £25 or £30 more might be won. So that in the course of three or four years considerably over £300 might be obtained by an able and hard working student and many might hope to gain a large portion of this.

:

The Honours Course, however, must always be for the few, rather than the many. But there is no reason why a large majority of candidates for Orders should not do what (though not the best) is very good training :-take the ordinary pass degree in six terms, and then devote three, or at least two terms, to obtaining the Licence in Theology. And many students would find that after the training of the Arts Course they were quite capable of obtaining Honours in Theology, and one of the large prizes (two of £30 and three of £25) annually awarded to those who distinguish themselves in the Final Examination in Theology.

Those who take the Arts Course after the Theological Course get only the second half of the Arts Course; and unless they keep three terms in Arts not even half. Such students obtain a degree, which is no doubt a great gain; but they obtain it in a circuitous way, and with far less benefit to themselves than if they had gone by the direct

* N.B.-The Van Mildert Scholar would not be likely to obtain a Graduates' Exhibition if there were any other candidate sufficiently good to hold the exhibition.

road. Moreover, success is not easy, for the Theological Course is a poor preparation for the Arts Course.

After these preliminary remarks we will consider the case of those who intend to go through the Arts Course with a view to a Degree. Such persons have three alternatives open to them. They may either (1) take the Ordinary Pass Course, or (2) aim at Honours in Classics, or (3) aim at Honours in Mathematics.

We will consider first

The Ordinary Pass Degree.

This is the curriculum of the majority of Students in Arts and no one who has had a fairly good training in Latin and Greek at school need have any fear of being unable to obtain the Degree with moderate work. The candidate has to pass three examinations: (1) Matriculation at entrance, (2) the First Year Examination, at the beginning of the fourth term, (3) the Final Examination, at the end of the sixth term. The 2nd and 3rd are called Public Examinations, being more formal than the 1st: they cannot be passed earlier, but may be passed later, than the fourth and sixth terms respectively.

The Matriculation Examination is elementary; the object being to see whether the candidate is capable of keeping pace with the lectures and of deriving benefit from them. The subjects are as follows:

1. Elements of Christian Knowledge; i.e., Scripture History, the Creeds, &c.

2. Arithmetic.

3. Euclid, Book I., or easy Algebra.

4. Portions of one Greek and one Latin author, which the candidate may select for himself. N.B.-In selecting these authors, the candidate will do well to choose two that will be of use to him in the First Year or Final Examination. The fol

lowing are recommended :-in Latin, three of the first six Eneids of Virgil, or two of the first four Books of the Annals of Tacitus :-in Greek, one of the last three Books of Herodotus, or two of the first six Books of the Odyssey.

Supposing that the candidate does not quite satisfy the examiners, he can still be admitted as a Probationary Student, the disadvantage of which is slight:* but of course one who gives signs of weakness at the outset will have to work the harder to accomplish the work in the time.

The First Year Examination is much more considerable. The subjects are as follows:

1. Virgil, Æneid i.—vi., or Tacitus, Annals i.—iv. 2. Herodotus vii.-ix., or Homer, Odyssey i.- vi. 3. The Gospels of S. Mark and S. John, or S. Luke and S. John in Greek.

4. Greek and Latin Grammar.

5. Ancient History; viz., that contained in Tacitus, Annals i.-iv., or that contained in Herodotus vii.—ix.

6. English History; about five or six reigns fixed annually.

7. Scripture History; five or six books of the Old Testament fixed annually.

8. Arithmetic.

9. Euclid, Books i. and ii., or Deductive Logic. 10. Latin Composition. This is an optional subject those who think they can help themselves with it, take it; those who do not, omit it. It is quite easy to pass without Latin Composition.

N.B.-Virgil and Herodotus always go together as one pair; Tacitus and Homer as the other. The candidate cannot select which pair he likes: this is settled for him by the Calendar. But every

* A Probationary Student pays £2 a term in addition to the usual fees, and for this is supplied with additional lectures of a more elementary kind than the public lectures.

Student in Arts has to do both pairs in the course of his two years. If he has Virgil and Herodotus for his First Year Examination, he will have Tacitus and Homer for his Final Examination; and vice versâ. Which pair he has first will depend upon the time when he enters the University. Of course the Ancient History follows the pair of classical authors. Similarly, the candidate cannot select his Gospels; these also are settled for him by the Calendar. A Calendar should be procured on matriculating, if not before. It contains a great deal of useful information, and also Examination Papers recently set. These are very valuable guides, and show better than a great deal of explanation the kind of work that is required. The Calendar is published by Andrews, Durham, and costs 1s. 6d.

There are no fixed text books: students use any editions they like. It may be well, however, to mention some of the more useful editions:Virgil. Æn. i.—iv.

Shepherd.

5s. 6d. Bell. Æn. v.-xii. Nettleship and Wagner. 6s. 6d. Bell. The Whole. Kennedy. Longmans. Tacitus.-Annals i.-vi. T. K. Arnold. 68. Rivingtons.

10s. 6d.

The whole of the Annals. Frost. 15s.

Bell.

Oxford Notes.

4s.

Parker.

Herodotus.-Book viii. Gantillon. 48. Hall.

[blocks in formation]

Homer.-Odyssey i.—xii. Merry. 4s. 6d.

Gospels.-S. Mark. Rowlandson.

Bohn.

Clarendon Press.

4s. 6d. Hall.

[blocks in formation]

In the Cambridge Bible for Schools each Gospel is sold separately. Grammar, Greek.-Smith's Student's Grammar. 6s. Murray. Primer of Greek Accidence.-Abbott and Mansfield. Rivingtons. Wordsworth's Greek Primer. 1s. 6d. Clarendon Press. Latin. Kennedy's Public School Grammar. 7s. 6d. Longmans.

« ΠροηγούμενηΣυνέχεια »