Documentary History of Education in Upper Canada, Vol. 18
From the Passing of the Constitutional Act of 1791 to the Close of the Reverend Doctor Ryerson's Administration of the Education Department in 1876; 1863-1865 (Classic Reprint)

Excerpt from Documentary History of Education in Upper Canada, Vol. 18: From the Passing of the Constitutional Act of 1791 to the Close of the Reverend Doctor Ryerson's Administration of the Education Department in 1876; 1863-1865

This Volume deals principally with two Questions which attracted a good deal of attention, and was largely discussed, during the years 1863. 1864 and 1865.The more important one was the effort made by the University Commission to settle the University Question on the broad and comprehensive basis, which they had outlined in their Report to the Government on the subject.

In addition to the popular discussion of this question in the Public Press, the subject was taken up by the various Churches and was somewhat exhaustively treated by the Presbyterian Church (of Scotland), representing Queens College, by the Methodist Church, representing Victoria College, but not so fully, in regard to details, by the Church of England, representing Trinity College. The (Free) Presbyterian Church and the Congregational Churches took the other side of the Question, and opposed dealing with the Question as proposed by the University Commissioners.

The Presbyterian Church (of Scotland) and the Methodist Church both took strong ground in favour of what was, by them, regarded in the light of "University Reform," as proposed by the University Commissioners, especially that part of their Scheme which sought to make the affiliation of the outlying Colleges with the University of Toronto a practical reality, made certain, and more satisfactory, by the proposed granting of a fixed sum by the Legislature to each affiliated College, instead of the uncertain and indefinate proposal on the subject, contained in the University Act of 1853.

Both the Presbyterian Church (of Scotland) and the Methodist Church had prepared and had printed in pamphlet form, an elaborate defence of the Scheme proposed by the University Commissioners. With a spice of humour and a touch of irony, the Paper prepared on the subject by the Principal of Queen's College was headed "Defence of the Plan of University Reform, proposed by the Senate of the University of Toronto." This "Plan of University Reform" was in reality nothing more than the "Answers to Questions proposed to the Senate by the University Commissioners." When the Report of the Commissioners was published, quite a number of Members of the Senate sought to repudiate the views which had been expressed in these Answers, and took active steps, not only by holding a Public Meeting in the City on the subject, but also, by a series of Resolutions in the Senate, to censure the proceedings of the Commissioners, and to entirely condemn the University Scheme which they had elaborated. The series of condemnatory Resolutions of the Senate would have been carried, (as additions were being made to it to accomplish that object), had not the Attorney-General forbid the Senate to proceed to deal with the Commissioners' Report, which he stated was made to the Government and not to the Senate, and which the Government alone, and not the Senate, could discuss and approve, or dissent from, at its discretion.

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