Page:Convocation Addresses of the Universities of Bombay and Madras.djvu/197

 institution which is responsible in a matter like this. In every Roman city of the ancient days there were establishments for the education of the people which were supported out of municipal funds. Every great municipality of the Roman empire encouraged learning in its schools by liberal grants, by obtaining for the Professors in those schools certain political privileges and titles, and by freeing them from municipal taxes. I believe that the Professors in Bombay would highly appreciate an honour of that last kind. But whether the municipality may feel itself disposed to violate all the canons of political economy or not by conferring an exemption of that kind, I do say that the municipality of Bombay might very well, and with great advantage to the citizens it represents, do something towards supporting three or four or six secondary schools of the first ranks, presided over by men of distinguished abilities and distinguished attainments, and teaching pupils sent into them upon the two great lines of literary and scientific development, and then sending them so prepared into this University to make in this University an entirely new career for it, to set up a new standard, and to make the institution more and more worthy of the great place which, I believe, it occupies now and is destined to occupy in the future of India. That great interest is felt in this University amongst all the classes of the community in this Presidency is in no way perhaps so well indicated as by the endowments which it receives from year to year. Never, I believe, since this University began its career, since the Chancellor or Vice-Chancellor addressed you from this place, has any occasion passed without the announcement of some endowments. This year the endowments are not large, but still the stream has not failed. They have been commemorated in the report which has been read to you, and they claim a word of gratitude from us. Divan Mambhai Jasbhai, the Committee for the Countess of Bufferings Fund, and the Committee for establishing a memorial to the late Mr. James Grreaves, have made endowments which demand our recognition and our gratitude. But perhaps there are not a few here who have a good deal of wealth to dispose of, whom we may remind that although a great deal has been done, a great deal more remains to be done, and there is still room for the munificence of our wealthy citizens. For instance, we have only to look round the enclosure of this noble building to see that a handsome railing round it would add to the beauty and the architectural effect of this magnificent pile. Again, our University Library, which