The University Of Birmingham

( Originally Published 1910 )

THE opening of the new University buildings in Birmingham by the King on July 7th recalled the origin of this progressive centre of education. In 1873, Sir Josiah Mason, one of Birmingham's sons, endowed a college for practical science. Two years later the foundation was laid by Sir Josiah and Mr. John Bright. This college continued to do valuable service till 1898, in which year, thanks mainly to the initiative and industry of Mr. Joseph Chamberlain, a university was established with faculties in arts, science, medicine, and commerce. A fund of over £320,000 was raised, Mr. Andrew Carnegie contributing £50,000, and in 1900 a charter was granted. Since that time the University has been recognised as among the foremost of the land. The principal, Sir Oliver Lodge, has a world-wide reputation both as author and lecturer.

In the same week as the opening of the new University buildings at Birmingham the King also took part in the opening of the new wing of the Manchester Infirmary, a new Speech Room at Rugby School, and laid the foundation stone of the new Imperial College of Science at South Kensington. On June 25th he opened the Victoria and Albert Museum at Kensington.

FROM IN MEMORIAM."

STRONG Son of God, immortal Love, Whom we, that have not seen Thy face, By faith, and faith alone, embrace, Believing where we cannot prove ; * * * * *

Thou wilt not leave us in the dust :
Thou madest man, he knows not why,
He thinks he was not made to die ;
And Thou hast made him : Thou art just.
Thou seemest human and divine,
The highest, holiest manhood, Thou ;
Our wills are ours, we know not how,
Our wills are ours, to make them Thine.
Our little systems have their day ;
They have their day and cease to be .
They are but broken lights of Thee,
And Thou, O Lord, art more than they.

BREAK, break, break, On thy cold gray stones, O Sea !
And I would that my tongue could utter
The thoughts that arise in me.
O well for the fisherman's boy
That he shouts with his sister at play !
O well for the sailor lad,
That he sings in his boat on the bay !
And the stately ships go on
To their haven under the hill ;
But O for the touch of a vanish'd hand,
And the sound of a voice that is still !
Break, break, break,
At the foot of thy crags, O Sea !
But the tender grace of a day that is dead
Will never come back to me.

SIR GALAHAD.

" SAW ye no more ? I, Galahad, saw the Grail,

The Holy Grail, descend upon the shrine :
I saw the fiery face as of a child
That smote itself into the bread, and went ;
And hither am I come ; and never yet
Hath what thy sister taught me first to see,
This Holy Thing, fail'd from my side, nor come
Cover'd, but moving with me night and day,
Fainter by day, but always in the night

Blood-red, and sliding down the blacken'd marsh
Blood-red, and on the naked mountain top
Blood-red, and in the sleeping mere below
Blood-red. And in the strength of this I rode,
Shattering all evil customs everywhere,

And past thro' Pagan realms, and made them mine,
And clash'd with Pagan hordes, and bore them down,
And broke thro' all, and in the strength of this Come victor.

TENNYSON.

From " The Holy Grail."