R,CHARD MONCKTON MILNES was born in the year - OUDL Home

Oxford in the 'Seventies 217spirit, of the Oxford anterior to the first Commission, yetalready palpitating with the promise of the Oxford of the'nineties, or even of the present century to date; butlacking, perhaps, a clear and eminent character of its own—a period of disappointment, unsatisfied demands, apparentreaction, yet with a touch of spring in the air; atime of latent push and now visible importance, thoughanything but 'the perfect star, we saw not, when wemoved therein'.IV. OXFORD AND LITERATUREWhat has all that to say to Literature? Much everyway! But we must discriminate between life and letters,between literature and literature. The relations betweenUniversities and Literatures are manifold and complicated,direct and indirect, local and ecumenical. OxfordUniversity is at any given moment a large association,with a still ampler penumbra: the city of Oxford containsbut the headquarters and nucleus of the brotherhood.The majority of its members, past and present, are distributedthroughout the country, the dominions, the wideworld. As men, and women, of culture and education,they owe these advantages, in greater or less part, toOxford. If literature means anything to them—and itnot seldom means at least bread and butter—Oxford hashelped them to that meaning, and has, perhaps, spreadthe butter a little thicker on the bread. Those of them forwhom literature has a purely cultural value, would notdisown a debt to Oxford. But what critic would be boldenough to attempt, from this point of view, an estimateof the service of Oxford to literature? The learned Professions,the Civil Services of the empire, other Universities,Schools of all grades, Churches of all denominations,are staffed by men and women, who—no doubtwith varying consciousness and results—are what they