114 A Baccalaureate Discourse
teaching of all human knowledge. University diplomas have
become very popular in all classes of society. I dare say they
are even a fetishism. Perhaps it is a compliment to the uni-
versities but it is also a troublesome problem. Some years
ago, I received from a celebrated seat of learning a circular
letter announcing courses on City Traffic. I entertain no
doubt as to the importance of this particular knowledge for
chauffeurs and policemen, but I wonder if it should enter
the scope of a university?
From this standpoint, the European conception of a uni-
versity differs from ours, if I am not mistaken. Let us take
the University of Montreal, for example. We boast of
seven faculties, twelve affiliated schools, and as many so-
called annexed schools. European-minded, we would have
preferred to retain the faculties only, with a few affiliated
schools. But this was impossible. All sorts of diplomas being
awarded throughout Canada and the United States for vari-
ous kinds of special teaching, we had to do the same in order
to enable our students to follow new careers. Inevitably, a
reaction was doomed to occur. It was daringly voiced by the
President of the University of Chicago and his words were
commented on all over the continent.
I do not say that I agree with him on all points : some of
them are too radical. The President of the University of
Chicago may have changed his mind since he uttered his rev-
olutionary plan of reform; nevertheless, this is what he said.
In his opinion, a university should be composed uniquely of
three faculties: metaphysics, social sciences, and natural sci-
ences. He considers as mere professional training the teach-
ing of theology, law, medicine, engineering, and commerce,
and he sets it apart from the university proper with all the
institutions of special researches.
Newman’s idea that “University teaching without Theol-