WAR PLACES CAMBRIDGE AND OXFORD IN HARD STRAITS

The effects of the European war on the English universities is shown by the recent announcement of the registration figures for this year at Oxford and Cambridge. Corresponding conditions exist in France, Russia, Germany, and Austria, with the difference that military service is compulsory in these countries.

At Cambridge the University has shrunk to less than one-third of its former membership. Of the total enrolment in military and naval service, it has been estimated that up to September 30, 474 men have been killed, 672 wounded, and 104 are prisoners or missing. The University begins the year with a considerable financial deficit, which is expected by the end of this year to amount to $60,000. Some 1,500 licensed lodgings in Cambridge are untenanted, and most of the landlords are ruined. Yet both there and at Oxford, the university is still open.

The registration at Oxford last year was 629, against 1,033 the year before. This year it has not gone above 300. The loss of students' fees seriously cripples the university. The separate colleges are making contributions to the general fund, which has also been enriched by the private generosity of professors and others.