Note 370 — Chapter IV · COLLEGIATE AND SOCIAL LIFE AT THE UNIVERSITY

In June 1905 there were 647 tripos candidates, 146 for the Natural Sciences, 127 for History, 111 Classics, 95 Law, 63 Mathematics, 28 Mechanical Science, 25 Theology, 13 Modern Languages, 5 Moral Sciences, 5 Economics, 1 Oriental Languages. The year before Natural Sciences was also at the top of the poll with 131 graduates; the Classical came next with 112, the Mathematical 67, History 63. Some 30% therefore take Natural or Mechanical Sciences, and some of the mathematical students stay on for scientific work. The far larger number of men now take the First Part of the Mathematical, Classical, or Natural Sciences tripos in their third year, which gives them the B.A., and do not proceed to the Second Part. For the proportion of First and Second classes obtained cf. vi. p. 356 n.

It was, however, only very gradually that the classical and other triposes worked their way to an equality in popularity with the mathematical. It was not till 1884, after the division of the tripos, that the classical men were slightly in excess of the mathematical (see chap. iii.).