IN THE AUTUMN of 1891 Mackenzie King enrolled in the Faculty
of Arts at University College in the University of Toronto. He was
not yet seventeen. A year later he entered the honour course in
political science, and was awarded a Blake scholarship in political
science and history. For the next three years his studies were mainly
in politics, economics, constitutional history, and law, in most of which
he stood at or near the top of his class. He graduated in 1895 with
first-class honours. In 1896 he received the degree of bachelor of
laws at Toronto.

King's undergraduate years corresponded with a period of unusual
activity at the University. It was just beginning to feel the stimulating
effects of rapid growth encouraged by the federation of colleges
brought about in 1887, the success of which had been virtually assured
by the inclusion of Victoria University three years later. The Univer-
sity of Toronto now offered arts, medicine, engineering, and a little
law, and its affiliated institutions provided professional training in
other fields. Student registration rose from 1,091 in 1891-2 to 2,135
in 1903-4, and the teaching staff increased from 82 to 177 in the
same period. The arts faculty contained a number of outstanding men.
W. J. (later Sir William) Ashley occupied the chair of political
science until 1892, when he left for Harvard and was succeeded by
James Mavor. ^* Maurice Hutton taught Greek; William Dale, Latin;
W. J. Alexander, English; J. G. Hume, philosophy. George M. Wrong
became lecturer in history in 1892, and professor two years later.
King's main contacts were with Mavor and Wrong. None of his

-29-