Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1864-11-03
RUTLAND HERALD.
TUESDAY NOVEMBER /, 1854,
The Colleges.
(C9n innea ION SrA paqe.

conclusion a. on 'ast communication,
"N B." next plyJ- Is 10 assign three
probable reasons for another "fact"--or
the same fact differently stated-yiz
1that az tl 81 cu'rgiate institutions
which have u,eu ,uos ncumbered with
extra scientific departments have also
produced the greatest number OF emil
nent classical and mathematical sohol-
ars.n The alumni of other New Eng
land colleges besides Dartmouth, Har-
ward and Yale-the only institutions in
New England that have had these sci
entitlc departments for any length of
time-might consider this assertion
somewhat 'invidious" besides being |
very doubtful. We are as confident that |
II is not fact as NJ. B. is that 1t is fact.
We believe that the graduates Of Will
liams and Amherst and Bowdoin and
Middlebury and Burlington will furnish
larger proportion of eminent scholars
than the three above named. But sup
posing it to be fact, the reasons are
a ogether unsatisfactory. We want bet
ter Pr of than mere assertion that col
leges with scientific schools attached do
hav the 'good Torture to receive larger
proportion than others of talented
young men" In what way has 1t
been ascertained that the students
of Middlebury and Burlington col
leges have been less talented than
those Of Dartmouth and Harvard q
This is new discovery for which Ter
n,oa,ters should be very grateful. Again,
how has it been found out that those
who enter Yale or Dartmouth are ''bet-
ter fitted to enter upon the severe collie
giate course with vigor and success
than those who enter Amherst or Will
liams7 And If so, how can it be made
to appear that the existence OF scien-
tific schools in connection with those
colleges-schools which the college stu
dents have nothing to do with more
than with the University of Oxford-is
the reason for this better preparation.
For the simple truth is, Harvard, Yale,
and Dartmouth, as colleges, are not at all
changed by the fact that scientific
schools have been attached to them. In
consequence of them there has been no
more science brought into the college
course, and the students Of the col
lege attend neither the lectures nor reci-
tations of these schools. They are sim
ply new institutions, established in the
same place with the college and under
the same trustees, with an entirely sep
arate class of students.
The third reason for the "fact, viz
"the professors themselves, in those
colleges where there are scientific
schoois3 are more deeply imbued with
the spirit of Improvement" and the state
ments that follow, are entitled to the
same consideration with others we have
commented upon. They are all unsus-
tanned and extravagant, and to say the
least probable assertions, made for the
evld' e purpose of carrying point.
L 'ing by, for the present, IN. BIS"
criticisms upon what we say Of the dis
ad, ages of what would be expert
enced by the scientific schools from their
close connection with the college, we
hasten to that paragraph of his commu-
nication in which he says with an en-
phasis 1--WE know" Here we have a
right certainly to expect genuine facts.
He is speaking of Brown university, in
reply to the statement we made, from
our general knowledge of the late histo-
ry of that institution, that "for some
reason the change introduced by DR.. |
Waylandl did not work WELL and |
Brown University has returned to its
ancient path" M. b. says, "From the
last catalogue, however, and from other
reliable sources, we kaov that the |
course of study, adopted at the recon-
mendation of DR.. Wayland has not been
abandoned, or radically changed, under |
the administration Of his SUCCESSOR
Itsseems that instead Of a return to the |
former system the "new system simply
received a check, because boys wanted
the honors of the college without hard
study, and so there was reaction tow
ards the old course which began with
On. ,su,,on.,, xc.a If any one has read
that paragraph who is unacquainted
with the history of this matter, ne
must be curious to know what the real
facts are, and how much may be signi-
Ged by the mysterious phrase reaction
towards the old course" AS this histo-
ny i very direct bearing upon the |
Que IN now at issue before the people |
Of 49, state, we shall be justified in CIV
ing it as briefly as we are able.
About the year 1850, in accordance |
with the wishes and views of DR.. Way
lsul me entire u ca Of Brown |
University was revolutionized. In
place OF the single prescribed course OF
four years, he substituted three courses,
one of four years for the degree Of A. NJ,