Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1864-11-03

would be much greater IN favor OF Am
herst," &C. We have not ourselves ''cat-
logues at hand" but Appleton's Cyclic
pedia says that In 1858 there were 224
students In Williams college and 22l In
Amherst. In 1857 there were 2lS In
Amherst In 1860 81 there We're 2i0
students In Williams college. But even
with this additional evidence before us
we cannot say that we have any posi-
tive "belief" on this point. Nor do we
think it at all important; otherwise we
should send for the catalogues. But
this is not all. IN. b." "believes that !
the alumni Of this college Amherst con-
tain by far the greater proportion ofthor-
ough scholars and eminent men," We
do not "believe" that IN. b." has a suf-
hcient acquaintance with the alumni OF
the two colleges to make any compari-
son Of this sort whatever, and his opin-
ion may be worth as much as others
who believe the opposite. Having had
ourselves probably quite as good an OPP
portunity as he to Judge OF the compar
alive standing of the two colleges and
their respective graduates, we give it as
an opinion that there are no two colleges
in the country that are so nearly alike
in all important respects as these. This
is the common observation of disinter-
ested men who are acquainted with
both. .----.
But after all of what use Is this COM
parison ? What bearing has 1t on the
question at issue2 None whatever
Amherst college like Williams has no SCI
entDfc departments connected WiA II, and in
its regular college course, which is the
only course it has, languages and math-
emathics are pursued no less and the
"useful and practical sciences" no more
than at Williams and other colleges.
without doubt DR.. Hitchcock acknowl
edged eminence as naturalist and the
very Interesting cabinets collected at
Amherst had formerly some influence in
the way of attracting pupils. 1t is we'll
known, too, that when DR.. H. was at
the head of the college, the natural SCI
ences mot however in their practical ap-
plication) assumed considerable prom
inence, so much so, that In the opinion
of its friends, evil results began to fol-
low. Such men as the late Prof D. B.
Edwards of Andover, himself graduate
and devoted friend of this college, depre-
Gated the tendency there was to crowd
out classical and mathematical studies
by the introduction of so much natural
science The faculty and trustees of the
college saw the evil; and no sooner did
DR.. Hitchcock resign the presidency
than man was sought for and found
whose peculiar qualification for the
place was his high classical culture and
his strong bias towards the regular
college curriculum. And now the nat
ural sciences take the same place they
have in other colleges, and we knOw that
it is the determination Of the faculty
of the college to keep them there. So
much for that "fact." We thank I'M.
b. for his illustration.
The second and only other illustration
of his "fact" is found in Union college,
which, is said "has always given great
prominence to practical studies, and
with the exception of Harvard, Yale,
and New York University, has for the
last thirty years been more prosperous,
in every Important respect, than any
other college in the United States
Graduates of New England colleges who
remember how few years ago this
college used to be ycleped the Botany
Bay Of New England" from the fact that
expelled students who could find admis-
sion no where else used often to 60 there,
would hear such an assertion with
smile. What may be the present con-
dition of the college we do not know,
but certainly less than thirty years ago
the looseness of its government and the
superfciality Of its discipline, were pro-
verbal; and we remember that STU
dents Of a low grade in our Vermont
colleges used sometimes to go there and
enter Immediately year higher. 1t
may be all different now. We speak of
it as it was less than fifteen years ago.
Your readers will decide for themselves
how much such assertions as these of
an b. are worth, and whether his
"fact" thus supported is a fact. . II
sc........... ............gsa EDUCATOR, "a
a. IGontinKe4 On Eighth maze ! sh i