New-York tribune., 1869-04-03
PRICE -FOUR CENTS.
HARVARD COLLEGE.
IT'S RECENT REFORMS. AND cHANGEs-TrE CON,
~ rROyERsIEs TO WHICH THEY HAVE GIvEf
RisE-TfIE PRESIDENT ELECT AND HIS POSI-
I'LL


TIoN UPON THESE QUESTIONS '9 ls n' atiea
FROM OUR SPECIAL CoRREsPoSDEST.l f. 81 ~.
BosToN March 29.-lIhe election of new aPresr
dent at Cambridge is an important event ia tins CONS
munity. 1t is also, perhaps. of enough interest 70
the country at large justify account not only
of the young man who has been selected for the post
but of the present condition of the University ITSELF
| and of the changes il is undergoing Mr. Eliot has
already had considerable share IN these reforms,
and he brings to their prosecution not only .aor
ouph acquaintance with the work before him, but
| unusual degree of ability good sense, and temperate
zeal. i1s Io4 40 ae 1a
Nothing could be further from the truth than the
notion that Harvard College is an utterly oldfash-
ioned and old fogy place. privileged to keep bali
century behind tho age by virtue of its position as
the oldest college in the country. In point of fact.
the system of instruction is not antiquated, the OH
GERS are not old and sleepy and the spirit of progress
is far from being stranger to its councils On the
| contrary the whole scheme of instruction and gov
ernment dates from within the present century,
having been remodeled under Dr. Kirkland's ad-
mlnisraon as to leave hardly trace OF resemblance
to the College OF hundred years ago. The new sys-
| TEN got into working order under Mr.. Quincy,
aud further tested and improved under Mr.. Everett
and Mr. Sparks. BY this time its merits aud defects
were pretty clearly seen and with DR.. Walkers adj
ministraton, who brought to the work not only his
practical wisdom and philosophy. but unweary.
ing enterprise and tone of reform absolutely
lutOnary, began new of correction adjustment,
| and Improvement, that have pretty much made the
| college over anew. Ably seconded by the young
eutenants whom he called to his assistance chief Of
whom from their longer periods of service, may be
named Mr.. Eliot himself, Mr. j. NJ. Pierce and Mr..
Gurney and cordially seconded by the great body Of
the older and more permanent officers, he so revised
and reformed during his five years Of Office, the
| a1s NJ nat ION and of
work. that il is safe to say that single thngn the
internal administration Of the College done as
| it was done fifteen years ago. What DR.. Kirkland
did for the University in enlargng its plan, and Mr..
Quincy in establishing its financial foundations DIR.
Walker followed UP by renOyating the superstruc-
ture and putting the College, in fact. well as in
name at the head of the educational establishments
of the country The impulse then given touched not
only the form. but the life. fresh vitality broke
FORTH and restless spirit of innovation and reform,
which has constantly shown itself during Mr. Fetou's
| and Dr. Hills administrations in innumerabe de-
partures from customary procedure. "The introduc-
tion of O system Of written examinations, the dis
| tribntiOn of college honors and rewards by more
definite standard the of better methods of teach
ing in some of the leading departments of study the
great increase in the amount of personal instruction
! given by many of the professors, the diminished
weight allowed in several studies to marks for the
performance of daily tasks, the great and more intel
gently considered extension Of the elective system
| the better provision which has been made for the
study of French, German and italian, the opportun
| ity afforded for beginning the scientific study Of
| English, the distinction between the ordinary de-
gree of Bachelor of Arts and the degree with honors
the provision for special honors to be awarded for
distinguished excellence in certain groups of studies,
the establishment of the University lectures, mark
| the progress that has been made. Still more they
testify to a spirit of progress. and that within tue
College itself of the happiest augury for its imme-
date future. All this movement and change could
not take place Of course without abundant discus
sion and differences of opinion aud conflicting theo'
ries naturally grew up Tho main dispute has turned,
however not upon the old controversy to the COM
paatve value of the classics and of the sciences nor
even upon the other stock question, whether mental
discipline or useful requirements should be the OBJ
ect of the four years study though these questions
| have doubtless had their share of attention The
chief debate TO have centeed about the larger
questions of academic discipline, and here the lines
ara understood to have been pretty strictly drawn,
| and the fight to have been hot one
Three parties have appeared in the field, the
servatiye and obstructive interest being in so small
| a minority as 10 allow the liberal forces--what lib
eral forces so dearly love-the luxury of contest
| among themselves. And here the question, at bot
TOM has been whether the American College is or is
| not n good thing Agreeing that it is distinct ln
| sttution from an English or Continental Uniyer-
sity, and that when it assumes the name and
preensions of University, il is radically different
creature from its namosllo on the other side : and
agreeing alsO that it is not all that it should be, and
| il in imminent need of reform and Improvement,
there are still two opinions among the refomels as
to the proper theory to adopt and the proper policy
| to pursue Without going too much into detail or
attempting to draw with eXactness line which tho
combatants o. either side have never been able very
clearly defue, it may suffice to say that one party
| regards tho American system as mainly mistake.
and would gladly do away with it altogether IN favor
of the perfect intellectual freedom on the part OF
both officers and students they find in Gensan or
even in an English University. They welcome every
change that seems TO hasten this consummaton, and
regard with jealousy and suspicion every reform of
detail which, however great an improvement in the
working of the machine is likely, as they think, to
perpetuate O pernicious reliance upon mere ma
chinery With this opinion the names OF Mr. Pierce
and Mr. Agassiz arc mainly identified, and they are
understood TO have had, in this respect, the sup
port aud cooperation of DIR. Hill.
On tho other hand the more moderate. or, so to
speak, the constitutional refomers, following the lead
taken by Dr. Walker and Mr. FELTON,, have held thai
the American College is q good thing that il is an
indigenous growth exce,lently well adapted so the
wants Of the country, by which indeed it has been
moed into its present shape; that it has produced,
on the whole better results than the foreign systems
so far rs relates to furnishing to the community
large number OF literally educated and cultivated
men; and that If has not as yet produced any greas
number Of ighy-traned schoiars-whisb, indeed
has hardly been attempted thus far-it IS easiy ca
pable of such modification and extension as shall
"a ti,af fox.s vtth NfnOn