The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1871-07-20
NEW DEPARTURE OF COLLEGES.
From the Prairie Farmer.

AS a proof that change and progress ar
appearing in those time-honored institu
tions, American colleges, we may men
e ton the fact, reported by the Eastern pa
t pcrs, that a member Of the graduating
Y class at Cornell University, at its late
< commencement, read an essay on the Pre-.
: vention of Freshets in the Chemung River
Ten years ago the reading of a paper or
such commonplace subject would have
been regarded as an outrage on the sane
tity of commencement day. At that
time young collegians were presumed to
be unacquginted with the names of any
rivers except the Pc and Tiber. If they
had any other knowledge Of geography,
it was incidentally learned while reading
the works of Livy, Caesar, Herodotus and
Xenophon. The names of the graduates
appeared on the order Of exercises, print
ed in Latin, and the degrees were confer
red in the same language. The exercises
of commencement day commenced with a
Latin salutatory and closed with Greek
valed1ctory. The intermediate orations
were on the literature of the days of Au-
gustus and the philosophy of the school
of Plato. At that time little that was
practical, little that pertained to the
wants of life and progress, was to be found
In the curriculum of instruction, Greek,
Latin and pure mathematics were the es-
sential studies in the college course. The
trustees of this venerable dispositions of
the knowledge of the ancients were most
ANTICIPATED clergymen, who kept vigilant
watch that nothing profane or common
should creep into the course of instruc-
ton. In an extensive faculty there was
often but one professor of sciences, and
one of modern languages and to the last
mentioned was ordinarily given the du-
} ties of teaching rhetoric and English lit
erature. One lesson a day during single
? term embraced all the instruction given
: in chemistry, while the other sciences re-
ceived even less attention. Young men
were sent to college to be disciplined, and
the means by which this was TO be effect
ed was the study of the classics. That
, the acquisition of useful knowledge
: would serve purpose in producing men
, tai discipline was not thought of.
Fortunately, a better day has come
Practical men like Cornell, Lawrence
and Bussey, by their endowments in tn,
aid of practical and scientific Department.
D
E young men to obtain an education tha
: will help them in the great struggle Of
!, life. Until very recently the colleges O.
: the United States seemed designed onl,
, to prepare young men to enter schools
8 for teaching the studies needed in the SO
/ called learned professions. In the West
the University of Michigan was the frs
2 to inaugurate courses of instruction fol
the complete teaching of the practica
sciences It's success has been almost
I, I. without parallel. By degrees changes
! have been introduced into other colleges
= At present, Harvard University, the old
E est college in America, maintains nine
r distinct schools of instruction aside from
$ the regular college course, which may bt
: regarded as very irregular course, in
:. asmuch as students are permitted at thu
e end of the Freshman year to to choose
the studies they are to pursue.
In truth, almost all the great college,
10 the country are now introducing
changes in their course of instruction
/ Yale, Columbia, Brown, have elective
: courses while in many other colleges the
students are at liberty to substitute mod
ern languages and the sciences for Greek
Latin and pure mathematics during por
ton of the time they are in college. The
present year is witnessing widespread
change in the management of colleges
The greatly increased number of students
:: of Harvard, since the change was made
has shown other colleges the advantage
of making similar changes. We are glac
; too, to see that the plan of allowing the
graduates of colleges to elect the trustees
, of their lima Mater is being regarded
=; with favor, as it has tendency to pu
: the management of these institution
into the hands of young and progressive
! men.
The credit Of organizing college il
: this country on the principle of allowing
: the students to select the studies they are
8 to pursue, is due to Thomas Jefferson
and it was first put into operation in the
University of Virginia. He, too, it was
a who proposed to treat college students al
men, and not as boys. In the University
!. he founded, and which was long thu
e pride of the south, there was no marking
s for Rotations, no fines for absence from
e chapel exercises, no conduct rules, sucl
r as are often posted up in Juvenile school
e rooms The students are presumed to b.
l. gentlemen, and to understand the obliga
3 tions they are under to society and t.
n their teachers. This college confers NJ
a honorary degrees whatever; but it per
Il mits any person after attending lecture
one year to present himself for examina
ton for any degree which the colleg
: confers, the candidate pledging himsel
e that he has neither given or received
is assistance"
G ..
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