New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1872-02-17

&" ceipls. being ss,3G3 25, bas been met by The
"l;beroI donation from friend of the College,
through the President, of that sum for that
PURPOSE While such race OF TRENDS hoiuS
out, the College may do what 1t pleaSeS' "i'n-
ont fear Of bankruptcy.
II il stated in the Presidents report that
three buildings are still imperatiyely neeneo;
a new hall for the Medical School, III Boston;
a small Gre-proof building, for the DIVINITY
Hall library and an addition 10 Gore han,
for lbe general library. These would not
cost Together more than what the energetic
President calls ga comparatively Shiah sun
- 1925 900 - but for the endowment Vi
professorships really large amount OF
"m0ney is urgently needed"
So far. 50 good. There has been nothlh9 III
America comparable to the munliicence whicn
has lately been showercd on Harvard, ana thi9
i, well. This suGices for the incomes but now
is il as to the outgo7 The improved organHa-
lin, of tbe University is well described by the
President but what is the mental, moral, ana
physical condition of the young men ! vi 'hi.'
we obtain not Il glimpse from the rTesiueh'
report, and scarcely more from the DiIeI anu
formal statement of the Dean or the racul'y'
Here the report of the AcademIcai EXamlnln9
Committee helps us out; and II Is inpoo'i'io
not to be struck by the difference III 'oic'
when one comes to their statement i"c
President and the Treasurer are Jubllant; puU
the Accidental Committee speak very pam
truths. and are by no means fatterng. Leu
lis hastily review their criticisms. In eiocu-
ton. the instruction is at once lnSullclch.
"and faulty The Professor of Rhetoric anu
Oratory is convinced that defamation Is USE
" less. and that elOcutiOn cannot be success
"fully taught to a large class" but the
Academical Committee abruptly dissent from
this conviction. Under the head OF Rhetoric
the same Professor has taught six volunteer
nupils in Early English, and has read ten plays
of Shakespeare aloud in the evenings; no other
labors are mentioned. Rhetoric Is, however
70 be again introduced; but the Committee
frankly say "that no remedy for the gene
orally unpromising state of this department.
"will be effective, which is not i'll some meas
| ure radical"
In Philosophy, psychological studies cannot
abe said to rank very high among u.s." We
| care moved to ask for revival OF psychol-
:" ogv.p "Political economy deserves better
"place in the college," OF the Historical de-
| partment, "Our general impressions are all
" fayorable.r The mathematical instruction Is
"well adapted to develop mathematical minus
"of the first ORDER" but for ordinary minds
"there seems to be rather inadequate pr0vl-
sjon.D "The scientific department is gener-
"ally in high condition'-apart from pure
mathematics it would seem. In Latin and
Greek. there is much complaint of "the want
"of literary spirit" and a deficiency OF "en-
"thusiasm.n In modern languages, the stand
ard of study is "sOmowhat laDguid," and there
is demand for "a little more fervor" 1t Is
| impossible to avoid a general impression OF
| discoura cement in reading the report OF the
Academical Committee. Yet the report heartily
indorses the elective system-which is now
almost universal, after the Freshman year, in
tho Colege-and leaves the root of the evil to
be surmised by those who read the statements.
That surmise takes an inevitable direction.
AS is the teacher so is tho school" If the
pupi;s lack enthusiasm, it must be because the
| teachers are without it-or because, having it,
they arc without educational talent to
| bring it to bear-or because there is
need of q controlling mind in the Univer-
sity, to arouse enthusiasm and to train
or discipline subOrdnates. There is many
small "fresh-water college, in America, poor
! and beggarly in all but zeal, where no exam
lining committee could possibly find the mate
| rails for such encouragement as these gentle
| men seem to find amid the wealth and the APP
| plances of Harvard. Learning is more than
| house or lands; and the annual exhibit that
would do honor to manufacturing corpora
ton may be very inadequate for college.
| What the country wishes to know is, whether
| there is any potent influence at Cambridge to
rouse and stimulate the young men; to chasten
and to guide them to give them such love
of knowledge that they will almost fOrego
food and comfort for its sake; to make them
enthusiasts for something beside the vicariOus
labOrs of the university crew and the baseball
nine; to make sure that, whether they come
out of college Roman Catholics or Atheists,
| they shall at any rate be generous and ardent
| men, not dlcrs or cynics. 1t is vain to hope
| for this without a peryading personal inilu-
ence sOmewhere-call this influence Dean or
President, as you will. A great university cam
| not be carried on by machinery or by money;
| it needs not merely organizers and tinancers,
but the visible daily presence of stimulating
and commanding mind.
| .-
HDIfNCpHE