The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-06-25
and, with occasional modification OF detail has re-
manned in operation ever since.

mained in operation ever since.
SCHEME OF INSTRUCTION.
There are three classes OF students at Vassar-
the regular collegiate; the specials, or irregular
collegiates, and the regular preparedness. The
classes-the senior, Junior, sophomore and fresh
man-constitute the college proper. In order to at
tain membership in either class student must have
passed examination in all the required studies,
though she may recte with the class in any branch
Tor which she Is prepared while bringing up her
include those who are pursuing in the college
classes eclectic courses arranged for them indl-
yidualy: This privilege Is allowed only within
sons in the regular process OF their education, and
granted only to those who have already attained
study benecslly SI IN College cIasses they must be
over nine teen years of age and must pass examina
ton In at least twothirds OF all the preparatory
and all the freshman studies. The regular prepara-
tories are those VINO are pursuing studies prepara-
tory to the freshman class Students OF this kind
are M @ 80 Gn as %
are admitted as are over fifteen years Of age and
have passed satisfactory examinations IN English
grammar, arithmetic, geography anu the united
There are nine departments OF instruction-tnat
Of the English Language ana ancient
Hygiene; Philosophy, intellectual and Moral;
lingj, and Music. In the department OF English
Literature are embraced elementary Rhetoric,
grammatical analysis the history OF English liter
logic, elocuton ana composition. In the depart.
ment OF Ancient aud Modern Languages we find
French Greek and German. algebra, geometry,
trigonomctry, general geometry, calculus, natural
philosophy ana chemistry are comprised in the
OF Natural History are physical geography botany,
zoology, mlneralogy ana geology. Pianoiorte and
organ playing are equally cultivated in the depart.
ment OF music, ana especial instruction is
given in musical theory and In solo and
choral singing No student is permitted to take axe
studies, unless they are reviews, with one art
study, and it is therefore impossible for any pupil
within the prescribed four years of the course to
methods Of instruction in the various departments
are similar to those OF any well organized male
I0sSs an ess s sPa3e eac q eag
the laws OF thought, expression and utterance, 10
train the student practically to good sty,e Of
in speclalties of the English word and sentence,
and 70 introduce her to English literature. The
studies In the classic languages aim at formal dis.
cipllne-that is the exercise and development of
the faculties as u basis Tor subsequent special
studies. The chief objects are to tamiarize the
student with the Latin and Greek idioms, the chief
stages in the historical development of the Ian
guages, the laws OF dtilcult forms OF poetcal and
prose compositions, the best characteristics of
several works belong, and ancient life and
culture as Illustrated thereby. In the study OF Or
gahlc chemistry certain applications of chemistry.
to the arts are included, such as the chemistry OF
bread making general culinary chemistry, toxi-
cology and antidotes, dyeing and printing coal tar
of leather; eieotro-plating and eectro-castng,
photo.chemistry and photography. A suite OF
three rooms Is assigned for instruction IN chem
stry-the professors laboratory in the centre, the
lecture room on one side the students laboratory
on the other. Each student is provided with cold
ana not MATER gas steam sinks basins. ana wal
performed by the students themselves and large
blackboards, high on the walls, AFFORD room for
full statement OF the methods In detail Tor the par
tiCuar practice in hand.
The National History department has, as matter
of course, given rise to museum, consisting OF q
cabinet OF minerals, rocks and fossils, the Giraud
collection of North American birds, cabinet OF
comparative zoology, and herbarium The min
erals number about four thousand, and both the
crystallized and the amorphous conditions of the
mineral are represented Every specimen Is
separately mounted on q vanished block, which
bears printed card with the name and locality
legibly inscribed There are also series OF models
in wood and glass, solid, transparent and dssect-
ing. for illustrating crystallography; another series
exhibiting the physical characteristic Of minerals;
and third. "working series" Of specimens for
the use OF students. The Theological cabinet. con.
tanning seven hundred specimens, Is o CLASSIFIED
series OF all the important rocks from granite to
peat. The cabinet or palacontoogy contains
Europe and America. distributed according to
geological formation. Each specimen Is mounted
and labelled as in the mineral cabinet.
The herbaiium contains about five hundred plants
from New England and New York, uniquely ar
ranged for reference. But especial admiration
Is due to the cabinet OF North American
birds, which is really one of the most valuable in
the United States. Unfortunately their collection
is very much crowded, and would only show to ad-
vantage in o room six or eight times as large as
the one IL at present occupies. 1t embraces 1000
specimens representing over seven hundred species,
including several type specimens and many OF hStor-
ica interest as being the originals OF AuduDon's
drawings. Mr.. Giraud, the donor, left
fund Tor the completion OF this cabinet, and this
on his part will one day make 1t
perfect collection OF all the species between Pan
ANA and the Arctic ocean.
Finally the cabinet OF general zoology, number
inu already Thousand SuecImoQS. Ia
rapidly increasing. 1t comprises 500 mammals,
birds and reptiles from South America, collected by
Professor orion, and including, probably, the
largest series of humming birds In any college mu-
scum; representatives OF vertebrates from our own
country: small collection 0! insects ana shells Us
ccrals and other radates, embracing an unusually
perfect specimen OF the rare Pentdcrtnns M0tlerf,
the last OF the crnods; a fine astrological series,
and some elastic anatomical models prepared by
DR.. AuZoux, OF Paris.
Periodical lectures are given in the chapel in
gard to food and digestion, circulation, the skin,
bathing, dress, sleep, exercise, care OF the eyes,
care OF the sick, &C., and the sanitary regulations
OF the household are, TAR as the personal ObSer
walton OF your correspondent permitted him to
Judge calculated to ensure regularity in work, re-
creation, rest, bathing and eating perfect ventl-
lation ana cleanliness an abundant supply OF
good and nutritious food the careful anticipatory
treatment OF any pupil threatened with illness,
and tho isolati0not any exposed to or attacked by
con tagious disorders. Thus far in the history Of
Vassar, however no contagious disease has found
there, ana only two deaths have occurred
was that OF the founder OF the college, which oc-
Cured Unexpectedly and instantaneously while he
was delivering to the trustees his annual address
the other was that OF Miss Lyman, teacher. who
was suffering from consumption at the time OF her
her position there.
In the department of philosophy Sir William
Hamlton's psychological system IL studied in de-
tail and compared with the doctrines oil Reid.
Stewart and Brown also lind place, and lectures
convey an idea OF Mills criticism upon Hamilton.
The manual OF DR.. Wayand, the old friend OF many
OF readers school days, Is still adopted as an
ethical guide. Some remarks are also due TO the
PROCESS that is being made In relation to music
and art In the department Of music 1T was re-
freshng for your correspondent to observe that no
models OF inferior merit are permitted to Its rooms.
For the panofore the works OF Bach, Scarlatti,
Haydn. Clementi, Mozart, Beethoven, Moscheles,
Weber, Schubert, Mendelssohn, Schumann and
LisZt form the foundation; for the organ, those of
Rink, Hesse, Ritter and Bach; for singing, the
methods, vocases and solieggi of Garcia, Vaccaj,
Concone, Bardogni and Marchesi, together with
aras from the best Italian and French operas, and
songs by Schubert, Mendes5ohn, SChumann,
Il. Franz and other good German COM
posers. In the field OF drawing and
moi nti ha 81 n m