The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1874-06-24

Commencement Day.
The present week is noteworthy as the
Commencement Week Of what may be termed
our sectarian colleges. But, for that matter,
all OF our colleges are sectarian. Harvard
represents Broad Church Unitarianism; Yale
is the exponent of the more liberal school OF
Calvinism; Princeton is the mouthpiece of
Scotch Presbyterianism; Brown University
oversees Baptist teachings and Dickinson is
representative Of Methodism. The Com
mencement at Harvard viii not take place for
fortnight, but this is Commencement Day
at oil the other colleges we have named and
for the divinity school at Harvard. To-day
the members Of half score of GLASSES win
receive their diplomas, and, @yingtheir adieus
to Alma Mater. go out to begin the battle of
life. But it Ia to be noted how little IN
fuence these sectarian schools have really
had upon the young men they profess to
have prepared for the struggle with the world.
For all practical purposes the instruction they
afford has been purely secular. As President
Smith. of Dartmouth. remarked, in his SER
mon to the graduating class Of that institu-
ton, doctrine in theology is at damaging
discount and dogma is no longer honored,
even in the colleges which were founded as
the opponents Of particular forms Of belief
This is q strange result, but one that was to
be expected from the peculiar genius Of Prot
estantism and the necessity Of making the
once broadly marked sectarian colleges the
adjuncts of the common schools. All that is
left now Of these old theological seminaries
and of their dogmas and doctrines is to be
found in the baccalea ureate sermon, while
outside of it, and excepting the religious ex-
ercises in the college chapel all the energies
of these institutions are devoted to purely
intellectual and Independent course of study.
Commencement Day, in consequence, has be-
come mereexhibtion Of intellectual acquire
ments and mental training. Even DR..
McCosh, with all his Presbyterian zeal, can
make little more of the college at Prince
ton than high school for general education,
and the Professors at Yale have recognized
this fact also in swelling that institution into
university where the elementary aim of the
public schools may be expanded and glori6ed.
This is not to be regretted, because the more
completely our colleges place themselves in
cooperation with the modern ideas of educa-
ton the more fully will they subserve their
own interests and the interests of the Ameri-
can people.
At the same time question often asked be-
fore may be repeated now-namely, whether
most OF our colleges really accomplish their
m,ss,cn Of fitting young men for the prac-
teal duAsSp life. 1t must>be confessed that
many OF them fall short in this work partly on
sccouut.of an iron botind course OF Study and
partly from the want Of sufficient endow-
ments. Ths\great want of our colleges is the
want of money. Even Harvard and Yale,
with all their repkated wealth, have not as yet
the means of realizing the full conception of
great university. Whit, then, shall be said of
the minor colleges sprlnging up like mush-
rooms in every part Of the country These
half-starved institutions, anost of them not
even possessing the facilitiNs Of the higher
grades of the public schools, are the bane of
the educational interests Of the country.
Institutes founded upon meagn, requests
that they may bear the names of them patrons
are 0 curse. Three universities at moAt would
be sufficient for all the needs of New England.
One great institution, nobly endowed, would
be better than all the colleges in and about
New York. It is not much to be wondered at,
that it is mostly the graduates of Harvard and
Yale and Princeton who hold the highest places
in public and business ife-that they are able
at least to cope with the ''selt-made men,
whose daily struggles have been the best uni
versity education-for the curriculum of the
minor colleges is aadry and standstill
course of study. If these better institutions
are not complete finishing school" for
young men they at least give an excellent
foundation for good beginning, while to the
poor fellows let loose from the others Com
Day means only the day of release
for Gagged inexperienced and ignorant birds.
1t ought to be a season of great interest every
where but until all our colleges are able to
afford the means of a practical education
Commencement Day will not havssthe signif-
canoe which ought to attach to it
Tho Japanese Expedition to Formosa.
In our correspondence from Annoy, pub
lished to-day, will be found on interesting
history of an expedition by which the Empire