Smyrna times., 1875-07-07
Degrees, Honorary and Otherwise.

| Degrees, Honorary and UtherWlse.
The college cOmmencements are not over
yet, and no man can tell what they may
bring forth but thus far we have observed
with much pleasure considerable reduc-
ton in the quantity, and therefore a cor
responding elevation in the quality, of the
honorary degrees bestowed by colleges Of
recognized position. The business Ofscattcr-
ingcomplimcntary titles has been SO abused
and made so very ridiculous by the multi
tudo of little institutions that have en-
gagged in it, and l'y the small Importance
Of the celebrities they chose to honor, that
dread them, thinking plain Mr." more
honorable distinction than the Dr." that
Tom, Dick and Harry wear. 1t was by
way Of protest against thi, abuse that the
trustees of Cornell University resolved to
grant no honorary degrees at all, and it
might not be bad thing were other col
leges tacitiy to follow the same resolution
for few years, until the stock Of doctors
should be somewhat reduced and the title
become more valuable with increasing rarity
The direct purchase of diplomas, which was
the subject of a legislative investigation
here a short timea is dis@raceful enough !;
but the degrees thus conveyed are not much
less honorable than those bestowed, often
dlvidual service, by the many boys and
girls boarding schools scattered through
the country. As these schools have the
t chartered right to bcstow degrees there is
f no easy way of stopping them; but if the
/ real colleges will only be careful OF thcir
t honorS, making degree from one of them
D a positive distiction, they will do good
= deal for their own credit, and in time the
l.. little fellows Will grow ashamed Of THEN
t stolen plumage. The University of Penn
t sylvania. i'll making John William Wallace
n an IL. d., or Dartmouth by comforting til,
= same degree on Charles O'ConOr. honOrs it
:. self as well as the laureate, and if each col
! lcge would but use the same discretion. tn
II annual additions to our roll of doctor
t would become an object of public intercs
/. instead Of an object of ridiculc There i
4, reform needed, also, in the bestowal of til
10 ordinary collegiate degrees, which hav
r been made entirely too common. Tn
is value and significance OF the bachelors d,
10 gree depend, of course, upon the charactc
IS and standing of the college bestowing i
Us 1t may indicate only that boy has gon
ut through boarding-school course, or it ma
Il, be an assurance that he has passed a seriC
I'd of rigid university examinations. I'll
masters degree, conferred in course il
no dicates nothing whatever, except that thrC
!" years have passed since the recipient h;
a gradutcd. He may have gone into a she
be Immediately after and forgotten all that /
ever knew; but still he gets his NJ.
he This is an absurdity that should certain
ng be corrected. Another degree that HI
'p- been made entirely too cheap of late year
id, since the "scientilic" fever set in, is tin
lie. of Doctor Of Philosophy. This is a degr,
, a which should rank with those of highe
MS honor, in law or divinity, to be bestow,
I'D only upon men who have made themscly
he eminent in philosophic study. 70 give it
he q class degree, after an attendance on
his course or two of lectures, is manifestly
- rob it of all significance. As to t
at doctorate in medicine, every one adm
-he that it Is too freely bestowed. But t
ok, NJ. ID. is now little more than a trade ma
ed, in this country, and we should need
our change the whole system of medical ct
nd, cation (not Al bad thing to do, by the wa
to bring it into a highe. IAN baccalaurea
hat rank, which is all that 1t really has nC
NJ! We did not intend, however, when
ash began, to go over the whole field, and $
Dor, less to discuss methods of education.
nan only wished to commend the discreet
i'm shown by some of our colleges thus
rms and to express the hope that the doct
'me created during the coming week shall,
his of them, deserve the title.-Phild. Times
18th, ---"'--
hen GONE or THB SERMONs."-A rough, Ii
old featured preacher, who made up in snce