West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1882-06-30
Classical and Non Classical Train
ing for the Higher Educatioa.

mar hdple paper Oh the place OF
classical and pon.classical studies in
a liberal education has recently been
placed before the public inGei many. |
Before the year 1870 those German
students who had received their |
preparatory training in real school
instead OF a gymnasium, were oblig-
ed either to .orego n university !
education or to seek it in one of the |
non. Prussian universities. The re-
suit was that an increasing number |
of Prussian students were annually |
finding their way To ,Gottingen, |
Leipsic, Heidelberg, and other uni |
versity cities lying beyond the Prus-
sian borders. Accordingly. in the |
year 1860, the Minister OF Public In |
struction, Herr Won Muller, address |
ed a note to each OF the universities
of Prussia, asking their several
faculties to consider carefully and
report whether and to what extent
the holders of diplomas from the
real. schools should be admitted to
the pursuit Of liberal studies in the
universities. In response to- this
invitation each of the faculties gave
TO the question such careful consid.
Grafton as the importance OF the sub
ject and the significance of the in
quiry seemed to demaud. Though
the answers, taken as a whole, were
decidedly adverse TO the admission
of students from the real schools,
yet the Government determined not
to act upon the views presented in
the reports, but to open the doors
of the universities TO non-classical as
well as to classical pupils, BY the
decree Of December 7, 1870, it was
determined that Prussian students
DESTROYS of studying mathematics,
natural history, and modern langua--
ges, might be admitted TO the privi-
leges of the universities on the pre-
sentation OF diploma from any one
Of the real schools of the first rank.
Thus, by fiat of the Government,
an entirely new element was intro.
duced into the universities.
After ten years experience under
the new regime. the Philosophical
Faculty of the University Of Berlin
now put upon record their impress
sions as TO the influence of the
change. The motion which called
out the expression thus published
was introduced into the Faculty by
Prof. Droysen, the well-known his
''tstoriuu. IT'S first form was that oil a
memorial asking the Ministry Of
Education to consider whether the
: interests of higher learning did not
: demand discontinuancc of the
privileges extended TO scholars from
I the real schools. This memorial &C.
) cupied the attention Of the Philo-
? sophical Faculty during several SEES
sions. AS its first form did not
+ secure the unanimous assent Of the
members, the paper was changed
from memorial to memorandum;
r and in the phraseology in which it
was received the signatures Of all
} the scientific as well as of all the
classical members Of the Faculty.
AS now for the first time published,
it occupies ten octave pages; and q,
in view Of the unanimity with
which it was adopted, it will hardly
fail to be regarded as the most
powerful plea ever made in behalf
Of classical studies.
First of all. the memorandum calls
attention TO the fact that the proper
ton Of non.classical TO classical stu.
dents has been steadily increasing, at
such rate as to threaten an entire
change in what may be called the dom
naDt characteristics of the University.
The aggregate number of students from
the gymnasia has not, indeed, dimin-
ished, but the number from the real
schools has 80 increased as TO be about
three times as great as il was five years
ago OF all the students admitted TO
the Philosophical Department of the
University Of Berlin during the winter
semester for 1880, thirty.seven per
cent. were from real.schools. At the
present rate OF increase, in five more
years this class Of students will con
stitute a majority, and by that very
fact will quite revolutionize the pre-
yailiug tone of university life. Such
an impending change justifes careful
inquiry into the scholarship of students
from the real schools aud ten years
of experience enable those members Of
the Faculty into whose classes students
from the real school have been admit
ted, to speaklwith considerable conf
dence. 1t is in the testimony given
by the professors of mathematics,
OF the natural sciences, and Of the
modern languages that the real inn
portance Of the memorandum ia 10 be
found.
Those professors Of mathematics who
teach the mere elementary branches
and whose leciure-roOms are there.
fore generally sought by students dur
ing the fret year Of residence at the
] University, testify that they have dis
covered no important difference be-
tween the two classes Of students. But.
on the other hand, both Of the prof
essors who give instruction in the
mathematics Of more advanced grade
I certify that the students who have re.
ceived their preliminary training in
the classical schools, although less ad
/ vanced at the beginning, show a clearer
/ insight into the subtloties Of the more
/ abstruse mathematical relations, and,
before they have gone very far, leave
the non-classical students quite in the
rear. The testimony Of the professor
Of astronomy is Of the same import.
Both ia the Observatory and in the
Bureau Of Weights and Measures he
has noted a marked distinction between
/ the two classes Of students. His words
are The students prepared at the
real-schools show at FIRST more knowl
edge and more skill than those prepar-