The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1884-06-29

The New Harvard Pregrssame.
The transformation of the plan OF study
pursued At Harvard College has eliminated
In the regulations published Tor the next
academical year. The abandonment OF the
time-honored principles Of university In
struction Is now complete and, so fnr as THIS
institution 10 concerned, We must learn 10
attach an entirely new meaning to the
phrase. q liberal education. For hence
forth 1t will b. possible to obtain the degree
Of Bachelor OF Arts without having read .
line OF Greek or Latin during the four years
covered by the college course. Should
this grave nnoyation-which could only DO
defended ON the ground that tho knowledge
of Greek and Latin exacted for matricula-
tion was no less Wide and thorough than
that attainable In German Gymnasia--be
followed by the exclusion Of Greek from the
requirements for admission, they who be-
heve that q liberal education should mean
something different from tho instruction
given at an English high school may feel
constrained to send their sons elsewhere
than to Harvard College.
Let US recount what the college authorities
have done. and then point out the precise
purport OF their action. Last year the studies
Of the sophomore, junior, aud senior years
were elective, but during the freshman year
the student had to follow prescribed scheme
Of instruction, in which the classical
languages retained .place. The attention
paid to the humanities was sufficiently cur
tailed, the minimum exacted Of candidate
for . mere degree being the selections
from HERoDoTus and THUcYDIDRs in Prof.
Go0DwIN's Greek Reader, six books Of the
niad. the Georgios Of VIRGIL, the Elegiacs Of
Own, few orations and o single treatise OF
CICERO. After the close Of the freshman
year the pupil might, II he chose, ding his
Latin authors into the fire and forget his
him from obtaining at graduation q diploma
which on Its face would credit him with
culture Of which, In all Likelihood, he had not
kept an inklin9.
The new regulations framed by the faculty
20 still further, for hereafter the candidate
for tho degree OF Bachelor Of Arts need not
80 much Is open . Greek or Latin book after
he has once passed the examination for adj
mission. And Of what value Is that praiim.
mary tast3 In answering that question We
oonfine ourselves, for reasons to be presently
noted, to tho minimum demanded from
the applicant. Most educated persons will
be astOnished. we imagine. to learn that
q young man can be admitted to Harvard Col
lege whose classical acquirements are lin
tied to four books Of CAsAH's Commentaries,
six books Of VIRGIL, and four books OF KENO
PHoN's Anabasis. Now this Ia not 0ne-half
the amount Of attainment In tho Roman and
Hellenic nteratures which was required for
matriculati0n q quarter uf q century ago.
Yet this poor modioum OF knowledge, this
wretched pretenoe OF proficiency. which
would DO secuted by the third class In .
Prussian gymnasium or by the 9th form In
an English public school. Il now proclaimed
graduation with tho de9ree Of Bachelor OF
Arts ut the oldest seat Of learning In the
United States.
OF course men may study Greek and Latin
under the new system II they want to do 80.
just - they may study those languages ct
home, as GRoT1 and FIHLAY did. But .
chain 10 NO stronger than its weakest link,
and a university degree viii mean, and ought
to mean, no moro to the public mind than
the minimum Of requirement by which 1t
may be won. II q college would deal hon.
estly with the community, lot 1t devise
diplomas which shall frankly avow that 1t
has done absolutely nothing to endow the
recipient with classical education. Let 1t
confer degree for the ability TO read French
or German newspaper, though It is true
that such a certificate might DO received
with Ruffsw by veritable scholars. On
those. again. who have expended all their
time upon the m sthematios and the physical
sciences. let 1t bestUw the appropriate degree
Of Bachelor OF Science, or rather lot the
aoadsmioa department turn suoh studants
over to the scientific school founded for their
ates Of the oollese proper. indistinguisha-
bly,, degree which 10 meaningless and men.
dacious, unless It implies proficiency In the
humane letters?
We will tell tho Harvard faculty why they
lack the courage Of their opinions, why they
oonnive at an imposture why they dare not
| avow In the very terms Of their diplomas the
nature OF the changes which they have made
| In the curriculum. It Ia because a degree Of
| bachelor In foreign languages Is not salable
article, and because even the degree Of
bachelor In sciencs L. held 40 yet In no very
| high repute by the community at large. II
| would 10 pertinent to ask Of men like Mr.. @ y.
ADAMS, who would like to exclude Greek and
Latin from the academicai curriculum be-
eau 70 they profess to have gsinsd nothing
from those Studies, why they did not 20 10 .
scientific school, or sock out q school for
| modern languages like tho Taylor Institu-
ton at Oxford But no, they want tho de-
| n rtn tns