New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1886-10-18
SUGGESTIONS BY PRESIDENT BARNARD

HIS VIEWS on ELECTIVE COURSES, THE MARKING
SYSTEM AND STUDYING ABROAD.
Various interesting educational questions are
treated by President Barnard. OF Columbia College, in
his annual report tue trustees OF tina. nstit alton
which has recently been published. Some OF them
have reference to the gradual advance In tue average
OF entrance into msrcan colleges during the past
century. Others deal with carefully matured plan FOE
solution OF the difficulties OF the marking system and
It's attendant abuses and with the effect OF the elective
system and tue rapidly increasing Importance OF the
graduate courses OF stuiy In we-equIpped American
colleges o, the gradual change In the average ago of
entrance into Columbia, DR.. Barnard says:
ACout the year 800 graduation was frequent az ages
mncn below thar at which under existing statutes 1t Is
appears IN our list OF tue GLASS OF 1888 whose printed
Cnles, there Is here. this PROBABLY the
your gest graduate ever Invested with Daccalau
reate In an American college,
Or. Barnard carefully examines the uarking system
as it exists in most colleges. and concludes:
To the undersigned it would to be prefsrab BILE
To abolish graded scales altogether. and TO make public
otner scholastic distuctious than proficient and
deficient rhi- Is the plan wnicn been followed III
the school OF Mues ever since 10 opened tnan
II should in the -chooi OF Arts limit our endesvors
TO the effort make well educated young men, and
merits. then can be no doubt that the results
would he equal saus'ac'ory An incidental advantage
more"ver. would be derived from the change. viz that
We should hear no more OF the fran Is In examination
concerning which recently much mas been ,aii and
concerning winch statements have been published OF
absurd and disgracsfu syaggeratlOn.
or tue gradual adoption OF the elective sysem OF
studies the report says:
The conclusion Is therefore justified on all grounds on
which the question can be placed. that alter he OF
about nueteen years IL 10 tue must udicOus Educational
IoOy TO adapt he studies OF the individual 10 Hls clearly
aScertained mental characteristics.
Dr. Barnard evidently believes that the tendency In
young 20 ABROAD 10 complete their education
he ID m ~ nm u FOR ha
In years seemed to he the impression almost
universally PREVAILING among tue young gradual
lax irOn American colleges with Aspirations FOR maSng
q eer N iearHe scientific profession or IN tho
educational field. that residence OF years
az German university WI Indispensable 20 anything
Ike signal success. Among the Instructors OF our
college. for example, few-r .en
o nave mai that experience. But the large
opportunities now offered on ths site or the Atlantic,
sroh Institutions, Tor era upe as Harvard University.
Yale Col-g' the College OF New Jersey. JOINS Hopkins
University and Coumna College. tAis false impression
" destined soon 10 disappear: and though
PARTICULAR purposes. there Will long bs advantage
study aDr0 a. this Will he the for principal
class or grstu ite students whose aim IS 10 TN
themselves IN literary, historical pathological studies
VI tile xact sciences.
The total attendance in all the schools last year
thirteen young initr Tue schOo Poir-
Col Science which nas been ~ operation only since 1880
embraces seven ynrse students. This
singular interest ana RAPIDLY puzzle favor
Ihe reports on instruction IN the various departments Of
the SCHOOLS snow that the Held covered by the
operations OF the institution Is wde Aside FROM
subjects usually Eht In the American colleges
pores instruction IN Hebrew, Arabic and Assyrian
languages Of western and southern europe. including
the fceandc.