New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-06-10
COLUMBIA FOR GRADUATES
PRESIDENT BARNARD's HOPEFUL VIEWS.

Tho renorf that the trustees OF Columbia Col
lcce were considering the ACCESSIBILITY OF closing
the undergraduate department OF the conesc
awakened considerable comment both ao INC
college and outside Of it, The whole ahalr' WIN
n history of the movement is given in President
Ronar6,s ANIMAL report part of which was
made publc through THE TRIBUNE exclusively
ON Tuesday In it DR.. Barnard says
The growth Of the desire for attain'ncnts superior 70
the ,ae f undergraduates study in this country mas IN
recent years become very marked. number OF our
h,cher institutions Of Learning have made speeihc pro
sor for This class students. IL the disposition OF
our young graduates resort to foreign universities i
superior education has not ceased 1t has TO great eA
yiven mace to a gradually growing preference ior ."o
o,,,,nl,,es offered by our higher institutions for In.
s,ruotion Of the same character Johns Hopkins Uni
sycrsity has from the beginning devoted itself cheN
mis- description higher education Harvard Yale, anu
Me- princeton have been successful in attracting largo
aumber OF such graduate students which for many years
mas been steadily increasing. Columbia College mas mo
recently engaged in work OF the same oescrp'o o.
our experience corrsponded with that ot our SISTER
institutions in a steady but slowly increasing ATTENDANCE
GhOwTH OF THE SYSTEM.
Tho origin Of movement may be traced 10 the IL"
.tlon nearly twenty yems ago, Of the system OF prfs
,cowshps by which the desire was stimulated ior su
vanced aainmonts in letters and science ofishany
IL was contemplated that our prize Fellows snouiu
receive instruction in the college itself. iney VIZ, ~
the other hand encouraged to resort to forcgh uNo
, and sub,ect 10 no restraint as TO the manner Of
utosecuting their studies but the ooigauoh 10 iopO
the character OF work periodically 10 the pIoSu0
A. rule the fellows elected under this system became
honorably proficient, and their return from aoroaa
attained preerment subordinate positions In insruc-
son in our own college and elsewhere Aitcr 'iu'e "
became obvious that might DO advantageous 10 maAe
attendance college compulsory "hle w 'hi' i'
We would secure the advantage OF making OF our leo"
contributors the service OF the institution oy ahhcAs
them as assistants different departments. me
Graduate Department accordingly consututeo IN
1850 since which time has received about twenty adj
utlons by appointments Of fellows, which number mas
sccn considerably increased by voluntary accessohs'
simultaneously with the creation OF the Graduate Dc
rartrept thcro was established the School OF Political
Science which practically school OF graduate STUDY
and OF which the subjects are included In foreign UNIVERSE
ties under what is called the Philosopher faouiS
The German universities in fact practically scnoo Vi
professional sud All our associated schools fall prop
ery province OF university Instruction ana therc "
therefore the Inevitable drift Of things tendency 70
concentrate energies the Graduate department
This has been SO distinctly perceived by the trustees that
there has distinct effort made from time to time 70
convert Columbia College altogether into schooi OF post
graduate instruction. Adult thrty-siX years ago uhs
effort assumed the form OF publicly declared purpose ana
after very elaborate investigation resulted In the consul
tuition OF a definite university organization The time
was ripe however for so large step OF progress ana
the failed 10 prove a success
Out OF it, however grew the Law School. which, meet
Ing well ascertane1 public want proved Immediately
uccessful and has been permanently maintained Some
years later School OF Mines appealed to public want
similarly ascertancd and accordingly in like manner
successful Tho operations Of the Institution have IN re-
extended wide field that the orlghai
college has entirely overhadowed and doubt has
bcen raised whether usefulness has not ceased res
ouon pending before the board nouirng whether
advisable that the whole scheme OF education In
Columbia College should be raised to higher plane ana
which involves the further question whether 1t is not aa
vsable to discontinue the Department of Arts.
TOO MANY SMALL COLLEGES
So long question remains under discussion before
the governing board it would not be becoming to the
undersigned to pronounce opinion upon it here II
may bo permitted in this place that II the
question merely 70 the suncency ard importance
OF the work proposed could be doubt that our
faculties could find ample adequate occupation IL they
giving instruction exclusively to graduate
students On the other hand such has been the eXces-
sve multiplication Of Undergraduate colleges in our cour-
try in years that the business Of those colleges is
greatly overdonc and would certainly be material ben
cnt IL large proportion OF the existing colleges could be
suppressed .-- . TO .- - -...-.---. .- .-..-..-
From statistics gathered By undersigned in
years with great labor It made manifest that while
In tho the proportion Of students in arts
In colleges has been gradually but steadly
diminishing, the number OF colleges has on the other
hand more corespondlngly increased Since about
population OF the country has Increased four
fold and the number Il college, threefod while the mum
Der OF students In the meantime only doubled
country generally The number OF students under In.
stIucton any given time is in proportion OF about one
1000 $500 In 1880 the average attendance in the
existing colleges sxtyseven EACH and in 1880 about
forty each There net a State in the Union in which
number Of colleges is not greatly in excess OF the
educational needs of the population This city itself may
million and hall inhabitants 1t should be capable of
furnishing therefore the ratio Of to $500 600
undergraduate students IN arts. This is not number
greater be comfortably provided for in single
college. Nevertheless have three, not counting the
colleges under Of the fathers OF the Roman
Catholic Church II would not be- therefore, education.
ally misfortune Columbia College should cease to exist
as q school for UNDERGRADUATE students.
The city would still be fully supplied with educational
advantages while there could DE doubt that this in
stltuon could be prOh'aoly employed by combining
Itself to the field Of superior education Whatever be the
policy pursued in this matter nevertheless 1t is the una
voidabe tendency Of things to press Columbia Col
lege and constantly from 10 the duty
Of providing for the hyperion Of
dents that say business Of proper university In
structon location the institution In the greatest
city the continent is peculiarly favorable to such an
undertaking. and though the college is not possessed OF
funds SUFFICIENT TO enable it TO carry
out this complete design it is hardly to
be doubted that provision may sooner or later
become sufficient accomplish this object Ono advan-
tage which we already possess toward consists the
library. which, although incomplete in some details goes
far toward supplying the needs OF students engaged in
literary scientific research and this is possession
which in the nature OF things must constantly improve
In value
VIEWS OF YICECHANCELLoR MACCRACKEN.
Vice Chancellor Henry NJ. MacCraclScn of the
University of the City of New-Y York, when seen
by a TRIBUNE reporter recently, said:
1 read with interest the article in Mondays Trb
giving part OF President Bamards views in
garl disseminating Undergraduate Department OF
Columbia / would belttc the importance OF
graduate work. but do not coincide with his view that
there is for in the excessive number OF
Undergraduate faculties in this city. lie underesti
the number OF students Of college proportionatc
TO city think it would be correct say |
that there one in 1880 instead Of in $500 |
This will give about LOCO undergraduate students 70
New-York, from 1900 to 1900 In New-Yor and /
Brooklyn. j would indorso the view OF David Dudley |
Field q Williams banquet when he said that !
the ideal number OF undergraduates in college should
not exceed 3c0. in my experience instructor /
have found that where the number exceeds that IL
possible for the teachers give the taught the proper
amount Of personal attention. should expect that II |
nf L.rn shnr