Omaha daily bee., 1888-10-14
Modern and Medieval Universities.


The venerable president of Columbia
college has addressed communication
to the faculty which contains the germ
of great reform. He makes the COM
plaint that the advantages which the
libcrality of citizens has bestowed upon
that institution of learning are not of
corresponding service to the cOmmu-
nifty. In fact, he hints pretty broadly
that they are absolutely wasted, because
the students are not only youthful in
years, but remain so in disposition.
They are very properly called freshmen
when they matriculate, and they re-
man persistently fatally fresh during
the whole four years Of their collegiate
career. Columbia collegc has manu-
scripts of great value which nobody
ever touches, a telescope and an observ-
atory by which nobody ever profits, a
magnificent library stored with eX-
pensive books, including the standard
authorities upon all subjects, which are
never called for, and in short, a
thorough equipment for men Of scien-
titic and literary procivities who have
made themselves conspicuous by their
absence. Those who enter themselves
of the college are green lads who never
get beyond the green stage so long as
they remain within the collegiate por-
tico, devoting all their energies to the
boyish pursuits of base ball, rowing
lacrosse and foot ball. Prof. Barnard
suggests that there must be something
wrong somewhere, and that college is
something more than grammar
school, but that the boys who come to
college are more fitted for that grade.
Thinking men everywhere are back
ing up the white-haired president, and
some offer the explanation that this ex-
cessive youthfulness of tone was always
| a characteristic of American colleges,
were really nothing more than gram
mar schools. But this is insufficient, for
| the same deterioration is visible in
| English universities, and even in the
great German haunts of learning. 1t is
| notorious that men of middle-age in
| easy circumstances enter themselves as
postgraduate students in German uni
l NoESlblcS loG loI tilc o.ihC VI nGuul DuU
for the pleasures Of becr-drinliing and
the singing commerz. A leading Ger
man caricaturist, hits the thing exactly.
"Who are these two fat old men in stu
dent costume?" asks the inquisitive
stranger OF the affable citizen. ''They
are postgraduate students" is the
| reply. "And who was the smooth faced
very youthful-looking gentleman to
| whom they touched their hats?' zone
Of the old professors" is the answer.
| No doubt the German university has a
| pcrvading tone OF art and science and
| literature, but this is not strong enough
| to form an incentive to work, and only
adds q flavor TO the beer and relish to
| the tobacco. Everywhere all over the
| civilized world the story is the same
| that university students are mere boys
| who do not wish to study and who are
| sent by their parents to obtain the hall
mark OF university diploma. The con-
! sequence Is that universities are prac-
J tically useless.
! When we contrast them with the uni
| versities OF the middle ages we are as
| tOnlSncN III INC ulHGTcuCS. HS HlcEcsJ
cursory survey OF mcdieval times will
demonstrate how faithfully, how thor
| oughly the universities accomplished
the great taste committed to them.
| They represented the savage warriors
| who, under various names broke down
the domination Of the Roman empire,
and hewed out provinces which became
nations through their settlement. They
at first smashed and plundered, and
spoiled everything with which they
came in contact, for they were soldiers
under lax discipline, and they were
savages, and rapine and devastation
were natural to such beings. Theil
descendants were men OF milder mood
and they grieved AT the destruction
which had been wrought. Step by ster
they set themselves to Conquer the arts
l. IA a. ~ Ia.