The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1889-05-23
UNIVERSITY CATALOGUE.


Texas for the year 1889 has been out for
several days, and deserves fuller notice
than it has been possible up to this time
to give il.
It's mechanical execution is a oreditable
piece of work. The paper is excellent
and the Typography is beautiful. The
state printing Office, where the work was
done, has nothing to be ashamed of, and
the University may fear nothing from a
comparison OF its makeup with the cata-
logucs of other institutions. There are
other features, however, of the new cata-
logue that entitle it to the favorable nc
tice of all who are interested in our
great institution of learning. In the fret
place there has been n healthy
growth in the number of students.
The catalogue of last year reports total
enrolment of 249. This year the attend
auce is reported as 27S. There has been
gradual and gratifying growth in the
regular classes since the organization of
the University, and corresponding de-
crease in the irregulars and specials.
The regular freshman class of last year,
for instance, numbered 46; this year the
freshman class numbers 81. The irreg-
uars and specials numbered last year rs;
this year, 81. The law department has
grown slightly more in proportion than
the academic. Last year there we're 70
law students; this year, 81. Evidently
the young men of Texas who want to
study law have found out where to come.
There has been quite an increase also in
the faculty of the University. Last year
there were nine professors; this year there
are thirteen. Two chairs have been di-
vided; that of ancient languages and that
of English and history, and four profess
sors employed, when before there were
only two. An entirely new chair, that of
geology, has been created. Just here il
may be well enough to say that the Uni
versity needs and should have twice es
many professors and twice as many chairs
as it has now. 1t needs a professor of
biology, of astronomy, of American his
tory, of botany, ETC., etc. 1t the Uni
versity could get the income to
which it is justly entitled, these
chairs could all be created, emf
nent professors employed to fill them,
and the roll of students increased to five
hundred in less than three years.
The number of courses leading to the
degree of Bachelor has been increased
from five to seven; the courses leading to
the degrees of Master and Doctor have
been simplifed, and the number of APP
proved high schools auxiliary to the Uni
verisity has grown from fifteen to twenty
three. This last feature is meeting with
unexpected favor throughout the state. 1t
is an arrangement by which schools of
certain grade can, upon invitation, secure
an inspection by a committee of the
faculty, and, If found satisfactory, be
entitled to enter their graduates into
the freshman class of the University with
out examination. The catalogue sets
forth in detail the steps necessary to be
taken IN order to secure this connections
and it would be worth their while for au-
thorities of the high schools to become &C.
quainted with them.
The feature, however, of the present
catalogue, that will perhaps attract the
most widespread attention among profes-
sional teachers, is the provision by means
of which, under certain conditions, stu
dents are exempted from general exami- |
nations. This is subject that has ex-
cited great deal OF interest both in this |.
country and in England; and the at |
tempt, in the University of Texas, to do /
without examinations in the case of GER
tain students and thus avoid forever the |
farce of examining and the danger of
overstrain, will be watched by all who |.
are interested in the cause of higher edu- |
cation. If the University increases in
numbers, in efficiency and in usefulness |
as rapidly in the next few years as it has
done in the past, it will not be long be-
fore il will be recognized rs unfettered by |
its friends and as independent by its
enemies.