St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-07-10
Quotations APEX.
Interesting Views of Prominent
College Presidents and Profess

Interesting Views of Prominent
College Presidents and Profess
sOrs.
The members of the higher education
section evidently enjoyed themselves at
the First Baptist church yesterday. If
they didn't it is their own fault, because
they had the pleasure of hearing
dozen or more papers and short adj
dresses from various college presidents
and professors. In fact, the whole
meeting partook of congregation of
college men. The exercises consisted
of symposium upon the subject of col
lege instruction, and many were the
views expressed. Although there is no
meeting of this section announced for
to-day. it will, nevertheless, meet at
$50 this afternoon. To-nighta banquet
will take place at the Portland.
The first paper was, "What Have the
People a Right to Ask of the Colleges?"
by President Charles A. Blanchard. of
Wheaton college, Wheaton, Iii. He ar
gued that as the people had advanced
the money to maintain colleges, they
had a right to expect the colleges to
convey to the student all that the books
contain. If they stop here they are
simply monographs repeating dead
mems words. The purpose of college
education is not to help men to get
living, but to give men right to live.
mo one Objects" said he, s'to see an
you cannot make pupil patriotic by
simply giving flag to the school
house."
The speaker lamented the fact that
all physicians. lawyers and ministers
are not college graduates. He did not
want the physicians Quacks, the lawyers
fools, and ministers liars or towards.
President M. d. Hornbeck, of Chad
dock college, Quincy, ILL.,, conceded
with the views of President Blanchard.
Shorter College Courses to Meet a
Popular Demand" was the title.of the
next paper. by President 81. l.. StetSon,
of Des Moines, 10. The only plea for
shorter courses was that of the student
who attends a professional school after
completing his college course and then
finds himself behind other students who
have taken less mental training. The
curtailment of the course at Harvard,
he said, was in point of time only, as
there is no elimination of studies. The
present course was not too long, he
maintained, and it would be impossible
for anything like uniform agreement
as to what should be eliminated. eff
we are to produce parrots" he ex-
claimed. tive can do it in less than
three years; but when it comes to train
ing the youthful mind to the lofty de-
gree of American citizenship, can we do
it in less than four years?"
1t is in the preparatory work and not
in the college where the trouble lies.
He argued for better preparatory work,
and not shortening of the course or
time of study. In conclusion, he ex-
pressed himself in a forcible manner to-
ward those who are working for
shorter course. In the evening discus
sion, Prof. II. A. Fischer, of Wheaton
college, said that the demand, if there
be any, for shorter courses came from
comm ercial spirit. President w. II.
Scott of the Ohio State university. said
that the demand for shorter course
came from young men who are in a
hurry to get an education. President
II. w. Everest of Garfield university,
Kansas. thought it would be best to
have but one course-the A. B. course
requirements. Prof. r. G. Boone of
Indiana university, thought that all
present had wrong idea of what an
education consisted of. Prof. W. &.
Williams of the Ohio Wesleyan uni
verSity, thought if the popular demand
was yielded to the college course would
be done away with. He prophesied the
downfall of Harvard in twenty-five
years if this system was carried out.
President w. E. King of Cornell Col
lege of Mt Vernon, To-, thought the
popular demand was overestimated.
The session next listened to a paper
upon "a Chair of Pedagogy" by Prof.
r. G. Boone, of Indiana university. The
chief educationalin interest of the country,
he thought, is in the secondary shoots,
and the chief function, OF one of the prin-
cipal ones, is to prepare teachers for
these schools. He argued for a more
thorough study of pedagogy in some of
its branches. Departments of pedagogy
cannot do all, but they can do much.