Iuka reporter. (Iuka, Miss.) 1888-1894, 1892-04-21
Harvard University.

she seems to become more precious t,
the public as her years multiply
/ That is the conclusion at which on
arrives after no more than cursor
reading of the latest annual report
| of her President and Treasurer. Witt
receipts for the year ending July 81
1891, aggregating s1,797, 5l2.06, ant
total expenses amounting to $3.50,
900.9S, and with property valued a
81, 299, s4s.10, 1t can hardly be salt
that the Cambridge universal educate
Is in pitiable state of decrepitude
Moreover, well-minded persons seen
! TO be very DESTROYS to advance he
( prosperity by additional requests, do
nations, and endowments; yet tn,
President declares to the public thai
"the lack OF greater means for specia
research during the past year ha.
been severely felt in the department
| Of archaeology and ethnology, so that
this good old mother is not entirely
content with her excellent and stead
| lily improving future.
Exclusive of gifts for capital ac-
count the receipts were 81, 026, 73s. 20;
but, Notwithstanding these apparent
| ly generous profits, IL must be admit
ted that the great educational work
undertaken by this noble university,
including explorations, expeditions,
etc, requires to its grand result
ampler means than even this richly
endowed Institution now commands.
The exceptionally large expenditures
for several years past, which have
been proportionately much larger than
the increase in the numbe Of stu
dents, were due to additions to and
improvements of the plants of the
university; to the greater cost of the
scientific establishments, and to the
fact that all the advanced instruction
is very costly in proportion to the
number OF students who receive it.
In view of this condition of affairs
President Eliot says: 1.-The American
public must enlarge its ideas Of the
cost of supporting university. 1t
may reasonably be inferred from the
experience of Harvard University
that, after all the grounds, buildings,
and collections of a university have
been provided, an income of a million
dollars year will still leave the
university with many pressing wants,
many gaps in its instruction, and
many fields of research untouched for
lack OF means. g e L. ssss,s 8
"A remarkable increase iii the nuns
Der Or students attending the uni
versity has disting rushed the past five
years, development that the Presi-
dent finds it dif1lcult to explain, there
having been no change in the require
ments Of admission that make it
easier to enter any department. of the
university or obtain the ordinary de-
grees. In the ten years from 1S77-7S
to 1888 the increase was only 45S,
and in the previous ten years over
the preceding decade was only 1886;
but between Oct. /, 1887, and Oct 1,
1891, there was an increase of 965
students, the number in the college
alone being 1,341.
There is reminder that the in
crease occurred simultaneously with
the introduction and maintenance of
the new method of carrying on the
religious services of the college by
ministers of different denominations,
the attendance of students not being
compelled; but this is not accepted as
an adequate explanation. The prob
able view is that taken by President
Eliot, namely, that "the unequaled
resources of the university have be-
come better known to the educated
public throughout the country" Since
1872 Harvard has been very guarded
in issuing degrees, but there have
been no great obligations put upon
the A. B. anxious to become an A. M,
it only being required of him to give
a single year to study usually Of no
very definite character 1t is pro-
posed, therefore, that the standard
Of A. M. be lowered SO that it will be
no more than an honor degree of A
B., or that the requirements for the
degree be so raised as to necessitate
two years of study in addition to the
study for A. B. The latter plan is OF
course preferable, and probably will
be adopted at Harvard, as that uni
versity has become wisely jealous of
degrees bearing her seal.