The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1892-03-06


EURIpIDEs OF ARIsToPHANEs. Tho Latin
course open to freshmen who have passed
in advanced Latin for admission. compre'
bends CICERo's treatise DE Amicitia." two
books OF LIvY. two plays OF TERENCE, and
practice in reading Latin at sight. Let us
suppose that for his other two elective
studies n freshman takes German and
French. which he offered at the examination
for admission. In that case he will receive
instruction in grammar, composition. trans
la,on, and reading ut sight, md in Ger
man will give special attention to extracts
from the writer's of the eighteenth and
nineteenth centuries. and in French to Sc
lcctions from DUMAS, ABOUT. GEORGE SAND.
SANDEAu. and La FONTAINE. Tho prescribed
work OF the sophomore and junior years Is
limited to themes and forensics. and no
studies whatever are prescribed for the SEN
ior year. On the other hand, every senior.
junior and sophomore Is required to take
four elective courses. his choice Of which.
however. is narrowed to those studies which
his previous training fits him to pursue. We
will assume. therefore. that our undergrad
unto continues to restrict himself to Greek
aud Latin. German and French. 1t is nj
most impossible. with nothing but
tho information afforded by the cata-
logue. to define tho minimum of pro-
| ficicncy which must be exhibited during tho
three years just named in order to gain the
diploma of Bachelor OF Arts. We will.
therefore. take for granted that as regards
scope the passman will traverse the same
field as is outlined for the honor man in tho
| two classical languages and the two modern
| languages to which we have referred. II
| the work sketched ont were well done, 1t
| would involve a thorough knowledge OF
those four languages and their respective
literature The principal difference between
tho pnssman and the honor man in n given
department at Harvard. is. We imagine.
that the litter in the yearly and final exam
nations will evincc high degree OF prof.
cheney and the former the lowest degree per-
missiblc. We arc told. in fact. that at the
end of every academic year the standing OF
n student in each OF his courses is expressed
according to his proficiency by one OF five
grades designated respectively by tho first
five letters OF the alphabet. A student who
is assigned to grade E is considered to have
failed, and no student is recommended for
the degree OF Bachelor of Arts unless he has
reached grade d in all prescribed studies,
and in the requisite number OF elective
courses. and has. moreover. stood above
grade D in at least One-fourth OF all his
college labors. Let us try to put in plain
words the meaning of these provisions.
They signify that those men who have just
managed to get an A. Is. degree at Harvard
by pursuing the courses here suggested.
have. as regards the range OF their acQuaint-
ance with Greek and Latin. German and
French. Ostensbly accomplished at least us
much work as is done by the passmen OF
any other American college. and decidedly
more than is effected by the same class OF
students ut the English universities OF Ok
ford and Cambridge. Whether us regards
assimutive power and accuracy they are
any more worthy Of serious consideration.
is Of course open to question.
The examination for admission to the
freshman class at Yale differs materially
from that arranged at Harvard College.
Candidates not only may. but must show
IN elementary knowledge OF Greek as we'll
rs Latin. and must be able to translate
simple English into Latin and Greek prose.
They must offer either French or German.
but arc not allowed to offer both. Then
again. after admission. n student is by no
AclG III So lhl ~ u AlVoSuIC W IT'D oNu
devices. All the studies OF the freshman
and sophomore years are prescribed. eX-
ccpt that an undergraduate may choose
whether he will pursue the study Of French
or German. Even in the junior year the
prescribed courses occupy six hours per
week; and those of the senior yenr two
hours per week. In addition. each member
of the junior class is required to select nine
hours per week, and each member of the
senior class thirteen hours per week. from
the list Of elective courses. Assuming that |
the elective hours were all given to Greek |
and Latin. German and French. the can
didate for an ordinary Is. A. degree at Yale |
must have gone over fields substantially |
identical with those assigned to n passman |
of like tastes ut Harvard. The difference is |
that the latter would. in addition to his nomi- |
nal acquirementsin the four languages spec
flied, have obtained nothing, at college but |
some practice in rhetoric and English COM |
position and such rudimentary knowledge |
OF chemistry rs can be gained by attendance
on lectures for the half Of one year. On the |
other hand, the Yale passman has ostensi-
bly, been carried through algebra, geome-
try. trigonometry. plane and spherical, to-
gcther with it's applications to navigation
and astronomy; analytical geometry. plane
and solid. and applications to map projcc-
ton: and. finally, the elementary princi-
pies OF kinematics. knctics and states in
reference to solid bodies, with practical APP
plications. He must also have studied tho
elements OF astronomy. OF physics OF logic
OF Psychology. ethics. and the history OF
philosophy. We are disposed to agree with
those who have no high opinion OF the use
fitness OF college course to students who
content themselves with the minimum re-
qulremcnts for b. A. degree. But il a
is worth having ut NIL. it is plain
that one Is forced to get smatterlng OF
many more things at Yale than ut Harvard.
We come now to the institution. the Col
lego OF New Jersey at Princeton, which
would probably be ranked next to Harvard
and Yale by majority OF the alumni Of
those universities. 1t is interesting to OBJ
serve that neither Princeton nor Yale has
Haryards example in ndmittipD |