Hot Springs weekly star. (Hot Springs, S.D.) 1892-1917, 1892-03-11
Harvard univers,.y.

Harvard University.
Harvard is doing very well. Age
agrees with her. AS an alma mater
she seems to become more precious to
the public as her years multiply.
That is the conclusion at which one
arrives after no more than a cursory
reading Of the latest annual reports
of her President and Treasurer. With
receipts for the year ending July 81,
1891, aggregating 81, 797, 512. O6, and
total expenses amounting to $780,
900. 90, and with property valued at
81, 299, S4s. 10, it can hardly be said
that the Cambridge universal educator
is in a pitiable state of decrepitude.
Moreover, well-minded persons seem
to be very DESTROYS to advance her
prosperity by additional requests. do
nations, and endowments: yet the
President declares to the public that
"the lack of greater means for special
research during the past year has
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 ST., O26, 73S. 20:
but, Notwithstanding these apparent
ly generous profits, it must be admit
ted that the great educational work
undertaken by this noble university,
including explorations, expeditions,
ETC., requires to it's grand result
ampler means than even this richly
endowed institution now commands.
The exceptionally large expenditures
for several years past, which have
been propoit larger than
the increase in the number 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 a 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 Il 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"
A remarkable increase in the num-
Der of students attending the uni
versity has distinguished the past five
Years, Il development that the Presi-
dent finds it difficult to explain, there
having been no change in the require
mcnts 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 lSS7-SS the increase was only ASS,
and in the previous ten years over
the preceding decade vas only 335;
but between Oct. 1, 1887, and Oct. J.,
1891. there was an increase of 965
students. the number i'm the college
alone being 1,341.
There is a 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 unequalcd
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 haye
been no great obligations put up@
the A. b. anxious to become an A. NJ
it only being required of him to gi
a single year to study usually of
very definite character. 1t is pr
posed, therefore, that the standaI
of A. NJ. be lowered so that it will
no more than an honor degree'o
b., or that the requirements for IL
degree be so raised as to necessita
two years of study in addition to tt
study for A. B. The latter plan is
course preferable, and probably wi
be adopted at Harvard, as that ur
versity has become wisely Jealous
degrees bearing her seal.
Costly Ieather.