The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1893-01-08
hot-beds Of humbuggery. It Is to be hoDed


| mat the DniverSity of Virginia may be
checked In any tendencies that way
| Kight there Is th1 point OF my attack
Ihat Is the position which some subse-
quent board VIII find untenabie. AS long
| as such men as oeters. Venable, Smith,
Mallet, Davis and others live. no matter
what board OF visitors may do, the old
students will feel that the degrees will
| not be lightly confeTved. But the trouble
Is the new issue" of NJ. AS will avoid
these very subjects, and under the option
| system will select subjects Of more gilt
| tering generalities.
This leads me TO remark that the whole
matter will have to be overhauled.
Now. few words I'm reply 10 "Old
Aumnus." This lions roar comes entirely
! from the bushes. Yet, every one at all
familiar with the history Of the case, can
readily recognize his note II has been
heard before on the same subject.
AS 20 the charge Of misquoting Shakes
peare, 1 plead guilty. The expression oc-
CURED TO me as fitting and by a slip OF
the pen l made Hecuba and Hamlet's
player swap places. The poet would have
readily forgiven me, but never these nib
bling word-critics.
As to the charge Of Mysteries. that is
an old and threadbare trick in contro-
versy to try 20 throw dscredit upon the
opinion OF an opponent / suppose "Oid
Alumnus" arrOgatcs unto himself great
subiimity Of seif-possession.
AS to the charge of being young man.
! beg him 20 read William Pitts reply TO
this same charge and TO remember That
II Is applicable TO all AGES and cases. II
is o most atroci0us charge especially
coming from one Who admits that he Is
an old man and no doubt fulfilling Ham
let's description. "whOse eyes are purging
thick amber and plum-tree gum" and
who has a plentiful lock Of Wit to-
gether with weak hams" did quote
Shakespeare Alright that timeO
"Oid Aumnus" tells us the open secret
that majority Of the University faculty
approve these changes. Thus he seeks 10
bolster up his cause with The majority
on my side" argument. I do not suppose
he has ever polled the University faculty
on this subject There are men in the
faculty who feel great uneasiness AT these
changes: who think this extension OF
the options" is a dangerous movement;
and II IS to such men the friends of the
University look 10 making harmless this
sweeping license the board Of visitors
has granted. Some If the best men in
the faculty consider the changes radical
Now 10 the more serious charge that the
board OF visitors had not done what /
assumed and asserted" they had done
J. g., arranged il SO that a man can get
a Master OF Arts degree at the University
by graduating in four schools, after hav-
ing taken his J.. A. degree elsewhere
The law is very clear that n l.. \. Of
another college can get his Master Of
Arts degree 10y graduating i'm four schools
picked at viii from n long list Of options.
This graduating in a school now means
that he must take both y. \. and NJ A.
courses In IL. But what Of that? Instead
of Intermediate Latin and intermediate
Mathematics. We now have 3. 4. Latin
and b. 4. Mathematics. IT, as Professor
Dabney says, 1T viii now be much more
difficult to graduate I'm Latin than former
ly' that puts another phase GA the ques-
ton. But still IL does not change my
statement that graduation in four schools
VIII give the college y. A. man his Mas
ter Of Arts. So "Old Alumnus" has LETT
the record IN laying this charge at my
door.
want to speak n word now Of n gen.
cral natu.. 500 tr. ro.U Dr f.. Times.
Whay is IN this discussion about the Uni
versity degrees? Simply because they
have been honorable I'm the highest sense
ard have represented n great deal OF work.
The lives of such men as Harrison. Gil
derslceve. Peters, Nenable, Aiallet, Smith
and the Ike have gone into those degrees,
and any movement to cheaper chem or
Topularize them should bee watched with
the greatest s0Hcitude 10y the citizens of
the State. 1t has been the boast of Nir-
giIiaus That ll.l~ University .l. .. c.rfee
represented more work than any other
Institutions similar degree i'm America.
Now, by legislation, this board Of Visi-
tors has brought il about that man can
get this degree with half the labor for
merly required. Hence this discussion
If the members Of tie Faculty IN their
r.r % .N .rs
senior course the course for the II. A. de-
gree under this new law and win BLOCK
out new ard more advanced course for
the n. 4. degree. very we'll But they
will always be- hampercd by 'his provision
for accepting other colleges degrees. e.
is the Old story of the imagc OF iron and
clay.
There was one paragraph IN the article
of "Old Alumnus' which almost makes me
forgive him for turning his hose of sar-
casm loose on me. IL reads as follows:
Let the visitors, IN continuation OF their
good 90 work insist upon an cntra1ce cX-
an nation for AL students desiring TO
matilruiaf" god f' silly f.- facf
that the University has no strict system
Of enhance examinations is the sevcrcst
strain upon the respect Ia which II IS held
by scholars everywhere. This reprOach
should be removed. and in this respect the
visitors Guild deserve well Of the state"
As 10 the question OF degrees ! now dis
miss the subject with the hope again ex-
pressed. that the University Faculty Will
omit 10 stamp with the corporate seal Of
this institution its approval upon knowl-
edge and attainmeus acquired else
where. and about which. in fire nature Of
the case, they can know so little.
GEORGE ". MILES, JR.
RadfOrd. Va. Dee - 1892