The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1893-02-19
UNIVERSITY DEGREES.
rrPLr TO THE CHAIRMAN OF THE
UNIVERSITY FACULTY.
M. Miles Has Something to Say in An
svsr TO tho Defence OF the Action
OF the Board of visitors.
-. ~. EDITOR OF The Times:

sue 10 defend the action or the board OF
visitors in regard 90 their degree legis-
lation. lie began in very fair. careful
and dgnihed manner, and 1t seemed that
We we're 70 be treated TO a full Historical
and comparative" statement Of the case.
However, IN few short turns, he leaves
the points at issue and INDUCES in such
Incorporate personalities regarding my
sclf end other critics Of the change that
his Official position is hardly sufficient
20 shield him from the charge of being
ignorant OF the courtesies that should
exist between gentlemen I'm debate. This
a. especially unfortunate just now coming,
as IL does upon the heels OF the Dabney-
uoWison episode, and Il is enough to make
one pause and ask himself If the old time
dignity Of personal character, the rare
collection of crude prejudces to a re-
Nned intelligence, which characterized the
men who held chairs in this institution
In the past. have been regarded in the
recent pTomCtioIs.
Figuratively speaking, II ] were gifted
with the workmanship OF William Tell
and could shoot my shaft so near to the
head Of my alma mater without injury
10 her. l should be glad to express my
opinion Of his affected contempt and lofty
preteusions.
and. like the goat in the fable uses his
house-tOp TO do his talking. However.
the whole tenor OF his article shows that
he is hard pressed. Whenever a party
10 a controversy begins to asseverate.
by all that is holy that he will not yield
an inch nor change his views. II may be
set down that he feels the ground slipping
from under HIM Ard when he speaks
Of the ungrammatical rage of band
u callow youths" referring 10 the
scholarly company Of Masters of Arts,
who demonstrated against the change,
and Of the shrielSing rhetoric Of coun-
try school-masrer," referring TO myself,
night then his own rage betrays him into
a display OF excessively bad taste.
There was one good old English pro-
verb. based on well known story. that
kept coming into my mind as l read his
article TO the effect that "a shoemaker
should not go beyond his last" How
much better II would have been for the
chairman to have stuck to the intrica-
c.es of differential equations" iii whicn
Dc Is so much at home, than to have
taken up. IN such bad temper. the
rhetorican's tools, which are evidently
unfamiliar TO his hands How is this for
an example Of his rhetoric and Of his
iudicious and judicial mind? wien
your correspondent endeavors to support
an attack upon this measure by an ex-
ample like pitfalls dug by his own wiifui
ignorance OF the actual state of affairs at
his alma mater again await him. The
course which he selects is ridiculous ard
detestable from an educational point or
view; no rare man-not to speak or an
exp ofessor and head master Of d school
would think Of combining into a degree
course advanced work in Anglo-Saxon
and comparative anatomy" Now, in
The first place, that opening sentence Is
wretchedly constructed. His rhetoric is
discCrdant. again there is nothing ridicu-
l0us or detestable about the course l
selected and again, ii is precarioUs in
any man TO set up his own mind as
gauge OF other peoples sanity. II a
chemist and biologist may not be per-
mitted TO study French, German and
English. in the name Of common sense,
what may he be allowed TO know? Mr..
Thornton arranged some NJ. A. courses
in his letter. and in one he combined lee
lures on the delightful love poetry OF
the German Minnesingers with analysis Of
fertilizers. VIII he show the advantage
Of this combination over biology and
English?
Now as 10 the charge that the best
college graduate in Virginia could not
graduate in the schools of French, Ger
man. English, chemistry and biology in
less than three years. all l have to say
Is that the examinations are entirely I'M
precedented. or there are degrees Of men
who could take the NJ. a. degree in one
year on this line.
In regard 10 the ease or difficulty Of
course OF study, l am not to be so easily
msrepresented by Mr.. Thornton. My
word Of warning was against the eager
ness of the times, which has really
grown into a fierce demand. for quicker
and more snowy methods of education.
A Milton working seven years in the Uni
versty and then five more at his fathers
country seat before calling himself
educated is a rare sight. Yet all the
while like his own eagle, he was "purging
and unscaling'' his sight, preparatory to
IFS great achievements In politics and
literature. Noise and hurry and impa-
ti-nce for results are partitioning out the
educational world as they have already
done the commercial. one of the most
Inspiring sights l have ever witnessed
Vas tie patience and perseveran e that
attained. in this day and generation, the
illl ripe scholarship Of the old Univer
s.ty NJ. a degree. In that degree. young
men took all knowledge to be their pro-
vince" and pursued with accuracy and
enthusiasm the various great depart
ments Of science and literature.
This degree IS now a thing Of the past.
IN IT'S stead. a very good degree has been
rsged up ard the cardinal principle OF
dieting your studies IS good one, pro-
Wded tho options are arranged with
N-aAllfl Observation-Disclosures bOl inns boolh
of visitors has gone a bow-shOt over and
beyond the most liberal Northern and
estern colleges. TO get its degrees, you
can pick out eight studies out Of nineteenl
10 viii take a mathematician, like Mr..
Thornton. TO tell how many permutations
tat IS capable OF. The old triumvirate,
Latin. Greek and mathematics, is de-
inroned and are only allowed TO feed from
TIE crumbs that fall from the trim young
sciences tables. In the hurry for facts.
force is lest sight Of. Observers rather
tnA1 thinkers are the men wanted now.
Your lawyer may become a Master Of
arts by studying history political science.
English literature and moral philosophy;
your doctor through biology, chemistry,
analytical chemistry and modern Ian
glages; your engineer through mathe-
Hltlcs mechanics. chemistry and geo
iOgy al roads lead 10 Rome.
But the point Of my chief attack is
t- fact that after arranging all this
delightful list OF options, the board OF
visitors next step in and accept the de-
grees from other chartered institutions of
learning as equivalent for one-haf OF
their Il. A. course I'm comforting the new
". a. degree. thus placing their own b.
A. degree men at q disadvantage. The
college h. A. degree man gains at least
whole years work IN four subjects over
tie University Of Virginia b. A. degree
man. Let me ask Mr.. Thornton: What
college IN Virginia turns out whole class