The sun., 1894-12-02

4.
II was Prof Freeman who first made clear to
American minds tho distinction between tho
American and the English type of university
when he babe us compare unified State like
France with our own confederation OF SENT
independent commonwealths. An American
university 10 a unified, consolidated, wholly in
dependent body. Oxford or Cambridge. on the
other hand. is q federation OF semi-ndependent
colleges. whose federal or collective interests
alone fall within the Jurisdiction OF the unver-
sity proper. That Is a deep and sharp dis
tnction, and there are also differences not
70 be overlooked between Harvard and
German university, as, for instance. that
of Berlin. Through her Faculty OF Arts, Har-
ward still does q good deal of the work which
In Germany Is performed by young men Mt
q gymnasium. IL is, nevertheless, true that
Harvard now, by her professional schools
and her arrangements for postgraduate
instruction, offers q field of study almost
as comprehensive as that presented in the capt
tai Of the German empire. But Harvard was n
university when it consisted only of the college
proper ana possessed no professional schools,
which were outgrowths of the present century.
Indeed, IL was university from the start, inas-
much as II exercised the power OF conferring
degrees. MIR. Hill has unearthed n document
belonging to the middle OF the seventeenth
as a university. 1t Is probable enough. as
the author Of this book suggests, that the
founder and carly benefactors OF the col
lege expected that other semi-indepcndent col
legcs would eventually be established by it's
side so that the English Cambridge. of which
John Harvard was a graduate. would be repro
duced. As II happened, bencfactions did not
take that direction: but, OF late years, it has
been argued that the rapid increase in the num-
4.
reader it expedent to break up the department
OF arts into number OF colleges modelled on
the English type. As a matter of fact, the Har-
ward annex for women. since II has been in
corporated under the name of Radcliffe Col
lege, occupies toward Harvard University n
position analogous tothat Of an Oxford college
toward the university authorities.
AS regards the outward aspect of Harvard,
Mr.. Hill tells us that he found the Yard rs
pleasant place 10 stroll in as the Garden OF st.
Johns and the walks OF Magdalcn. One thing
only was wanting, there was not single bench
TO lie found. II was surprising how
green was the grass and how fresh. oyershad-
owed though It was by trees. There Is no quad
rangfe in Ok ford more delightful on a hot sum
nier's day. Harvard surely Is n college that
man can love" The author adds that the old
red brick wills which enclose two sides of the
Yard recalled To his mind not so much Oxford a.
the courts Of the Temple. His first impressions
Of the Harvard undergraduates are thus re-
corded: They are shorter and sligatsr than
our Oxford men, with much less color. year or
two older, think, unless the hot climate makes
them look older. | do not see many gross.
stupid faces, but, on the other hand have not as
yet noticed any of those fresh colored, innocent
faces which are 30 attractive at Oxford" On
seeing more Of the men he came to doubt
whether they were older than the English un-
dergraduates. Near tho end OF his sojourn in
cambridge he notes with surprise: How few
are the signs here OF university life compared
with those seen in Oxford. In the latter town
the presence Of the students Is much more con-
spicuOus. No one can walk about its streets and
roads without noticing the large number of
young men often moving In long stream,
young men, moreover, who, as their ap-
pearance, dress, manner of walking. and
features show, are not in business" On refec-
tion Mr.. Hill perceives that IL is the separa-
tlon OF colleges at Oxford which distributes
their life over the city, so that undergraduates
and graduates are continually passing along the
streets from college TO college, or from college to
the university buildings. In the American Cam
bridge. on the other hand. the college buildings.
which are numerous, are mostly in one enclo-
sure, the Yard. Those which are not there are
separated from them only by a road. The
majority OF the students, therefore. in 60
ing TO and from lectures or Tecitations, do
not cross the town. Even in tho Yard,
however, Mr.. Hill could discover little of
the undergraduate in the dress, general ap-
pearance and gait OF Harvard men. His re-
marks upon this point are curious, and, viewed
IN connection with other observations indi-
cate that the authors field OF study must
have lain chiefly in what used to be
known the scrub or Rnt!-Pudding
section OF the undergraduates: An Oxford
man lets the world know that he Is an Oxford
man. His self-sRtisfaction gives an assurance,
sometimes even a kind OF swagger to his whole
behavior. lie walks along the High street II
Il belonged not 20 the corporation, but to him
self His apparel, too oft proclaims the man.
There Is nothing Of this here. The Harvard un-
dergraduate talks OF himself and his comrades
rs boys [this is a mistake; we never heard the
word "bOys" used AT Harvard. lie has not
learaed To swagger. Probably IL takes many
years at a great English public school To acquire
the true manner. Like the art Of heating
tho French At Waterloo, Il is best learned
on thu playing fields Of Eton His dress,
TOO, is much less costly and sh0wy; for
the most part, It is of dark cloth. The ordi-
nary Harvard man might have stepped out Of
city office or normal school for teachers"
TLis comparison of the average Harvard man to
the type Of national school teacher, held up to
contempt by Dickens in "Our Mutual Friend"
would be an impeTtnencC, but for the fact ady
mentioned that the authors opportunities OF
meeting Harvard undergraduates were, evil
IDENTITY. not all that could be wished Among
other grounds for this averment we may cite a
staternNnt made ON page IT5, where the author
speaking Of the Harvard dormitores, Gays that
'' the use OF the bath in the bsdchamber is. as
was informed. not common" Il Is not likely
that Harvard has degenerated In respect OF
FleanlinRsg III during IlA last thrfa - ,pstla
aRd We do not hesitate % say that, thirty
two years ago. no man would have beeR
deemed eligible 10 the II, r. c. to whose bed
room hat-shaped tub was not an adjunct as
as the bed itself. We are also able
10 aver that. At tho same epoch, the practice Of
aAtatlnA tuCblng was more common among ]