The record-union., 1895-11-11

These were difficult things for the COM
mittee TO Weigh-impoSslble Things II
proved-and year by year they reported
that they could not decide between IN
situations at their gates without IurtneI
instructions from the association, ana
wear by year the association ended a
perplexing discussion by referring the
whole matter back to the committee.
For it had now become evident 10
this modest little league of college
women (the whole association numbers
about 1000 that circumstances had
forced them to become arblterS or
question that all American scholars had
flinched from answering, and that their
standard of admission, if wisely de-
cided might yet become the basis OF a
general policy among American col
legeS. They could not avoid the re-
spC visibility, for aluminae of a dozen in
situations waited with growing trrita-
tiCn decision on the admission OF their
Alma Mattress and the association was
suffering by the delay. 1t was we'll I'M
derstood that the conference that
opened this years meeting must make
some approach to defining what conSt1-
tuteS an American college OF the hrSt
rank. Much would have to be left to the
judgment of committee in any case
nothing else could determine such points
as the ability of the faculty in any given
college, or the thorOughneSS with when
its announced requirements were car
ried out But enough might be put into
definite form to give the committee
courage to shoulder the remaining re-
spCnSibility.
! All the details of the carefully can
VaSSed set of requirements that was laid
before the conference would not interest
the general reader. One stipulation
was that at least three-fourths of the
| faculty should be themselves college
| graduates. That seems mild enough,
| but it would have excluded Wellesley
at the time she was admitted to the as
! ISOLATION. Another was that no ad-
mission on the certificate OF a prepare
! tory school should be allowed without
periodic examination of the school
| surely a necessary precautlon-Dut 1t
would have excluded Vassar and others.
Another was that at least half the
studies Of the first two years should be
REQUIRED. at least half those of the last
two elective, and that would exclude
Harvard The perpleXities of tie
situation are obvious. The fact seems
to be that outside of few very ele'
mentary requirements hardly half d
dozen of the leading universities OF the
country are rigid on the same points,
so that if you take only the restrictions
|
| low a standard that it will let in many
very weak institutions; and if you raise
! YOUR requirements to the level OF any
| one leading university you will bar
several others as good on one point or
| another.
At last the suggestion that crystalllzed
the perpleXing discussion was supplied.
Suppose that a committee get the opln-
ion of the leading college and university
| Presidents, the United States Commas
! sioner of Education and a few other eX-
pert students of the subject, summarize
| and tabulate them and report them
next wear, with it's own conclusions, dts
| to what does actually constitute the
standard held in practice by say the HI
teen or twenty highest institutions IN
the country, allowing for alternative CT
! equivalent requirements, ana Settlng
| down some things as essential, some as
| desirable The colleges that pass
| through this sieve may then be noml-
mated and considered as to their less
definable qualifications. If the con-
ference with the Bureau Of Education
leads to its acceptance of the same re-
quirements, an immense step Will nave
been taken toward the clearing up OF
the grievous chaos of American col
legiate standards.
The suggestion came from California,
and let me note here that the Cali
fornian contribution to the discussions,
from first TO last proved to have a
keynote, too 1t was: Take men into
council; work with men; ally your
selves with the school and university
authorities. The delegate had 70
apologize finally: II am afraid you will
think every time l open my mouth 1t is
to say, consult some man. When it
| came to the paper on publlc school
work the next day, it proved that the
California branch alone had been in
constant touch, as to the schools, with
the pedagogical department of the
nearest university; the California
branch alone had been in hearty CO.
operation with the friends Of the schools
III the Legislature, keeping track of
every educational bill that was intro
duced, procuring information for the
educational committees, calling the at
tention of influential but busy men to
good or bad measures that needed
their help or hindrance. All the
branches had found enormous diff
| Guilty in getting certain statistics as to
the wages of educated women; but it
was the California branch that sent in
a protest against trying to get such
| statistics except in cooperation with
some official authority. The California
branch was the only one that had ac-
tiiN Se'A III
the inquiry into the mental develop
ment of young children-and the only
one that had affiliated it's section for
this study with a university, as a grad
uate seminary.
The question of standards came VI
again at a later session, when the re-
port Of the Committee on Endowment
of Colleges was read. The business of
| = ic tn n
ward the concentration of endoW-
| ranntS and the nreNenlion of the char