The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-09-16
As to q College Education.


| An inquiry recently completed by
! Professor William NJ. Sloane of the
| faculty, and James w. Alexander OF
the board of trustees of Princeton uni
versity sheds interesting light on the
cost of a college education. 1t discloses
with reference to Princeton that while
it would be possible for self-denying
| youth to meet every necessary expense
out Of an allowance of $500 q year yet
| the average expenditure is rather over
$500 than under, and rises in special in
stances as high as the indiscretion of
| wealthy parents is willing to permit
| The average expense at Yale and Har-
| ward we believe mounts even higher
than this. reaching in round numbers
nearer 500 than $500 q year. In the
western colleges, like the university of
| Wisconsin and Ann Arbor, it falls to
| lower figure, but the tendency all over
| the country Is toward an increased eX-
penditure by undergraduates. This in
| crease may not and probably does not
| rest on any actual enlargement of nee
essary expenses. but it is in evidence
| just the same and is a fact to be reck-
| oned with.
The question naturally suggests it
self, DO college educations pay? This
no doubt is hackneyed theme, but
| experience shows it is never devoid of
interest. A great deal might be said
| on both sides; far too much to be sum-
married. in the present limited space.
We purpose, however, to venture one
| dogmatic assertion: that no Scranton
parent whose son shall complete with
| care the course Of instruction about to
be adopted in the local high school need
feel greatly downcast If circumstances
should at the expiration of that term
of study deprive the youth of a regular
collegiate course. 1t is probable that
a college course supplementary to q
good training in the public schools
would do no harm in any case, and in
some cases might actually do much
good. But one thing is certain: the
pupil who has the right kind of stuff
in him won't absolutely need the COL
, lege course to make a man Of him, and
the pupil who hasn't the right kind Of
stuff in him can't, as the case stands,
get it put into him in any college in
the land.
To all rules there are conspicuous ex-
ceptlons, yet we sometimes wonder IL
it isn't the rule that more than half the
money spent by parents in putting sons
through college Is to all practical pur-
poses wasted. BY this remark we do
not wish to imply that even poor COL
lege education is not better than none
at all; hut Is the instruction which the
average graduate obtains during his
four or five years :ojourn within uni
veTsity precincts worth in any fair es-
timate Of its subsequent value the time
and money which it costs? There is in
the September Cosmopolitan a sugges-
tive article touching this subject. In
it the editor of that magazine rather
frankly laughs at the inutility of most
collegiate instruction (and by inutility
he does not mean SO much commercial
as social wOrthlessness). The arraign-
inent he makes is in our judgment Just.
The room for Improvement in methods
and purposes of higher education Is
ample. We are by no means getting
from our colleges all or even half of
what they ought to give to us; or what
they must one day give if they would
retain public confidence.