The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1897-10-24
DR.. KiIQo on Education
Ne Takes the Ground That Big College Attendance Doe
Not Prove ProgreSs.' "a

once n1UUINSi ny AhNpc
schools and could not have entered col
lcee classes for degree.
Taking the University as Sample,
because it is a public institution anu
because it processes to occupy the high-
est sphere of education, ana COMPARING
onta-hellum record with its present work
the true condition of things becomes ap-
narent. Before the war the University
had but one under-g graduate degree, the
Bochelor of Arts degree. Candidates
for admission to the University for de-
gree we're required to stand eXamina-
tion ~, Latin. Greek, Mathematics, Eng
fish. and Geography. For entrance N
Latin the following previous work was
required: Latin Prosody; Andrews or
Arnold's Exercises; Caesar; Ovid; W.
vii and Salust. The present require
ment in Latin for the A. Is. degree is,
Latin Prosody; Exercises; Caesar; Nir-
gil: and Cicero's Orations, one author
less than in the fifties. The catalogues
show that in 1S51-'52 there were 2ol
students at the University, of which 233
we're A. H. students; 1So4-'o5, ia stu
dents. of which 900 were a. b. Students
1S55-'5G. 424 students of which 3oI We're
A. Il. students; 1S57'5S. 567 students of
which>423 were A. p. students; 1S09-'6o
500 students of which 391 were a. g.
students
In 1892 the catalogue shows the follow
ing undergraduate degrees were offer
cd at the University: Bachelor of Arts,
Bachelor of Philosophy, Bachelor OF
Science, and Bachelor of Letters, En-
trance to the University for the degree
Of Bachelor of Arts requires Latin,
Greek. Mathematics, English aud His
49, e TDh.1nSn-Nby 7 n
Mathematics, English. and History; for
Bachelor of Science, Mathematics, Eng
Hsh and History; and the same for
Bachelor of Letters. This policy Of add
ing lower degrees shows that the Univer-
sity has opened itself to and is building
for classes of students that belonged to
the. preparatory schools in the ffties
Students are able to enter the University
for the degree of Bachelor of Science
fully a year and a half before they could
enter for the degree of Bachelor If
Arts. as B. S. requires no previous study
Of Latin and Greek.
The catalogue shows that in 1892 80
there were in attendance at the Univer- |
sity 316 students. 81 of which were \. |
B's.. 20 Phi. b s.. 81 b. SEES. % B. LIS. !
1S93-'a4, 3SS students, of which % We're !
A. BIS. sc Phi. Rs. 46 r. SIS, % h.
Is; 1S94-'95. 412 stupents, of which |
105 were A. BIS. 50 Phi. BIS, 60 B. S..
IS B. LIS: 1886 394 students. of
which 1O2 were \. BIS. 81 Phi BIS.
81 B. SIS. 10 B. Is. 1S96-'97. 391 stu
dents, of which 95 were A. BIS, 30 Phi.
BIS. 81 B. SIS. r. Is. The remain
der of students matriculated during these
years was distributed among special
students. Law students. etc.
BY comparing these statistics it is evil
dent that the University by no means is
handling the number of high grade stu
dents that it had before the war. 1t
has built up its numbers in the nineties
by putting in lower degrees. which has
brought it in direct competition with the
schools. This increase of
','-~,'nrs in recent years is far from
educa tional progress. but proves
just contrary. when considered in con-
nection with the decline Of preparatory |
schools.
The following figures show the per |
cent Of graduates of all students in the
as under graduate students
1S54-'55. II per cent; 1S55-'56. 13 per
cent: 1S57-'5S, 20 per cent; 1S5S-'6O, II
FER cent; 1929 % per cent; 1S93-'94,
O9 per cent; 1S94-'95, II per cent;
1896, II per cent. Fewer men who
enter the University in late years re-
main through the course and graduate.
Among educators, the cause has been
found in an insufficient impetus given
in preparatory work.
These facts show that we are not so
well advanced in educa tional sta ndards
and sentiment as we were forty years
ago, and that the responsibility lies upon
the colleges that have multiplied lower
courses of study, and demoralized both
standards and sentiment. They have
been taken with a craze for numbers,
because long rolls seem to appeal to an
uneducated class, and instead of brave
ly striving to uplift and develop educa-
tional work, they have deliberately de-
moralized it. Slowly the process is max
ing the impression that college degrees |
do not mean much, because they repre- |
sent very ordinary class of work. These |
lower degrees have about killed the |
study of Greek in the South, and the end |
is not yet in sight. The time has come
for every lover of high culture AMI
broad learning to enter such an emphatic
protest against this educational vandal-
ism that true standards viii be reinst1t-
Cd and only sincere men dare occupy the
field Of education.
mo q EJTC0