The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1898-04-11

Prof James Account OF an Ordeal at
Harvard.

Prof Jamcs' Account or an Ordeal at
Harvard.
College men of tofay may, with right.
envy the oass, with which their predecss-
sors OF thirty ysars ar more ago sat
through .hs curriculum. The older
alumni are prone to wsg their heads 10
depreciation Of the present methods Of
education and to declare with no little
en phasis that the college graduate Of
today has much sasier time completing
his COURSE and can do it much more
easily thar was possible when was In
college, The reverse OF this PROPOSE
tion IL suggested by Professor William
James Of Harvard tho psychologist, who
tells this story of the days when he was
In college, and tells 1t with the COMMENT:
And I'm net exactly totiering on the
verge Of the grave with old age. either;
SO it was not so very many years ago."
Professor Jsmes who 10 broth'r OF
Henry James, the novelist was at Har'
ward late In the COS. During his N ediaal
course, he says he took just one exami-
nation, and tho method CT 1t, as be tells
it, suggests that harvarf might have
scattered broadcast over the land an as
sortmeus Of physicians perilous to life
and limb.
"Ihe examination was oral and lasted
just an hour and q halt" says be-.
"These ninety minutes were equally d.
vided among nine subjects. ten minutes
to each Each Of Us az he came In took
q seat at desk. behind which stood tie
professor who was to conduct the exami-
nation In that particular subject. The
professor ssked the questions and We
answered them as bsst We could. Out In
the hall stood the jnnitor beside the big
gong. and at the expiration OF the ten
minutes he pounded tie gong. This
was the signal for all the students to get
up and change desks. much after the
mannerof your progressive euchre par.
ties. My recollection Of what / was
asked and what answered is vague, ex-
cept one particular. When came to
the desk over which the genial DR..
Oliver Wendell Holmes presided, to be
examined In anatomy, he asked me some
questions about the nerves at the base of
the brain. 1t 20 happened that / gave
MIN PRETTY exhaustive reply.
"'Oh. well, II you know that you
know everything said DIR. Holmes.
ch e,rfully. Let's talk about someth ing
else. How are your people at homer
"In that pleasant way I completed INV
examination IN that subject. do not re-
II enter having encountered any difficult
ties In any of thu subjscts There were
two other matters to bs ttsnded to before
got my M. ID. hsd to write thesis,
and did IL. Then went to the dispen-
ssry and took q case for diagnosis and
treatment. There was lump on the
hack OF tho m,n's neck which I diagnosed
as a carbuncls, and for which l prescrit-
cd hot poulticss. 1t was with feelings of
apprehension that l learnsd later that ths
patient was suffering from an internal
disorder, and TIE test was en- That. How
ever, the ex smining oard we're very kind
about 1t. They sdn itted that my cou rse
In diagnosing the frat t,oubls came
across In my patient-namels. the car
purc,e. which was plainly apparent to the
examiuer's eye. was quite natural, ana
said that my treatment wns the proper
one. Therefore was adjudsed sstisfao-
tory. Notwithstanding these methods OF
examination ard can sa this with q
good grace. as am not practicin1
ply sician--I believe that Harvard turned
out. as rule, thoroughly eificien gen
erai practitioners
Along this same line Is the care Of .
rr' iessnr In one OF the New York state
colleges who had d national reputation
as classical scholar and an authority
on Greek poetry. He was graduated In
the '40s from the college where he now
occupies the chair Of Greek, an institu-
tion. by the way, which has always had
reputation for rigia requirements and
thorouahness. and during his entire
course he did not pass an examination in
matn matics which subject was tis
baue. Notwithstanding this, he was val
edicoorian cf his clses. 1t has become q
tradition In that college that when this
profe sor gives the ratings In mathemati-
cal examinations even the mcst horelsss
has chance to cone through In triumph.