Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1899-09-30


West Virginia School Journal.
A certain normal school in Ken
lucky, it is said, will confer a degree,
particularly the degree Of Doctor OF
Divinity, as some persons in this State
know, for a song. In our own State,
which is ever reluctant to be outdone
by her sister States and is always
eager to be in the forefront, the time
is soon coming, unless all signs fail,
when any degree from A. B.. to d. G.. L.
may be had for even less than is de-
manded by the aforementioned normal
school. Fol- more than a quarter CT a
century the president and faculty OF the
West Virginia University labored dill
gently, faithfully and c~onscientiously
to build up that institution. Their
honest work was not apparent IN a
large number of students ranging from
the a~becedarian to the graduate. That
was not what they sought. But it was
apparent in efficiency of instruction,
thoroughness Of training and sound
ness of scholarship. The graduates
were few in number, but in most cases
they were. characterized by thorough
preparation. Now, in but little more
than a year, all is changed. Sehol-
arship, it would seem, is no longer the
prerequisite for either instructor or
student. For the former it is gradua-
tion or attendance at Chicago Unlyers-
ity; for the latter it is a nameSwhereby
the grand total of students may be
made to appear so many times larger
than any previous year.
Indeed the eagerness for students is
so apparent that some facetious per
sons aver that it is the duty Of certain
members of the faculty to the
people who pass in front of the Uni
yersity and enroll them as students.
Many plans for increasing the enroll
ment have been adopted. During the
last year a night school was organized
for the employees OF a glass factory
nearby, and these students, though
they were able to pursue only the sub
iects taught in the elementary depart
nent of the public schools, were en-
rolled and counted in the catalogue as
University students. In some depart
ments of the school OF music no UuiSlon
or fees of any kind are charged, and
boys and girls of almost all ages and
conditions are aVailing themselves OF
the opportunity to get some knowledge
of music at the expense CT the State,
and they, too, are counted as University
students. Upon the ground that the
attendance was increasing rapidly, the
Board of Regents asked for an appra-
priafon of $162, 900, the largest pre-
Veus appropriation being $4,000, and
secured S97, 900. Whether that appro-
priation has been used wisely or has
been diverted from it's original purpose
we do not care to discuss. Our main
end is to show that the standard of
scholarship is becoming lower and
lower in the frantic scramble for stu
dents.
There have been heretofore but two
colleges or universities in the whole
country that have allowed students to
elect all the work for the bachelors
degree. These are Leland Stanford and
Cornell. All other institutions have
prescribed a course covering a certain
part Of the four years. Some require a
certain course for the entire four years.
Others require all students to take a
regular course through the freshman
and sophomore and even through the
junior years. Harvard, which for years
has, in a great measure, dictated to the
other institutions in the matter of en-
trance requirements and courses of
study and which has always been con-
sidered very liberal in offering cleo
tives, requires work in English through
out the first three years of the course;
yet the students in Harvard Univers-
ity have the best preparation, especial,
ly in English, that can be had any
where. 1t is therefore almost with
amazement that we hear that, under
the new regulations, when a student
enters the freshman class of the West
Virginia University he may select any
course or courses he chooses and that
his own sweet will shall determine
whether the most of his work shall
consist of snap courses or of the more
serious studies that go to make up a
thorough education. We should not ob-
ject so seriously to this if the boyS and