The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-02-12
HARVARD MEN In THE WAR
PRESIDENT ELIOT REFERS TO THEM
IN HIS ANNUAL REPORT

President Eliot. in his annual report. Just is
sued. for the academic year 1S97-AS, draws Mt
tention to the record Of the services Of Har
ward graduates and undergraduates in the wa.
with Spain. The record il not yet com plete
but 1t shows 1884 undergraduates graduates
and short-term students participants in the
war. Forty.seyen Harvard men were mum,
bered among the rough riders. whom DIR
Eliot speaks OF only under the dignincd title o
the First United States Volunteer Cavalry. Col
Leonard Wood commanding.
80 long as there are wars II will be expedi-
ent," he says. 'especially.in democracies. that
the best-educated young men bear their full
share in wars hardships and dangers. The
highly educated class must show. itself as brave.
tough and disinterested as any other and as
faithful to ideals. II its education has been
right. II will always show itself superior in
these respects to every other Glass; After
citing some statistics. DIR. Eliot says: 1T fol-
lows from these facts that at least 81 per cent.
Of all Harvard College students and young
graduates are physically fit for the service Of
the country in time of war. Just as they are 1T
for all sorts OF strenuous work in business and
the professions in time Of peace"
Considering athletics at Harvard. the Presi-
dent says that while the evils of excessive train
ing were still manifest during thu year. they
were lessened and that soma prod ress in the
intelligent management OF competitive ath-
letic sports was made. He declares that in
tercolegiate football for young men who have
Just Joined the university causes a grave in
reference with their studies at the worst pos
sible time. The good physical influence OF
vigorous out-of-door sports in general is in
dubitable. he saws. but he adds that it is still a
matter Of doubt whether the intensified games
which mainly interest the public have a good
physical effect on the players. y = = Wheth-
or the fit men who take part in.the hotly con-
tested races and games are thereby made
physically filter to bear the subsequent strains
OF business or professional life is still au open
question. Cases Of demonstrated injury are
not infrequent; but cases Of proved profit or
advantage are not easily to he exhibited"
DR.. Eliot deyotes considerable space to tho
future OF the A. b. degree. a question. which,
he SAYS. is one of the most interesting con-
corning the tendencies of organized American
education. Recalling that whereas fifty years
ago American colleges and universities had no
other preliminary or Fundamental degree
they now confer such degrees as Bachelor OF
Letters. Bachelor Of Science. Bachelor of Phil
osophy and various degrees in engineering. no
points out that as - rule the examinations
which admit TO the courses that conduct to
these degrees are of a lower grade than the
degree Of Bachelor Of Arts. although In not a
lew instances the course of study which ends
Ia On6 OF InpSe degrees IL more severe than
Bachelor OF Arts. In all Of the State UNIVERSE
ties the use of the new degrees is greater than
and in the older endowed institutions the new
degrees are rapidly gaining on the old.
bachelor of Arts degree is going on in all the
ndvanced institutions Of education at a rapid
man 4 Dc social sSSs'l and and is ind d2gqiiGSS co onsGf 0s
which are quite beyond the control of those in
The President says that the faculty is en-
scribed English. courses in Harvard College.
the, ancient PROPORTION of teachers to students
had not been maintained in the great mere se
young instructors the average age Of college
Iehhcners had been reduced. he shows that:
Increase in the number of students under the
iacaity ot Arts and Sciences was 80 told and
tnat IN the lumber 1l college, underGraduate
members of the faculty was ~ fold and that
The average number # years out of college Of
IS,1-nI. pol as against POS in the year
lS&'-lO. It appears thatthe teachers of fresh
more maturity than they were thirty years
ago anG that tho teachers of seniors now are
Some interesting Observations upon the
scientific students appear in the report. where
it Is noted that these students are no longer
outsiders at Cambridge. but comrades and
EQUALS OF the college student in every respect.
thelr status having changed completely with
- 80 '",' . h' 'NI'hllll' ptUbbl. DN lnt |
way. furnishes. in proportion to its numbers,
more members of the principal athletic teams
IN proportion to the lumber of students. en-
listed last spring in the army and navy. also.
from the Scientific School than from the col
lege. The. President says that the better ac-
commohation of the numerous students in
engineering is a pressing problem. OF the
summer courses at Cambridge he says that
the attendance has increased rapidly OF recent
years and that in Twenty-Five years no case Of
injury to the health of student or teacher IN
the summer school has been reported, He
points out as an indication Of the quality Of
the students in the graduate school that no
case Of discipline has come before the admin
]istratlye board in three years. The three
are modern languages. history and political
science. and philosophy, Music and the iino
srts, ihclndinE arrhite,turo,. are feebly repre-
In n table presented by the Dean showing the
age OF masters of arts. masters of science and
nine men out Of III We're % years old or more
and above half the entire number were p or
enty years are. over before they are able to
support themselves" he says;
ization in the ministerial profession" in deal
Ing with he report OF the Dean of the Divinity
School, The churches admit studies OF a
fortheir nulpits. instead OF special studiesJsuch
as New Iestafnent criticism and interprcta-
tiyn. Systematic theology and. Hebrew"
me Dontai scli2oi aitracts more students
Of the university" Last year
the establishment OF a body OF com
peIcnt students" who under direction 90 to
hospitals and The homes Of poor people Tor
the purpose OF giving dental aid to persons un-
able to visit the inilrmary.' The admission
women TO the course Of landscape garden
ing at the Bussey Institution was authorized
year.
or the library the President-says: The H.
ike the museum and observatory, is
Of those departments of the university
which has no income from students. Being
supnortei wholly by endowmcnts. their in
comes fall with the general fall in the rate of
Interest on Investments. The library has been
a;s1Vere sufferer in this respect. Its purchases
books are all made from the income Of in-
vested FUNDS. and this income has been stead
ny falling for, more than twenty YEARS past.
Additional endowment is the only remedy for
this evil. Twenty thousand dollars u year is
an insufficient sum wherewith 10 buy. the
hnd-the departmental and classroom libraries
book funds to yield au income OF
$4,000 to $1,000 are very desirable. A book
ana need not be a large fund a low thousand ,
collars the Income Of which is devoted to the |
purchase Of books in n special department may ,
Dg, the means. in tho course Of years, of pro- !
Slqlnk the genera! library with a remarkable
collection OF books in that department."
-, Or. Eliot mentions as n curious phenomenon
no comparative neglect of physics by stu