The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1900-07-14
THE ELECTIVE SYSTEM IN COL
LEGES

THE ELECTIVE SYSTEM IN COL
LEGES.
During the last year Yale university
! has moveld decidedly towards the cleo
| tive system.It is now possible to drop
any of the traditional studies at the
end of the freshman year; another step,
and Yale, which has stood for the con-
sentative ideal in education, must
break finally with the older colleges,
and cast in her lot frankly with Har-
ward and the elective system through
out the course. Much, therefore, de-
ponds on the present attitude of the
Yale administra ton. Does it regard
the recent change as the extreme limit
of concession, or as only step towards
further advance in the Harvard d.
rection? The answer will be awaited
with eager interest by the. small COL
leges which educationally have followed
the example of the New Haven institu-
ton.
The present curriculum at Yale is
largely that of the small colleges in
New England. The traditional studies
Greek, Latin and mathematics with
the recently established English, are
required thrugh freshman year. The
smaller colleges generally follow this
plan, except that some ofthem permit
the substitution of a modern language
for Greek. In the sophomore year at
Yale thestud ent chooses five courses
from a listoften. This means that the
youth may at this stage drop all his
"humanities," or all his sciences. Col
leges of the type of illiams and Am
herst, by offeringashorter list of cleo
tive studies to tn sophomore class, al
low the student at this point to get QUE
out of one, or at most two, uncongenial
subjects. This was the plan at Yale till
last year. Logic, psychology and eth
les are still prescribed during the jun
ior year at Yale the remaining four
courses being elective.
The recent change at Yale carrreiS
her over the line of the conservative
colleges, and far in the Harvard direc-
ton, to this extent-that where those
colleges still regard sophomore year as
ESSENTIALLY belonging to the prescribed
part of the work, Yale has virtually
Viven over this year to elective, or, II
you will, semi-professional, courses.
The inquiry 10 pertinent whether the
sharp division in the colleges between
upper-class and lower-class work.
distinction that has been generally held
to for more than decade, was q mere
compromise, or whether itstill repre-
sents the ideal Of many thoughtful ed
ucators.
1t has not been generally recognized
that by holding vigorously to required
work in the lower-class years, while APP
proximating that of the upper-class
eyars to the university standard. Amer
lean education Of late years has been
coming nearer to the continental sys-
tenn. The American college continues
tn work Of the school to the students
twentieth year or whereabouts; then it
allows him to exercise considerable
freedom in the choice of his subjects.
His work thenceforth, in the case of an
earnest student is individual, and tends
to become professional At about the
same age, and with approximately the
training of the American who has COM
pleted his sophomore year, the French
Iycee and the German Gymnasium
turn the baccalaureate over to the free
dom of the university. 1t is fair to say
that the first sophomore choices at
Yale, as appears from President Had
ley's report, were made thoughtfully
and considerably, as the very even dis
tribution of the class among the ten
subjects shows. 1t remains true how