The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1902-11-04
SHORTER COLLEGE COURSE.
Objection to a Sacrifice OF the Old
Ilea!

Objection to a Sacrifice OF the Old
Heal.
President Butler tt Columbia Uni
verstry. New Y * in his annual re-
port suggests granting the degree of
Bachelor of Arts 1T the end of two
years in order that undergraduates
may enter the professional schools at
a less advanced age IRAN at present
Students who remain in the arts course
for four yeats ara to receive the degree
of Master of Arts The Dean of CO.
lumbia college expresses bis belet
that the contemplated tWo-years'
course could readily be made to in
clude all the studies now prescribed at
Columbia for candidates for the degree
of Bachelor OF Arts" Important as all
will concede it j., that men shoIld en-
ter the professions younger than is
now usually the case with men Wn0
have taken the arts degree, we fail TO
see how any one can reasonably clam
anything like the educational valr" f,'r
a course of two years that there is IN
the four-years' course now generaly
in vogue in our higher institutions CT
learning.
It is no doubt desirable in many cases
to shorten the undergraduate course
to two years, but we do not think It
worthy of the dignity of great mi
versity to grant for such brief course
the degree Of ABB, which the tradi-
tions of centuries have taught us to ac-
cept as evidence of thorough, liberal
education. There is room for mu2h Off
ference Of opinion as to the best course
for the student to pursue as regards
his preliminary and professional edu-
cation The early years of mans life
are certainly the most valuable years
wneticl Iii practice. in hospital OK
perienCe. or in post graduate study.
At that time mems minds are plastic
and best fitted to gain a thorough ana
comprehensive grounding in profess
sional success is concerned, quite pos
sibly more successful men would be
turned out if students were to enter
their professional studies after two
years of collegiate work than If they
were to complete the full fOur-years'
course which is usually required for
the A. p. degree
Harvard and John Hopkins Univer-
stiles have declared themselves in ia
yor of the more thorough liberal >du-
cation, and demand that their students
shall hold a degree before entrance up
on the study of medicine. President
Hadley, Of Yale, thinks that this ideal
Is impracticably high for the average
student Of law or medicine Presidents
Butler and Hadley would hope to Sc"
students enter the professional schools
at an early age and attempt to accom-
lagiate course. and we believe that the
idea which has long been advocated by
President Eliot. of Harvard. is nearer
the correct one: that the student at
present enters college too late as the
fault of the preparatory school. and
what Is needed most is to force the
secondary schools TO adopt more eff
cient methods so that students NAV
enter college two or three years young
err than at present and to shorten the
college course to three years by per-
hitting the able and ambitious student
to take the course required for the de-
SI ct vi E1CutlUl Vi AEIS III IIETen years
instead Of two.
President Buffers plan of granting
the bachelors degree after two years
study would inevitably soon lead many
of the high grade preparatory schools
to add little to the efficiency of their
work, so that their courses would be on
d par with those required at the uni
verslty for a degree. This would give
throughout the country a large num-
Der of smaller educational institutions
which could be fairly compared with
the German gymnasium and the
French lycee. This would be contrary
to long-cherished ideals of education
In this country. The present system of