Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1902-12-30
LARGER College Attendance.

.,sr.t,I Larger Oo"e9e Hsse
The annual catalogues of the uni
versities and colleges, which usually
make their appearance at the close of
the first term of the educational year,
show that increased attendance is the
rule in almost every one of the higher
institutions of learning. This is true OF
the West as well as of the East, and
while no figures for the southern col
leges have yet been given out 1t is safe
to assume that they are also sharing
in the general increase of students.
An encouraging and significant fact
in connection with this welcome growth
of college attendance is that it Is par
ticfuated il by the smaller colleges as
wei as by the greater universitics. In
fact. the gains Of the smaller institu-
tons are relatively much the larger.
showing that the small college is
strengthening rather than losing its
hold, a condi ton eminently desirable
IN the euutdtiftiHt htius Ilf'' VAN AcA
instance, has 1851 student his year.
an increase of fse over last year, but
this is less thssa % per cent. increase.
Yale has 2725 s'udents enrolled now,
as compared with 1855 ]. st w., an
increase of 40. Columbia L niV ity.
Princeton, Pennsylvania, Cornell, the
University of Chicago, Northwestern
University, Michigan University, Wis
consin University. Leland Stanford and
Johns Hopkins all show a gain in at
tendance as indicated by their cata-
logue summaries published in the
newspapers. But on the other hand,
so do the host of smaller colleges of
which vc have splendid samples in our
own State, and of which Dartmouth,
Amherst, Wesleyan, Rochester, Rut-
gers. Middlebury, and Lafayette are
well known types in their respective
states. In Bowdoin the catalogue
shows that the total enrolment of
than 1t was last year. and the Bates
catalogue shows that there are % more
young men and women in attendance
than there were last year. We have
not yet received the nnual catalogues
of Colby and the University of Maine,
but as their entering classes were un-
usually large it is certain that their
total enrolment is also larger by n
good margin than it was, a year az
These evidences show an even anG
healthful growth which is most graf
flying.
The general prosperity of the coun-
try is an important factor in this
growth. Parents feel better able to
give their sons liberal education and
more time to prepare themselves for
their work i'm life. The constantly
widening field covered by the Ameri-
can college course is another element
in this increase. Students do not now
find it necessary to go to Europe to
get the best in any department of ed
ucation. They can get it in this coun-
try. Then the growing demand for
men trained to the highest degree of
efficiency encourages more young men
to give the time and energy to fit them
selves for these higher duties. And a
fourth reason for this increasing COL
Iege attendance is the marked liberal
ity of rich men in adding to the schol-
arship funds for needy students and to
college endowments. 1t is an encour-
aging fact also that the increase in
college attendance is relatively greater
than the increase in population. 1t ev-
licences better popular appreciation
Of the value of higher education and
~ the culture md refinement thu come
from "a. The result will be a .t,onpth-
ening and an eur;chment of ths Amer
lean character and a reassurance Of
the perpetuity of the republic greater
than any statistics of material pros
perity can give.