New-York tribune., 1902-12-22
CONFUSION IN COLLEGE EDUCATION.
Return to Methods of Fifty Years Ago Advo-
Gated


Sir: 1t cannot be denied that there is in this
country want of syrnmetry-and even CONFUSION
in our system Of higher education that does not
exist in other civilized nations The beginning OF
this condition Of things the varying stanoaro
in the different States of the Union, ard in the
States themselves. in regard to the constitution
Of college and a university The names Of college
and university were often COMPOUNDED. Mere hlgn
schools took on the Of college. and even Oh
university. so that no one could know from
the what the place of learning actually was
But II is only in recent times that in the COL
leges Of the highest class in country what may
be fairly called chaos in the methods or coiieSe III
struction has occurred.
This condition OF things was induced, 1t seems
to the present writer. by the action OF Harvard
University in changing its college into an eouca-
tonal institution, something like the universities
of Oxford and Cambridge. although in many re-
spects widely different from them. The changes
consisted in making the entrance examination more
difficult by comprehending a greater numper OF
studies. and after entrance the studies were mace
largely elective. The result was that many Oh the
boys who selecting their own courses OF IN
struction seem to have chosen their work without
idea to a future profession or to the gem
eral cultivation of their minds but many OF them
seemed to choose with view to getting STUDIES
that entailed the least work. and which might
enable them to secure the degree of A B. with as
little inconve venience as possible.
The difficult and more comprehensive examination
for admission finally began to keep young men,
especially those who wished to enter the medical
profession away from college, because II they en-
tered Harvard University, or college having the
standard they must usually have reacned
eighteen years of age This. of course. did not
allow them TO be graduated until they twenty
two and with a three years medical course still IN
front Of them and two years for hospital or post
graduate instruction afterward young man was
twenty-seven years OF age before he could begin
actively to practise his profession for himself
Unlike the condition in the legal profession,
young graduate in medicine. as rule, cannot earn
anything for two years more. exceptional cases
being when he is the assistant Of some well estab-
lished physician. when he goes into the army
or navy This delays a member Of this profession
from beginning to be a moderate breadwinner until
he is twenty-nine years Of age.
lay particular stress on the effect Of the action
of Harvard University, latterly initiated to some
degree. by Yale. upon the medical profession be-
cause is undoubtedly this one that Is most
seriously affected by the present system which
threatens to drive all the candidates for the degree
OF ". D away from our large colleges To remedy
this condition of things Harvard University and
Brown University have lately shortened the course
up to the degree OF A 3. TO three years. Coumpla
has gone even further and requires only two years
in certain cases for the degree Of A b Very few
II any. OF the other colleges have initiated this
but the standard is so different in some Of the
smaller colleges that very likely in many Of them
a boy could enter at sixteen or even fifteen spend
his four years and be graduated at nineteen or
twenty, instead OF twenty-five.
It is not many years since Harvard College and
Yale College, well as Princeton and Columpia'
were essentially the same kind OF educational IN
stitutions as the Gymnasia OF Germany, to which
boys Of fifteen readily found entrance after sue
cessfui examination in Latin from VirgiIs [Eneid
and Livy. with Ciceros Selected Orations in Greek
from Xenophons Anabasis, with perhaps httie
Of the Had or Odyssey, with a good grounding in
arithmetic and algebra as far as quaorauc edua-
tions and the ability 10 write read the English
language correctly. The standard OF admission
was SO moderate that George Bancroft and other
eminent men graduated from college al the
age Of eighteen. Once in the college. the students
were drilled for two years In mathematics ana
Latin and Greek, while in the Junior and senior
years more attention was paid to such matters
as co1nposition oratory English literature perhaps
one of the modern languages, advanced Latin or
Greek chemistry and the like. BY this course the
student was fairly well prepared for entrance into
university training for one OF the protesslohs- a
young man could get a very good preparation IN
the hunanites and all around hoerai oallli1s
and be ready for entrance into pracccal sIuoIes
after the days of exuherant youth were over
Why It was ever thought necessary 10 chanSe aH
this in the direction that 1T has been cnahgeo os
Harvard and Yale IS TO many great IIyS'eiJ'
With their money and their alumni there were the
best opportunities to establish in NeW-HaVen ana
Cambridge the highest order of professional scnool9
while at the time the college course was KEPT
strictly within the bounds that made II POSSIBLE iI
almost any young tnaI wished 10 enter d
learned profession 20 go along the same foao Win
his fellows for years 1t was an excellent syS-
tenn. well calculated to keep togetneT cb IN nre Gpe
vented them from going into practical studles at
As the entrance examination became more severe severe
and comprehensive quite proportion OF ee sou5
men dropped off after the sophomore year. gI esgS
cine We may suppose IL in the minds OF the
ernors when they made these radical 4 chaages 10
create such universities as those OF CannrlGse j1a t
classes that exist N the various colleges tnat ed
up these ancient seats of learning are fnGy Eon
Rugby and Harrow. The teaching in classics 81 sane ana
m iat11reTs and is Of the highest order There
ample opportunities :or exercises IN & debate ana 10
Secome the clergynen OF the Church OF England;
the statesmen Of the British Ene v or are rue ,sreeIv
SonnS men OF leisure who can take all the time
they Wish Tntst1 Ths in nS aPg ther M pocao an
entirely different condition from that wnGR Y OBTAINS
Very few Of the medica! profession i Of Engsnd ian
az aq hat Procession and its scientific achevements
were graduated from the colleges OF THESE uIlseisi-
almost M compiafey Separated although not in Scot
land even in Ireland; re fFom these nfEa R
American COLLEGES Vas Il tSs coG fGy Who
20 to the greatest lengths in the study of nathe-
mates or classics there will be ample opportunI7
9s end E Simple system all The best students will be
Kept in cOTge I fDp %ay oGr INTO s medcai PROCESSION in
England is one that ought not to be encouraged
There a boy who proposes to study medicine gets
education in what we may cal private ~ sfh0ol
according the circumstances OF his parents until
he Is ntfsen or or gseon anu Usually with general
practitioner often In a country town. where ne
spends g Great 6eok Sea o @ fhe fe so fs Of the %
Sir James Paget in a [9{ may oeons He
but which do not pertain TO the duties of phys-
hospital, which is independent private insttu-
ton, in most cases not connected with any uni II
this he acquires technical knowledge of a high