The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-12-01
TUTOR OR R NO TUTOR
.Prest. Northrop Doesn't Approve Of
w Tutor System So Strongly Fa-,,
vored BY Woodrow. Wilson.
Thinks Princeton's President Over.
Estimates It's Valuesto Students
Independent Thinking.

1t would be exceedingly undesirable for
western universities, is the opinion If
President Cyrus .Northrop Of the state
university, regarding the tutor system 81
Instruction favored by, Woodrow Wilson.
the. new president Of Princeton. President
Wlison - reported. TO have said that he
wishes to establish at. his university sys
tenn Of tutors like that Of the Rrea Eng
lish universities, which, shall throw the
seniors and juniors upon their own re-
sources and start them. in habits of IN
dependent thought. A good tutor or req a.
Ing coach can @instin into hiss pupils the
desire for that.reading which is necessary
In order to learn experience from the
past. -: sa4., 49, Sc 80
What we need,'s said DIR. Wilson. ..to
establish my dreamed-of system Of tutors.
which is about the: most expensive s,ys
tenn of education; that there is. and to
erect 5on the Princeton campus a law
school, a. great actica1 electrical school,
a museum5of natural history and exten-
slNe biological laboratories, is the sum Of
$12, 800, O0o.. We can turn this money into
,asgreater quantity Of viriie, red corpuscles
of blood than any other institution ii, the
United States'' eszt.,f 80 =. 80
Well said President Northrop. after
glancing at the Princeton program. ! off
President Wilson can get his So. 500, 900.
he may be able to establish that system at
Princeton. It is more strictly a college
than most of. our universities, it has a,
much smaller number Of students, and
rnany Of those students are wealthy. Per
haps a system of tutors might be put
into operation there. But it would be
merely transpla nting the system from Ok
ford and Cambridge. where it has BY no
means been successful in ali cases. "
!. 1"As President Wilson says; it's the most
expensive system of education that there
is. -, This alone would prevent its being
favored by most. American universities,
especially by those infthe, west. =
But there are more important objec-
tons to it. don't agree at all with Presi-
dent Wilson that the tutorial system
would throw the: students upon their own
resources and start I'M them habits Of in
dependent thinkfng' II believe the effect
would be quite contrary. A student that
is under the constant supervision Of his
tutor becomes the thrall Of one mind. But
the men that study according to our pres
ent system. although they may be in
uf1enced by many minds are the thrall Of
none. And .whens shah this dependence
cease" If a student IS to look to his tutor
for guidance at. the university, when is the
student to stand alone?,r Can he expect
always to have his counselor at hand?
"Of course, such a guide, philosopher
and friend makes the sstudent'ss work
much easier. And, of course, student
can gain more, IN the mere acquisition of
knowledge, If he is constantly being
coached by someone that had been over
the whole course. before: It's even prob
able that In few cases, governed by
special conditions, sittsis better for a stu
dent to be aided by a tutor. AS a rule,
the absence of private tutors makes stu
dents far more virile and independent"