The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-12-27

that many colleges have done In the
| freshmen and sophomore years. There
fore, I would not for a moment be re-
| garded as favaring the curtailment oe
the high school curriculum or the pre-
vention of the further advance of the
secondary schools. But 1 do feel that
the work of the professional schools
| law, medicine, the ministry, higher
| seience-ought not to encroach upon
| the work of the college; and that it
has encroached, anyone who is ac-
| quainted with the work of our uni
versities and colleges knows too well.
| l want some time for college resi-
dence, so that there may be study in
the liberal arts and in the sciences,
and that is study which means very
much for the youth of the United
| States"
at would seem, DR.. Butler, from
| what you have said. that you would
! favor the maintenance of the high
| standard of the secondary or public
high school, and regard that as an
| equivalent for the freshman and soph-
omore years of the college proper"
That is not exactly the way to state
my view. l think that all students
in the United States who purpose
college course ought to complete
secondary or high school course in
| four years. My impression Is that ten
years is wholly adequate time to pre-
pare youth for entrance to the coll
lege proper. If he begins at six or
seven years of age, that would make
him sixteen or seventeen years old
when he is prepared to enter college.
Now many of those who enter coll
lege expect to take up some one of
| the professions after graduation. Sup
posing a student is seventeen years
of age when he enters college and he
| looks forward to work in a profess
sional school of from three to four
years. That period of time. together
with four years at the college proper,
makes for him from seven to eight
years of educational work still to be
done by him before he is ready to be-
gin his life work He will then be
from twenty-five to twenty-six years
of age.
1T seems to me-and think many
of the ablest educators are of this
opinion-that this is an excessive re-
quirement. AS a general statement,
think 1t is safe to say, that a young
man ought to be made ready to enter
upon his life work when he is from
twenty-five to twentyfour years of
age. Now, as / do not favor the cur
failing of the curriculum of the pub
lie high schools or secondary schools,
1t does seem to me that, If a curricu-
lum were prepared by which the grad
ute of one of these secondary schools
can obtain a two years residence at
college in general study in the liberal
arts and sciences, he is then fitted
adequately and handsomely for the
more technical work of the profess
sional schools. do not believe that
1t Is a wise method for a student to
go directly from the secondary school
to the professional. or technical, school.
If he had a two years course at coll
lege of liberal and general study he
would be then better qualified for the
specialized stud o. the lie mi al school.
On the other hand, to insist upon a
four years course for a student who
enters college at seventeen or eigh-
teen years of age is to require him to
postpone the time of his special studies
by at least two years.
mot long ago ! was invited to make
an address at one of the smaller col
leges; and 1 then said that before the
year 1920 1t would be difficult to dis
tinguish the college, excepting in one
or two instances, from the high school
or academy of to-day The college
then gave four years course of in
struction in prescribed studies. The
student entered at about the age Of
fifteen or sixteen. and was graduated
at nineteen or twenty. He was dis
ciplined carefully in a narrow intel
lectual field; but it did him great good.
The ambitious boy, who looked for
ward to the law, theology or medi-
cine, sought the college training and
association as basis for his later
studies and active career. The nation
was young and crude in those days,
and 1t was noble era of creative
industry. Postgraduate studies were
almost unknown. The completion Of
a college course was the attainment of
liberal education. Now, that was
the institution which then gave the
American college it's reputation, and
which put into the degree of Bachelor
of Arts true significance.
1.-The academical department OF our
universities of to-day is the direct
descendant of the old college, but is
unlike its ancestor. That Is inevitable
from the changes and improvement OF
the past fifty years. Still, the ideal
for which the old college stood does
remain, and that ideal was to train
men thoroughly and well for manly
and worthy living; and that, it seems
to me, was as lofty purpose as could
be maintained among a democratic
people. Now, what the old college
used to do is to-day done in part by
the new college and in part by the sec
ondary school, and yet four years are
still required to complete the tradi-
tiOnal course of study.
Il want to retain the college in its
ideal spirit and purpose; to make 1t
the basis for higher education and also
TO make it the thorough equpping
medium for young men whose intent
is to finish their educational work
with the college proper. l want to
retain the college, not alone as the
vestibule of the university where
scholars are trained and where men
master the elements of professional
knowledge required in the practice of
law, medicine, teaching, but also as
the school where men arc made ready
for the work of life.
IF the college proper Is wisely guild
ed for the next twenty-five years,
the students who are looking forward
to active business careers after gradu-
alton ought far to exceed in number
those who choose scholarships, or a
learned profession, as a career; and
it is to this end in part that am ad :
yoca ting the notifications of the cur
rlculum and residence in the college
proper. For these students the col
lege will be all in all, and with no uni
versity or professional school to look
forward to. The college will be the
one center of their academic memories
and affections.
"But to draw such students and to
hold them in large numbers and so
TO impress itself upon the country as
effectively in the future as in the past.
the college must be really college
and must leave off trying to be uni
nj kI.,A