Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1903-02-10
College Graduates Do Not Re
produce a Number Equal
to Themselves
PRESIDENT EL'oT's REPORT
Makes Low Birth Rate Among Uni
versity Graduates Basis for Recon-
mendins That Students Finish Their
Education Earlier in Life-objection
to Increased Exasseration of Athletics


ward university President Eliot made
public some interesting and vital statis-
tics showing that the more highly edu-
Gated portion Of the country is failing
In it's birth rate.
President Eliot ascertained, thru the
class secretaries of six Harvard classes,
now more than twenty-five years out of
the college, the number of surviving
children born to the members of these
ling uniformity, that the average num-
Der of children is almost exactly two to
each family. (In the case of one class
the number of children is exactly twice
the number of married members, while
in two others the number of children Is
within one of twice the number of mar
ried members.) President Eliot said:
III 1t be assumed that the surviving
children are about one-half males. it
follows that these six classes have by
no means reproduced themselves; that
they have, indeed, fallen 2S per cent
short of 1t. Twenty eight per cent OF
the members of these classes are I'M
married, and those who are married
have on an average only two surviving
children, so that the married pairs just
reproduce themselves on the average.
1T is obvious from these figures that
the entering classes of Harvard college
and the Lawrence scientific school to-
day can be recruited from the sons OF
Harvard graduates only in n small de-
gree. II the graduates Of the six class
es named could send all their sons to
Harvard college within six years-1902-
OF inclusive-they would only supply
100 freshmen year, or possibly one
seventh Of the total number who will
enter.
THE table suggests farther that the
highly educated part of the American
people does not increase the population
at all, but, on the contrary, fails to re-
produce itself.
IF many other colleges and UNIVERSE
ties publish class reports analogous to
the Harvard reports, n competent stat
istician might establish from the as
sembled reports some interesting and
important conclusions.
result Indicated in the above table is
due in part to the late postponement
of marriage on the part of educated
young men, a poStpoHement which the
p1otracted education now prescribe
for men who enter the learned and
scientific professions makes almost I'M
avoidable.
THE young physician, lawyer, engi-
neer or architect is now fortunate If
he marries at % or 20, whereas he
should have married at % or 26. To
make earlier marriage possible is one
Of the strong inducements for bringing
to an end the school course at II or 49,,
the college course at 20 or 81, and the
professional training at "a or 25.''
President Eliot declared Harvard 5
policy to be one of determined support
to the requirement of bachelors de-
gree, or it's equivalent. for admission to
the professional schools, as now in
force in the departments of theology,
law and medicine at Harvard, and to
an even higher standard than has
hitherto been set for the degree of a. b.
President Eliot describes the recogni-
ton and encouragement now given at
$50
and half years college course. but he
makes it clear that the quantity OF
work, measured by the required num-
her of courses, is the same for the
three-year course as for the four-yeal
course, while the quality Of work as
measured by grades has been substan-
TALLY raised during the last year.
1.-The faculty of arts and sciences"
he says, has expressed it's preference
for the age of is as the age for enter
ing college, and its conviction that
boys can be we'll prepared for college at
that age, and it has made it possible for
any diligent student to get the degree
of bachelor of arts in three years. These
two measures combined should enable
parents to get their well-trained sons
into the learned professions by "a OF
25 years of age and into business ca
reers much earlier"
OF athletic sports in general Presi-
dent Eliot says there is increasing op-
lection to their great exaggeration.