The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1906-01-02

standard OF admission into our col
leges could be reached in few years
less time than are necessary now for
the preparation Of students who enter
our colleges. Today the require
mentS for admission are greatly in
creased, the average age at which
students enter college is greater than
was the case forty years ago, and to-
day there exists what then was un-
known, namely, an elective system Of
study.
AS | said to the Trustees of COlum-
bia ana | now take this opportunity
of repeating: It is useless to say that
American students between 19 and 70
years Of age cannot with advantage
pursue professional and other uni
versity subjects OF study when these
are precisely the years at which the
students OF France and Germany are
pursuing those studies the most Wig
orOusly and with the greatest adVant-
age. / think that during the present
wear one of the most important Of the
dtvelopments in the field of education
is the growing understanding OF what
is meant by those educators who be-
lieve the time has come when there
should be some change in the relation
Of the college to the university and IN
the character and duration of the cur
riculum. It is my great hope that
more and more American youth OF
both sexes will be persuaded to take
advantage of the curriculum afforded
by the college proper as distinguished
from the university, and in that view
l find that many Of our leading educa-
tors are sharing.
There has been q vigorous discussion.
concerning the American college and
it's problems for several years, but not
at any time more vigorous than dur
ing the present year. This discussion
is of great advantage. 1t brings out
more and more clearly the truth that
the college as distinguished from the
university is more likely to suffer
from those who under the guise of
friendship insist that the college shall
not in any way be modified or changed
so as TO adapt it to modern educational
conditions. L often say that those who
hold such a view permit themselves to
make Of the college a sort of educa-
tiOnal fetch. These WSuld-be friends
Of the college profess to believe that all
Of it's CuantitiVe standards. its ola
time four years of resident study and
all it's traditions, no matter how feeble,
are the things to be preserved at all
hazards.
Now, [ do not hesitate TO say if these
were TO be preserved at all hazards, it
is not unlikely that in the not distant
future the college would be destroyed.
prehensioa as to the meaning of those
who desired 10 olin1 -e,t,3ut healthful
changes in the college curriculum
ana term. They were supposed to
favor reducing the length Of the col
Iege course, bringing it down to two
years as the length of time necessary
10 qualify for a degree. But that was
a wrong view, and it was one of the
gratifying developments of the pres
ent year that there prevails q. much
better understanding Of what the col
lcge problem really is. 1t is now and
has not been question Of reducing
The length OF the college course The
problem is simply this, namely, the
treating of the college course on sound
educational principles as we know
them today, and of adapting q Vener-
able and useful institution to changed
conditions, educational, social and
economic. | think that more and
more there comes to be q perception
OF the true work Of education, namely.
that it is to fit the young of both sexes
for all the duties of citizenship, so
that in the generations that are to
come there may be men and women
qualified to take inspiring and suffi-
cient part in public life, in the life
Of society, and in all the various or
ganiZatiOns by which civilization is
expected to progress. That is the
true purpose of education. and one
Of the chief features of the present
year has been, as | saw it in England
and upon the Continent last sum-
mer, and as [ have seen it revealed in
various ways in the United States, a
better understanding Of what the fun
damental purpose Of education is.