Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1910-09-29


with II the responsibility to maintain ths
intellectual standards which the scholar.
ship of the time, a varying but practical.
~ definite standard, requires in it's in
stitutions Of higher learning n for in
stance tho Bachelors degrec should rom.
to represent the intellectual maturity ana
efficiency obtainable In three years cur
riculum. not by a brilliant student hera
and there but by the average boy or pirl
between Il and 20 years of age that would
mean the general lowering o. the
Bachelor degree by quarter of it's b,s.
torical meaning.
The second party interested in the yir-
the Of academic degrees IS the rtuden.
1t is sometimes said by persons who have
rot thought out the matter TO the end
that what the student should value Is ths
education he gets. If he gets a good edu-
cation. which Is the main thing he can
get along without the degree That "a
very much Ike saying. what the farmer
wants is the land-if lie gets that he cen
get along without the deed" The degree
a, was said above, is the testimony, by n
corps Of those most competent to judge.
that the student has got the education
II Is evidence to that fact of great value
70 the student himself. evidence agains.
any false estimate Of himself against an
ovIr-es tinlnte. on the ono hand, AGAINST
either concei. or an honest mistake about
himself, and equally against the under
estimate, the d!strust Of self to which
finer natures are very subject. A youth
who has successfully passed tn, ough the
tests applied to him at every stage Of a
four years college course has in his own
mind and heart an assurance Of ability to
face some OF the hard tests OF life which
other youths do not have. and II for
some other youth somo Of these prove
too severe at some crisis anterior to
graduation. he has learned that what
over other honorable careers may be open
10 him. there are some intellectual feats
and strains TO which he Is not equal.
The third party having both interests
and rights in university degrees Is the
public, In some respects the pr cdom!n-
ant partner" 1t Is a truth we'll estab-
ished in all civilized communities that
the highest welfare Of tho body polite
requires that there be a certain number
Of highly educated men, men competent
to fill the highest offices in church, State,
and business. ''men of light and leading"
as Edmund Burke calls them. And in or
der that these men may be duly forth
coming, and that the career may be open
to talents In all ranks. the public has
established and endowed universities
whose special functions is to discover
and train men competent to fill these high
offices. The public which performs this
important Office for the general social
benefit is sometimes the corporate pub
lie. the State, sometimes individuals In
fuenced by what We rightly call public
spirit In any case It is the action OF
enlightened regard for the general good.
recognition of the value of the higher
e6uca tion to the well-be!ng of ali citizens
in all callirgs and professions. No uni
versity or college exists as a private en-
terprise FOR the benefit Of trustees, profess
sors or students. Every professor owes
duty to the public beyond what he gives
to tho trustees in return for the salary
paid him Every matr,culating student
cnlsts himself for n public service in con-
sidera tion Of his share Of the benefits OF
public endowinents.
The question then comes. how does the
public, this university organizing and
endowins public assure itself that this
trust Is faithfully administered, that it is
Well in various ways. One way is to
provide for legislative or judicial inspec-
tion. through visitoral boards or special
commissions Twice within living mem
ory Parliament has sent commissions to
investigate and reform the old universi-
ties of oxford and Cambridge Both the
original charter and special acts Of tho
Legislature have provided vistorial
hoa ha Tcf or
Probably every eleemosynary institution
| IL subject to such visitation, through
courts Of equity or otherwise. But the
main assurance on which the public re-
lies is the academic degree-the letter
patent which guarantees to the public
that the university maintains, and that
the holder has reached, the standard Of
scholarship approved by the general uni
versity world. This Is shown by the form
of the diploma which I, addressed to the
public, ito all TO whom these letters may
come ard to them 1t bears testimony
I that Y. Y. is entitled TO all the rights,
privileges and honors which everywhere
among mon, uoipue grntium. belong to
the :cademic rank specified This lam
guage assumes that the public. that all tho
world. have an interest in the acts of the
/
as matter of fact they have. and therein
lies a large part Of the real meaning and
virtues OF an academic degree. 1t is. and
is accepted in large measure. as being
| prma facie evidence OF a certain degree
Of competency to fulfill an important
| function. To overcome the lack Of II In
any candidate for such position re-
quires exceptional evidence Of ability
/ coming from other sources. In some Of
the most advanced communities II Is a
sire aha non for entrance upon certain
professions. More and more II Is called
| for and accepted as the most available Of
possible credentials. vouching for the In
tcnectual attainments and capacity which
It stands for, 1t does not stand for every
| thing desirable In an aspirant for posi-
tion of confidence and responsibility. It
does not guarantee original force. power
| Of initiative, Imaginative insight and
foresight: It does no. insure the mental
valuable of all, namely the cQuable ad-
Justment and cooperation OF powers and
faculties which constitute what We call
good sense; the highly gifted youth with
hut limited education will outstrip our
ordinary alumnus In the race OF life; but
a certain average. dependable, and most
useful grade OF intellectual potency, tho
university pass degree can and does
| guarantee. and the public In good faith
accepts II as such, and more, and en-
trusts its higher interests to those who