Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1913-09-26
HATH COLLEGE YEAR.
CONTINUED from mage IL

|
colleges inherited as the staple of educa-
ton from the institutions of Europe. 1t
was the method which did the work.
rather than the subject matter, although
the subjects were admirably adapted to
supply the breadth of information and
to call forth the independent activity of
mind which are essential in education.
| The old curriculum has gone, never
to return as an obligatory plan of study
for all the members of an institution
which strives to be truly democratic in
the modern world. There is lust as
much opportunity to study the classics
in Middlebury College today as there
was in 1910, and even more. The field
of Greek and Roman life and thought is
more thoroughly covered, and the sub
jects are more effectively taught, in the
college today than fifty years ago.
But opportunities in the sciences, in
history, in modern language, in govern
ment and in economics have been vast
ly increased One department after
another has been added, and the studies
in all departments have been multiplied.
They have been thrown open to stu
dents with very little system and grad
ing. Regarded as privileges and ad-
vantages, the tendency has been to
make them available to students to anv
degree they pleased, in any order they
might elect, in whatever combination
seemed good to them at the time.
There has been gain in extent of infor-
nation, and incalculable benefit in the
adaptation of the students work to his
bent. The boy whom the great God
made to work over machines, or study
, the plants or animals of the earth, has
, not been shut up to ancient literatures
] Tor four years of his life, simply be-
t cause he wished thorough education.
, But there has also been great loss, per
haps even a greater loss, viz, nsistence
on concentration and throughness.
Students have followed this subject a
little way, then some other subject,
: perhaps quite unrelated. They have
learned a little about a good many
things, but in too many instances they
have not even learned the method of
= learning a very great deal about one
thlng-which is the result of chiefest
value in truly sound and liberal
education.
The gravest defect in recent higher
5 education is scattering and smattering,
: and consequent superfciality. We have
= been teaching good many elementary
) subjects well, but they have not led to
= advanced subjects. Students have gone
! on learning and learning, but have
not come to that souls awakening in
: which the far reaches of a subject, with
= all its glorious possibilities of invest-
! cation and discovery, came into view
There has been "A smoking fire, which
, has never come to the blaze. We need
= a revision of our system, by which
= every student may be carried along
, into the farther reaches of some de-
: partment of knowledge along the line of
| his bent, where he may.get the notion
; of Independent investigation, and rid
himself of the superstition of the
! authority of the text book and subst-
tute for that superstition faith in his
own powers of discovery and judgment.
, The new group system provides
: for progressive scheme of increas-
ingly difficult and more advanced
studies. Under the prescribed cur
ricula of many years ago this result
was naturally attained. A Freshman
could take only Freshmen subjects,
Sophomore subjects were a grade more
difficult, and Senior would have con-
sidered it an affront to be placed in any
!, class with a Freshman. But under our
, elective plan a student could always
: elect back into subjects designed pri-
marily for earlier classes. This worked
!, little harm when electives were few.
but as departments We're added and
many new subjects were introduced. a
large number of elementary studies
became available for the election of
students inclined to Incidence or those
with varying and indefinite purpose.
This evil will be corrected hereafter
by the grading of courses open to cleo
ton by the several classes. Every
subject in every department has been
graded as either elementary, interme-
date, or advanced, distinguished by the
respective letters, A, B, and c. In
each department there is regular pro-
gression from the elementary through
the intermediate to the advanced
courses.
A further important feature of the
new system is the requirement of the
choice of two departments, called Ma
jors in which the student will pursue
consecutive courses for at least three
years, and also two other departments
called Minors in which consecutive