New-York tribune., 1914-11-22
WOULD CUT FOUR-YEAR COURSE IN TWO
President Leading Wasted
College md O a 7uoYear
of Learning

cago University where the curriculum Is also
very flexible, is similar to experience, and
have doubt that II the institutions with the
moro rigid systems follow our example, and, IL
and they go still furtner, in securing elasticity
and In httng the college to the needs of indivd-
ual students. that the American college will be-
come less and less a social clearing house and
more and more what II should be, training
school for the serious minded youth Of the nation
"You will find that in all discussions of Amer
ican education almost every participant admits
that much time Is wasted under the present ar
rangement, but that no one will admit that tho
waste takes place In his own particular part Of
tho educational scheme. The college blames the
secondary school, the secondary school blames the
elementary school and, incidentally, casts surs
upon the efficiency Of college instruction, while
the elementary school refuses to admit any fault
in itself The fact remains that the American
boy who goes through kindergarten. elementary
school, college and professional school, is forced
to spend four years without gaining any COM
pensating intellectual growth or moral power, as
compared with what might be accomplished II his
time wisely and properly used.
1.-TWO years lost in the elementary school
where eight years spent in doing the work
Of six, and the other two years are lost in the
four-year college course.
"There are ever increasing indications that the
public and the colleges themselves are coming TO
realize the dangers and losses attendant on an
unwise of time In college and that improve
ment Of existing conditions will not be long de-
layed Indeed the public high schools are tend
ing moro and more TO give the instruction now
offered in the first year or first two years of the
college course, and In so far as they do this they
Iii tbo oJ,uv vtar of
student residence This brings nearer the time
when many colleges now four years basis
will raise the admission requirements and con-
centrate all their power Of offering a sound two
years course leading to the bachelors degree.
The whole system Of education In the United
States would be strengthened II these colleges
would enforce proper entrance requirements and
concentrate all their resources upon two yea-s
of thorough training. instead of spreading their
efforts over four years. with admission secured on
nominal terms or at ALL
columbia, Chicago and to some extent Harvard
are geared TO suit the needs Of the individual
while institutions like Yale, Princeton and Will
Jams throw all their students into mould
Ny objection TO these colleges is against their
quant'tative viewpoint Of education There is
nothing sacred about the four-year course. and
1t is quality not quantity, that counts"
DIX. NEkNtK NOOLD BKiNh OOLLEGES ~ ~
TUNE WITH TIMES.
Dr. Adolph Werner acting president Of the Col
ege Of the City Of New York, said that while he
must reserve judgment on the merits of the fat
"two-year college course" he in general sym
pathy with the movement 10 make it possible for
a youth to get through college and professional
work and into the hard grind of life at earlier
age than is usual, and he particularly favored
any movement 70 bring the colleges Of the country
more into tune with the times and with the needs
of the nation. He emphasized the need of making
the college curriculum more practical and pointed
out that City College is giving such useful
courses as municipal chemistry, municipal man
agement city sanitation and business methods in
foreign trade
The chancellor Of New York University, DR..
Elmer Ellsworth Brown, like DR. Butler Of Co.
umbia is lined up squarely in favor Of the two
year college. He said that so far as admission
TO the graduate schools of universities was
cerned he believed that at was not good public
policy" TO require the completion of the tradi-
tional four-year college course, and he averred
that New York University, which sought TO
achieve the broadest sphere of social usefulness,
would never impose such a requirement In this
connection it is notable that. according to the
report of the United States Commissioner of Edu-
cation for 1912 there are now only four medical