New-York tribune., 1921-09-08
More About Colleges
Mental Discipline Acquired by Uni
versity Education

vcrSIty .EducaeIoD
To the Editor of The Tribune.
Sir: BY his letter in The Tribune
of September Mr.. Joseph Gully
shows that he is one of vast num-
Der who are of the opinion that col.
lege training does nothing more than
crowd the students mentality with
wealth of purely academic. Textbook
information. Referring to a college
education, he says: at merely packs
his brains with information" Those
are lacking in an understanding Of
the primary purpose Of college edu-
cation. The academic instruction con-
stitutes only fractional and incl
dental part of "a complete college edu-
cation. The real object of the college
training, the first two years in par
ticular, is to teach Che student how
to think, how tc assimilate knowledge
properly, how to utilize this knowl-
edge to the greatest possible advan-
tage, and to discriminate between
what sort of knowledge is useful and
valuable and what sort is superfuous.
Mr.. Gully is doubtless correct when
he asserts that college education
does not make. man genius, and
that it. is possible for man to
attain great success in law and other
professions without the two years of
college training which Mr.. Elihu Roo.
so strongly recommends. I firmly
maintain, however, that the man who
is fortunate or industrious enough to
acquire this. two years of preliminary
college education holds very de-
cided advantage over the man who
lacks this training. Columbia Univer-
sity, for instance, deems this course
to be of such Importance that it not
only recommends but requires two
years Of general college training as
a prerequisite to entrance into all
Of its professional schools, including
law, journalism, medicine and engi-
neering. A man preparing for an arts
degree is not compelled to include
higher mathematics in his curriculum
because it is considered that he shall
ever put this knowledge to any def.
mite, material use, but because the
mind training that a study of these
subjects affords him will be cs
inestimable value to him in whatever
line in which he .specializes.
Mr.. Gully further asserts that the
trouble with many college graduates
is that they entertain the belief that
they are intellectual giants and that
they went to College with the idea
that they would "get something
for nothing" If any youth enteTs
college with that idea, he realizes the
fallacy Of it long before he receives
his sheepskin. If he does not realize
it he never attains his degree.
Lastly, in regard to your CORE
spondent'z statement that Mr.. Roots
recommendation" restrains the poor
COY from entering the legal profes-
sion, l would lise to point out that
colleges and universities throughout
the country are replete with studenss
who are supporting themselves sn0
paying their tuition at the same. time
and some who are so poor, but, inei-
dentally. 80 ambitious, that they not
only support themselves while attene'
ing college. but even parent or two
Nowadays man needs nothing moFs
than the burning ambition of which
Mr.. Gully speaks to acquire a coiisge
training. Perhaps, if more prospective
law students attend college for fwe
years before entering professlenh
school, there will be less incspspie4
inefficient, half-trained men adnattee
to the bar. HOWARD W. HINTh
Brooklyn, Sept. 8. 1921.