Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial. (Wilmington, Del.) 1878-1928, 1922-05-25
COLLEGE METHODS.

The announcement Mt Wellesley
college of n new system Ivy which stu-
dents of superior ability may assume
more work than the bare requirements
for degree IN I'm line with the ten
dency in American colleges and uni
rersities to give more free play TO the
individual Intellect of distinction
capable OF attaining more than the
happy medium which satisfies the
average student. Harvard was I'm the
vanguard with her new plan" Of adj
ministretion. which called for n more
comprehensive knowledge of elenpn-
tary subjects and eliminated the
detailed examination Of candidates
upon all their school studies. Yale.
apparently under the influence of
Freshman Dean Rosewell l.. Angler.
has made her admission requirements
! moro flexible" and has broadened the
elective system 40 that men with
special aptitudeH need not find them.
solves handicapped In following their
inClinations and at the aaino time are
not allowed TO neglect other fields of
human knowledge. Tho faculty
councillors" ut Yale and the tutoriaA
system at Harvard mako Il easy for
the student TO select a well-rounded
course fitted to his individual tastes
and ambitious.
In the Eastern womcn's colleges
Smith has perhaps been tho most
liberal In the application Of the cleo
tive system. With the exception of
Bible study. which must be taught be-
cause OF a charter provision. Smith
girls have pretty much their own way
after the first year. At Mount
HoIyoke they have somewhat less lati-
tude. Wellesley has perhaps stood he :
tween the two. On the whole. the
woman's colleges, through the very
nature of things. have attempted more
guidance" than tho male institutions
have found expedient. In an institu-
ton which prescribes the hour for
going To bed It is natural that super
VISION OF moral instruction and
curriculum should be more insistent
than in a man = college whore going
to bed at all is problematical Never
theless, the tendency, 80 far as choice
of subjects goes, liz away from the
hard and fast requirements of the
past even in the women's colleges, At
Smith modification Of the English
university system 10 being tried out
so that students who reach a certain
standard of excellence are given con.
siderable attitude both in the choice OF
subjects and in the pursuit OF them
The new Wellesley plan does not gC
SO far. but by providing an arrange.
ment for making Independent work
TO the amount of three hours or les.
, take the place OF the same amount OF
class work" Wellesley has taken step.
in the prevailing direction.
The whole matter. of course. can b,
viewed only as an experiment 40 far
Whether or not the average high an,
preparatory school in this country IL
turning out boys and girls equal I,
the task Of picking their own way in
telligently through the multltudinou
courses" offered by the average col
lsge is question. 1t is safe to assume
however, that little progress can b
made in secondary school improve
ment that is not dictated by the col
leges. and 1t is the colleges which ar
responsible not only for making thei
finished product adaptable to the re
quirements of modern life but 70
hmaking him or her a truly educate
person.-Hartford Times.