Evening star., 1927-09-18

higher education In this country? OF.
hand, the answer to that question Is
that there cannot be too much edu-
cation, however or whatever 1t is
called, in any country. Educators who
are charged with the responsibility of
conducting the colleges and universi.
ties of the United States say, however.
that 1t is not a question that can be
answered offhand.
To state the question more explicitly
1t Is. Are too many young men and
women in this country seeking higher
education. or going to colleges and
universities whether or not they are
really seeking education?
From more than one college presi.
dent vigorous affirmative comes in
answer. They say that there are far
too many students who are not worth
the expenditure OF effort and money
required to give them a chance at a
college education. When they relax
from their scholastic dignity under
the assurance that they will not be
quoted personally they say that the
halls of learning in the United States
are cluttered UP with a lot of youths
of both sexes who have no business
would be better off If they were not
there.
BY this they mean that our colleges
and universities are overcrowded to a
serious degree and that far too many
young men and women who do not
expect or who cannot hope to COM
plete college course are contributing
to this overcrowded condition. They
advocate more rigid entrance exami-
nations and more effective measures
of eliminating students who, even
after they pass entrance tests, dem.
onstrate that they really are not
want to get rid of three classe Of
students--those who don't care whether
or not they get through, those who
try to slide through and those who are
not qualified to get through no mat
ter how hard they apply themselves.
A Delicate and Involved Problem.
Admittedly this 10 q delicate and an
involved problem. When youth
knocks at the doors of an institution
of learning, the presumption IL that
h is doing so because he wants an
education. II that be true, who wants
to take the responsibility Of denying
him entrance? How is 1t to be deter
mined whether he Is seeking schooling
or diversion? Who can be sure that
HC 10 HoI hAoCAiuS 1OI
merely because he has been sent there
by parent or guardian? Who can say
that what he will get out of college
will be Of real benefit to him or to
society?
Who knows that an entrance ex-
animation may not bar a potential
genius? Beethoven could not multiply
six by four. II is said, but what uni
versity could have survived barring
him on such a test? What theological
seminary would close it's doors to a
Phillips Brooks? And yet Phillips
Brooks had a defect of speech that
seemingly made ridiculous his aspira-
tion to be preacher.
And then there Is the matter of the
cost of a college education. That cost,
1t is pointed out. Is far more than the
expenses of young man or young
woman for four years. The father who
foets the bills for his sons tuition,
board, room and ineidentals for that
period usually thinks he has paid for
everything involved In his sons higher
education and frequently believes he
has paid too much, He Is given to
talking about what 1t cost him to send
his boy TO college.
But what of the cost to the college
incident to taking the boy In and af'
fording him educational opportunities
for four years? Tuition fees rarely or
never cover that. Who pays for the
extra plant and equipment when
taking that boy in means an oyeftax
on the facilities already provided?
What compensates for the deterio-
ration In the educational standards of
an institution due to overeroWded
classrooms and overdemands upon
iihraries, laboratories and the like?
Who pays the loss suffered by
bright, capable. earnest students be-
cause the level of instruction must be
lowered to take care of the duilardsf
Who paws for the wear and tear upon
professors forced to attempt to 90
more than they can do?
A Survey to BE Made.
That all this, together with other
phases that cannot be detailed. Is a
serious problem as well as one that 10
delicate and involved 10 evidenced by
the fact that this Fall the American
Council on Education 10 beginning
three.year survey to find solution
John d, Rockefeller. jr., ID financing
this research work to the extent OF
sac. 900 a year and almost ene'half OF
400 American colleges have agreed
alrsa'v to cooperate In seeins u
through,
-Four ends will he sought In this
survey, according to D. A. Robertson,
secretary of the council. The frst 10
to devise a model personal caro-, to be
used by all colleges for all students.
The second is to arrange ee)ectlVe
achievement tests to dstermins just
where q student stands In different
subjects. The third is to devise a
rating scale for personality measure
ment. The fourth 10 to supply stu
dents with vocational monegrams
which will aid them to select intelli'
gently the career which they WISH 10
follow after they leave college.
However, as the layman sees ana