Evening star., 1932-12-02
Lowell Guidance at Harvard
Seen as Creative Influence

Announcement that President Abbott
Lawrence Lowell of Harvard University
will retire after the present academic
year brings from the country full rec
ognition of the contribution that he
has made, not only to his own institu-
tion, but also to general education. It
Is declared that marvellous material
growth has been matched by wise pro-
visions for effective handling of the
students.
Not only has he achieved wonderful
results in Harvard, but he has been one
of the strong influences in upholding
the principle of high and ever higher
standards for education in general" +"
says the Buffalo Evening News, while
the Providence Journal remarks that
he has stood consistently for quality in
scholarship" and the New York Sun
declares that "hiS presidency has been
marked by maintenance of the spiritual
and academic standards The Boise
Idaho Statesman holds that he has
shown sincere devotion to higher educa-
ton, and the stamp he has left upon it
will never be erased" The Jersey City
Journal records that ''he was noted for
his broad vision and for his understand
ing of the problems of the most humble
OF his students" The Salt Lake Deseret
News says that he served his institu-
ton most intelligently for nearly a
quarter OF a century and has kept
Harvard In the forefront of education"
With the tribute that "he has built
up the greatest and richest educational
plant in the history of the world" the
Richmond News Leader feels, neverthe-
less, that there has been a failure of
academic education, there as elsewhere,
TO satisfy the yearnings of the thou
sands OF boys who look to colleges for
guidance" That paper concludes: What
an opportunity for great mani" The
Hartford Times attests the intellectual
leadership and prestige generally which
nave advanced with the material plant"
Perhaps DR.. Lowell will be best re-
membered in the future" thinks the
Louisville Courier-Journal, for the
dream OF his life which he brought to
realization In modern Cambridge. This
innovation, known as the house plan,
Is an adaptation of the English system
OF dividing a large university into a
number OF smaller units of colleges,
with the members of each college housed
together IN common building or quad
rangle. In many quarters DR.. Lowell's
plan was considered unfeasible, too
revolutionary or not adapted to Ameri-
can conditions. Today the houses of
the new colleges stand as though they
already had beeen rooted for centuries
in the soil of Cambridge, and the sys-
tenn has come into its own in time for
DR.. Lowell to look on 1t with satisfac-
ton before the hour of his retirement
from the presidents chair"
Few university presidents" In the
opinion of the Baltimore Sun, have
been more successful in building an in
stitution according to a concrete and
definitely conceived pattern. With re-
lentlesS energy, DR.. Lowell has remade
Harvard College, encouraged the i'm
provement and augmentation Of the
professional schools and at the same
time contributed mighty tones on po-
litical and legal subjects" The Roches-
ter Times-Union lauds zone of the
most remarkable careers In American
education" recognizes his creation of
"the balanced curriculum, with its re-
quirements for special study in some
one field Of knowledge, as well as at
and in the social studies" and finds
that "he sought, with clear vision TO
insegrate the life Of the student and
teacher through the tutorial system"
Referring to DR.. Lowell's pride In the
housing plan, the Newark Evening
News observes that this was practically
that proposed for Princeton by Wood
been more fortunate than Mr.. Wilson
In having trustees and wealthy bene-
factors to enable him to put the plan