Evening star., 1939-12-03

was declared to have been equipped
with two cylinders" for which 10
function was discernible. Recourse
was had to the Greek text. It was
found that the correct term was
"aXes," and that the instrument was
in three dimensions. Deeply shocked
at his first contact with "the higher
illiteracy," one boy rushed to his
tutor with the exclamation: why,
Prof. x never read Ptolemy!"
| The peril thus illustrated of study
ing books about books, instead of
original sources, motivated the New
Program" which came partly into
effect at st. Johns in the fall Of
1887, and is due to make clean
sweep of the curriculum after the
term 1940-41. 1t is generally known
as 1.-THE Great Books System" be-
cause the textbooks exclusively en-
ployed are classics of literature, his
tory, science and mathematics. SUBJ
ject to constant addition and SUBJ
traction, the list is based on 20 years
of actual teaching experience at
Columbia, Chicago and Virginia
universities.
In its modern form, this method
of instruction was inaugurated by
Prof. John ErSkine, who used 1t with
selected groups of students at Co.
lumbia from 1920 to 1880. An early
convert was Prof. Robert Maynard
Hutchins, who has thus far struggled
in vain to introduce it at Chicago
University, of which he became
president in 1929 The responsible
statement of the theory is contained
in his book, The Higher Education
in America"
Source in Debates.
The volume grew out of discus
sions among Prof. Hutchins and
felloW-believer on the Chicago
faculty. These included two pack
ages of human explosive, Profs.
Frank Stringfellow Barr and Scott
Buchanan. The first is dynamic
Virginia aristocrat with mop of
red hair and rapier-like wit and
tongue The second is an urbane,
magnetic doctor Of philosophy who
was born in the State of Washing
ton. They became acquainted as
Rhodes scholars at Balliol College,
oxford, teamed up later at the Uni
versity of Virginia, and then were
invited by Hutchins to Chicago.
Prof. Buchanan is "A years old and
Prof. Barr, ~. Among educators
they are known as The Great Books
Twins"
1t chanced that Prof. Buchanan
attended a theological seminar at
Alexandria, Va, early in 1887, and
there encountered an old friend,
Francis Pickens Miller, former
Rhodes scholar and member Of the
Virginia House of Delegates. Prof.
Buchanan mentioned his interest
in the great books system. Mr..
Miller demanded details. Then he
inquired whether any member of
Buchanan's group at Chicago would
like to be a college president
The Virginian explained that he
was trustee of tiny non-sectarian
school called st. Johns. at An
lldpOllo, WAliSll 4OI yCdlo 4llu UOCil
drifting on the reefs and could not
much longer escape shipwreck 1t
had no endowment. he continued,
and was swamped under a mortgage
of S35c,000 Operation expenses of
$225 900 and income of $175,OOO from
fees and State subsidies left an
annual deficit of $4,000. The situa-
ton was so ruinous, Miller thought,
that the great books idea could do
no harm even if it did no good.
Call Is Answered.
This opportunity for installing
their system from top to bottom of
college curriculum, for the first
time in America, proved so ire
sistible that both Buchanan and
Barr answered the call. The story,
perhaps apochryphal, is that they
tossed coin to decide who should
be president, and that Barr lost.
At any rate, he became president
of st. Johns, In charge Of admin
istration and money-getting. Bu-
chanan took the post of dean, in
command of teaching. Bars pas
sion is pedagogy, but he proceeded
| IN hestir himself tn Sl1ch nllrnoSe as