176 POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



That teaching is important, goes without saying. A successful 

 teacher is to be respected; but if he does not lead his scholars to that 

 which is highest, is he not blameworthy? We are, then, to look to the 

 colleges and universities of the land for most of the work in pure 

 science which is done. Let us, therefore, examine these latter and see 

 what the prospect is. 



One, whom perhaps we may here style a practical follower of Ruskin, 

 has stated that while in this country he was variously designated by 

 the title of captain, colonel and professor. The story may or may not 

 be true, but we all know enough of the customs of our countrymen not 

 to dispute it on general principles. All men are born equal: some men 

 are captains, colonels and professors, and, therefore, all men are such. 

 The logic is conclusive; and the same kind of logic seems to have been 

 applied to our schools, colleges and universities. I have before me 

 the report of the Commissioner of Education for 1880. According to 

 that report, there were 389,* or say, in round numbers, 400 institutions, 

 calling themselves colleges or universities, in our country! We may 

 well exclaim that ours is a great country, having more than the whole 

 werld beside. The fact is sufficient. The whole earth would hardly 

 support such a number of first-class institutions. The curse of medi- 

 ocrity must be upon them, to swarm in such numbers. They must be 

 a cloud of mosquitoes, instead of eagles as they profess. And this 

 becomes evident on further analysis. About one-third aspire to the 

 name of university; and I note one called by that name which has 

 two professors and eighteen students, and another having three teach- 

 ers and twelve students! And these instances are not unique, for the 

 number of small institutions and schools which call themselves uni- 

 versities is very great. It is difficult to decide from the statistics alone 

 the exact standing of these institutions. The extremes are easy to 

 manage. Who can doubt that an institution with over 800 students, 

 and a faculty of seventy, is of a higher grade than those above cited 

 having ten or twenty students and two or three in the faculty? Yet 

 this is not always true; for I note one institution with over 500 students 

 which is known to me personally as of the grade of a high school. The 

 statistics are more or less defective, and it would much weaken the 

 force of my remarks if I went too much into detail. I append the 

 following tables, however, of 330 so-called colleges and universities: 



218 had from to 100 students. 



88 " " 100 " 200 



12 " " 200 " 300 



6 " " 300 " 50O 

 6 over 500 



• Three hundred and sixty-four reported on, and twenty-five not reported. 



