124 



THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



prominence in this university. But it is 

 certain that the Bishop either meant simply 

 to express his satisfaction that so large a 

 numl)er of students still continue to pursue 

 classical studies, notwithstanding the induce- 

 ments held out by the scientific courses, or, 

 Avhat is perhaps quite as likely, he himself 

 was not fully aware of what the University 

 is doing for the encouragement of scientific 

 pursuits. In one instance, at least, the Bish- 

 op ran squarely athwart all the traditions and 

 usages of the University. The orator in- 

 dicated certain studies which he would not 

 permit the student to pursue. The Univer- 

 sity, on the contrary, has long held up as 

 its ideal: "All learning and that of the 

 best" ; and entire freedom of choice on the 

 part of students as to what they would pur- 

 sue. 



You remark : " This great institution, 

 with its fourteen hundred students, seems 

 just as much enslaved by vicious traditions 

 as the older schools. Middle-Age studies 

 are still in the ascendant. The sciences are 

 taught there, but the classical course is the 

 one encouraged by the whole weight of the 

 University influence." 



I think a few facts will be enough to 

 show you that this assertion is totally and 

 comprehensively incorrect. 



1. As many as twent3--eight years ago 

 the University of MicMyan was the pioneer 

 in the work of 'raising scientific studies to a 

 footing of absolute equality with the old 

 classical curriculum. At that moment there 

 was not a single college or university in the 

 country that had a scientific course of four 

 years. Such a four years' course was then 

 established here ; it has ever since been main- 

 tained, and the requisites for admission to 

 it have been raised as rapidly as the condi- 

 tion of the preparatory schools would per- 

 mit. 



2. TJie worli, thus early Icgun, has gone 

 steadily on to the present day. Besides the 

 various professional degrees in engineering, 

 the University now confers four degrees as 

 the reward of four years of successful study, 

 viz. : Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, 

 Bachelor of Philosophy, and Bachelor of 

 Letters. The ancient languages are required 

 for the first of these degrees only ; and even 

 for A. B. the amount of Latin and Greek 

 required aggregates only aboit one solid 

 year's work, while the amount of science 

 rc(iuired aggregates scarcely less, and the 

 amount of science the student may elect in 

 addition aggregates the work of two full 

 years. Thus, even in the classical course, 

 the student with his one year of classics may, 

 if he choose, take two and a half years of 

 science. 



3. The number of courses of instruction 

 in Latin and Greek offered to students the 

 present semester is twelve (12), while the 

 number of courses offered in the sciences is 



forty-four (44). The number of teachers 

 employed to give instruction in Latin and 

 Greek fifteen years ago was four ; last year 

 the number was four ; fifteen years ago the 

 number of teachers in the sciences was five, 

 last year the number was twenty-four. 



4. The means of illustration in the clas- 

 sical courses have remained almost station- 

 ary ; while the appliances for the pursuit of 

 scientific studies have spread out in every 

 direction. The physical laboratory affords 

 constant occupation to a considerable num- 

 ber of original investigators. The botani- 

 cal laboratory is daily occupied by a crowd 

 of students pursuing advanced microscopi- 

 cal researches. The physiological labora- 

 tory is positively overrun with students from 

 the beginning to the end of the year. The 

 chemical laboratory last year offered to our 

 students a hundred and seventy-five tables 

 for personal experimentation in applied 

 chemistry, but the number was so inade- 

 quate to a supply of the demand that the 

 building at the present moment is in process 

 of enlargement by nearly as many tables 

 more. It' you were to wander through these 

 busy rooms, and see the hundreds of students 

 clad in their scientific aprons and carrying 

 on their researches with scalpel and micro- 

 scope and test-tubes you would not fail to 

 reform your opinion that the " whole weight 

 of the University influence " is devoted to 

 the encouragement of the classical course. 

 Other universities have reared grander dor- 

 mitories and memorial halls ; but, if any 

 other institution in the country has done 

 more for the direct encouragement of scien- 

 tific study and research within the past fif- 

 teen years than the University of Michigan, 

 I have yet to learn which one it is. If you 

 will point us to a better record than that 

 indicated in the above facts, we will then 

 endeavor to emulate our superior. 



As your facts were at fault, of course it 

 is not necessary to point out the error of 

 your conclusion. I trust that the facts 

 given are sufficient to justify you in modi- 

 fying your intimation that the institution 

 " deserves to be suppressed as a public nui- 

 sance." 



I ought perhaps to correct one or two 

 further errors of your article. But I con- 

 tent myself with saying that the University 

 has not been " maintained from the first by 

 public taxes "; that it was not until after it 

 had already acquired strength, and renown 

 even, that the first dollar of taxes was levied 

 in its behalf ; nay, that the first taxes were 

 not levied for it until long after a funda- 

 mental law had been passed prohibiting the 

 requiring of Latin and Greek as a condition 

 for admission to the full privileges of the 

 University. 



You conclude your paper by comparing 

 the University of Michigan with Cornell, and 

 pointing to the difference, as evinced in the 



