I70 POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



denominational institutions, as DePauw and Syracuse, there is one 

 element separable from perhaps others that may be surmised, which 

 has played an important role. This is found in the decidedly high 

 average or median age of those young men who go into the ministry. 

 The following shows the conditions in the two institutions just named : 



DePauw University (1). Syracuse University (2). 



MediaQ of non- Median of Per cent, of 



ministers. ministers. ministers. 



(1) (2) (1) (2) (1) (2) 



1850-59 22 1 23 8 25 5 25 6 27.2 27.6 



1860-69 23 1 23 3 23 3 24 6 22.8 41.6 



1870-79 22 7 23 11 25 6 25 9 25.2 28.5 



1880-89 22 11 23 3 25 3 25 6 25.4 31.7 



1890-99 22 9 23 2 26 9 26 7 22.2 30.7 



It thus appears that our medians for these two colleges as shown in 

 Table II. would, with this element of disturbance removed, give quite 

 different results. Thus the median of the last decade for DePauw 

 would be lowered by Just twelve months; while that of SjTacuse for 

 the same decade, instead of remaining the same as that of fifty years 

 before, would be lowered by nine months. 



While I have not been able to work over the data for the other 

 denominational colleges completely enough to give the results here, 

 there are nevertheless many indications that a similar state of affairs 

 prevails, though probably in different degree. 



In conclusion, we may sum up our findings as follows: The in- 

 crease in age of graduation from college in general has been tremen- 

 dously exaggerated. It exists only for certain institutions; while 

 others show a corresponding decrease. 



The normal age of graduation, as our school system is constituted, 

 is below twenty-three years and above twenty-two; our results show 

 that more students graduate now within those limits than ever before; 

 that the gradually organizing secondary education tends to make this 

 percentage increasingly larger. (Nearly 85 per cent, of all graduates 

 of the Johns Hopkins University in the twenty years since its found- 

 ing to 1899 have been within these limits.) 



If entrance into professional life is later than formerly, the cause 

 must be sought elsewhere than in the college and preparatory school. 



Whereas it was once possible for a boy to graduate from college at 

 sixteen or even younger, though very few really did so, this is true no 

 longer. But the young man now, as a consequence, leaves college with 

 very much higher academic attainments, and but little if any older 

 than was his father, or even his grandfather. 



All colleges show, in different degrees, an increasing diminution 

 of range in age of graduation. This shows that the secondary educa- 

 tion is becoming better organized. 



