EDITOR'S TABLE. 



633 



densely - populated island, with small 

 rivers, forests that are the objects of 

 jealous care, with cheap labor, and 

 high-priced land ; contrasting strongly 

 with the extent of this country its 

 enormous streams, sparse population, 

 cheap lands, imperfect roads, and tim- 

 ber so abundant that it was an impedi- 

 ment to improvement. These differ- 

 ences necessitated marked modifica- 

 tions in American law to adapt it to 

 the phyi?ical and geographical pecul- 

 iarities of the country. Many changes 

 of jurisprudence, of course, grew out 

 of the adoption of a new form of gov- 

 ernment embodied in a new constitu- 

 tion, which gave a distinctive charac- 

 ter, in many features, to the system of 

 American law. It is maintained, also, 

 that general intellectual influences have 

 wrought an advance in American juris- 

 prudence, which is seen in the amelio- 

 ration of criminal legislation, and in 

 legislation establishing public or state 

 education. It is, moreover, contended 

 that the adoption of written constitu- 

 tions is an important step of progress 

 which the world owes to the United 

 States ; another American step being the 

 codification and simplification of muni- 

 cipal law. The writer finally concludes 

 that " the law in this country has, in 

 the progress of its hundrec^ years of 

 life, become (1) more simple, (2) more 

 Jmmane, and (3) more adaptive ; " and 

 he thinks that "the pathway it has pur- 

 sued is one upon which we can turn 

 our eyes Avith feelings of no little pride." 

 Prof. D. 0. Gilman sketches the 

 history of American education, regard- 

 ing it " in the three stages which are 

 commonly known as 'primary,' 'sec- 

 ondary,' and 'superior' instruction." 

 A large amount of historical informa- 

 tion is digested, relating to the rise and 

 progress of the primary-school system, 

 the course of legislation upon the sub- 

 ject, the controversies it has involved, 

 and the diflRculties that have arisen by 

 the extension of it to the freedmen 

 of the South. The weakest portion of 



the American system is stated to be 

 that of "secondary" instruction, which 

 is intermediate between the elementary 

 and collegiate schools. The maxim 

 that "our public schools must be 

 cheap enough for the poorest; good 

 enough for the best," indicates an ob- 

 stacle that has long stood in the way of 

 the organization of higher schools; but 

 within the last twenty years, especially 

 within the cities and large towns, many 

 of these have arisen, and in the "West 

 have become the favorite means of se- 

 curing higher instruction. As regards 

 the " superior " education, it is stated 

 that, at the commencement of the Revo- 

 lution, there were nine colleges in eight 

 of the thirteen colonies. ' These estab- 

 lishments have multiplied, until " in 

 1875 the Commissioner of Education 

 reported the names of 374 institutions, 

 mostly called universities and colleges, 

 which are legally entitled to confer 

 academic degrees, besides independent 

 schools of law, medicine, and theology, 

 of which there are 106, and colleges 

 for women, of which there are 65 ; so 

 that there are known and recorded 545 

 degree - giving institutions within the 

 United States. 



The general scope of our " superior " 

 education is tlius indicated : 



" The typical American college has been 

 a place where a prescribed course of study, 

 largely devoted to Greek, Latin, and mathe- 

 matics, with a brief introduction to histori- 

 cal, political, and ethical sciences, has con- 

 tinued during four years and led to a bache- 

 lor's degree." 



Various questions regarding our col- 

 legiate system are ably discussed by 

 Prof. Gilman, but he hardly touches the 

 important topic of scientific education. 

 Perhaps this was from lack of space, 

 but, as he is engaged in the organiza- 

 tion of a university to be devoted to the 

 higher studies, this subject must have 

 engaged his very serious consideration, 

 and we hope he will favor the public 

 with his views upon it at some suitable 

 time. 



