242 Our College^ Errors in JResjJect to ils Olject and Aim. [June, 



but it must be acknowledged that as yet, but few, very few, tangible 

 results have been realized. 



In searching for the causes why there has been no more, or mark- 

 ed progress, or flattering manifestations, a fruitful source will be 

 found to be in our system of high school instruction, in our Uni- 

 versity education, which, notwithstanding all its defects ; confers ben- 

 efits and blessings, great, salutary and wide-spread ; while at the 

 same time as a system, it has been too contracted, too exclusive, and 

 too stereotyped. 



Harvard, Yale, and Dartmouth, are the types of the four hundred 

 Colleges that now dot the diflFerent States of this Union. And all 

 these were planned and planted after the fashion and with the very de- 

 sign of those in the Fatherland. They have all been for the education 

 of the few, the students of the learned professions. The course of 

 instruction is especially adapted to these, and so stereotyped are they 

 as to text books, that the number and names, and pages, to be per- 

 used, to be called a scholar, can neither be increased nor diminished. 

 These institutions are still multiplying with unexampled rapidity, 

 all over our land, uniformly copying the programme of studies from 

 each other, and making as the "sine qua non," of graduation, and 

 the obtaining a diploma, a certain and fixed quantum of Latin, and 

 Greek, guaging the extent of a man's mental capacity by the amount 

 of Latin and Greek stowed away. The result of such a course, chief- 

 ly linguistic, must continue to be as it has been, to multiply the 

 crowd of flippant talkers, at the expense of educated scientific work- 

 ers. Our men of science must make themselves such without their 

 aid, countenance or support. Our Colleges, in all their arrange- 

 ments, hold out their rewards and highest honors to the students of 

 ancient lore. Society sanctions their decisions, and bestows upon 

 them its patronage, and in turn confers her honors upon the self 

 same class, generally after they have read Blackstone, or turned 

 over a few pages of law. This is the high road to political prefer- 

 ment, and these are the premiums offered, that glitter in the eyes of 

 multitudes of our young men, as soon as they step aside to secure 

 what is called a liberal education. What will not inveterate custom 

 joined to the prestige of great names, effect ! 



Take here another stand point of observation. While many cir- 

 cumstances have been averse to profound erudition, especially in the 

 domain of science, the balance has still been in its favor, and in de- 

 spite of the contracted views, and want of encouragement of the 



