THE COLLEGE COURSE. 205 



along some lines have been increased is true, but one must not forget 

 that opportunity for preparation has been increased to a much greater 

 extent. Fifty years ago, schools offering good preparation for college 

 were rare in agricultural districts, and young men in such districts 

 were dependent upon the country clergyman for preparation. Now, 

 however, secondary schools are within reach in almost all parts of our 

 country and a farmer boy can be made ready for college at almost as 

 early age as the city boy. Despite these facts, the cry was heeded, 

 the college period was shortened and, in a number of our universities, 

 professional study during the last year of the college course counts 

 toward both college and professional degree; so that from entrance 

 into college to final graduation with professional degree in law, the 

 period is the same as it was years ago, when the course was one year 

 shorter, or one year less than it was forty years ago in institutions 

 where the course has not been lengthened ; forty years ago, the medical 

 degree was reached in six years, now it is obtained in seven, though 

 the professional course has been lengthened by two years. The sug- 

 gestion has been made that the time spent at college should be short- 

 ened still further and that mere training should be thrown back upon 

 the secondary schools. This plan, if adopted, would bring little relief, 

 for, no doubt, the secondary schools, in their anxiety to avoid oppressing 

 their pupils, would find it necessary to insist on still shorter lessons 

 and on ampler time for recreation, so that nothing would be saved in 

 time unless the college period be shortened still further — at last to 

 extinction. 



The injury has been more serious in another direction. 



In all fairness, one must concede that the 'regular' college course 

 of twenty or twenty-five years ago, despite the preponderance of class- 

 ical teaching, had gained so far by the introduction of new subjects 

 that it did give a broad aspect of things to the average student. It 

 offered such a thorough taste of many branches of learning as to let 

 him find where his strength lay. Even forty years ago it had developed 

 much along the same lines in the larger colleges as well as in the 

 newer of the small colleges. But specialization grew up rapidly in 

 the scientific schools and this example, reinforced by a popular demand 

 for broader opportunities of selection, led to specialization in college 

 work. Practically the old college course has disappeared in many of 

 the more prominent institutions, and in its stead one finds broad 

 election in some, narrow groups in others. In some, a compulsory 

 broad course is the freshman's lot, but in higher classes the student 

 follows a chosen group, in which some special branch absorbs most of 

 his time, all others being subordinate; in others, election begins with 

 the sophomore year and is nominally almost unfettered, though adroit 

 manipulation of the recitation schedule may impose serious limitations. 



