i88 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



trial education. To confine their choice of professors to any one de- 

 nomination, or circle of denominations,- is to dwarf them ; to put them 

 under control of any synod, conference, association, council, or con- 

 vention, is to strangle them. 



2. I name feeedom of choice between various courses of 

 STUDY. The old way in the more venerable colleges and universities 

 was, to force all students through one single classical course — the same 

 for all. This system the " new education " discards. General courses 

 in literature, science, and arts, are presented, as well as special courses 

 having reference to the great industries ; and the student, with the ad- 

 vice of friends and instructors, takes that which best suits the bent of 

 his mind. We believe that the results are already better than those 

 of the old system. Certainly they could not be worse. The famous 

 " Blue-Book of the Parliamentary Commission " on advanced educa- 

 tion, in England, shows that under the old system there seventy per 

 cent, of the students in their great schools and universities take no 

 real hold upon classical studies. Few will claim that our system of 

 classical instruction is better than that in England. If any of you 

 think it more promising, look at President Barnard's cogent statistics 

 on this point. We make no opposition to classical instruction. We 

 agree that, for those who take earnest hold of it, it is one of the no- 

 blest means of discipline and culture; but it is no less evident that for 

 those who do not take hold of it — who merely "drone" over it — it is 

 one of the worst. 



3. I name equality ix positioi^" and privilege between dif- 

 ferent courses of study. I have already shown how courses of 

 study in science, and especially those bearing on industry, have been 

 held, in various places, virtually inferior to courses of study in litera- 

 ture. Against this we stand pledged. We are determined to hold all 

 courses and all students as equal ; educating them together, graduat- 

 ing them together, welcoming them back as alumni together. But 

 the " new education " does not merely endeavor to give a greater 

 range of studies, it seeks also to improve methods. Let me mention 

 two of these : 



1. I name the better use of the lecture system. Those who 

 knew Louis Agassiz well will never be at a loss to recall conversa- 

 tions, instructive and entertaining ; but I think that, among them all, 

 none conveyed a better mixture of philosophy and fun than his delin- 

 eation of the recitation of text-books by rote, as it has been so long 

 practised in our American colleges. No system was ever better cal- 

 culated to deaden enthusiasm and stiffen knowledge. More and more 

 we are coming to see that, wherever possible, we must bring the living 

 mind to bear on the student. Thus may we supplement text-books, 

 and take from them their present woodenness and dreariness. 



2. I name the union of study of things with study about 

 things. Under the old system it was book in the morning, book in 



