EDITOR'S TABLE. 



123 



EDITOR'S TABLE. 



UNIVERSITY EXTENSION. 



THE article by Prof, C. Hanford 

 Henderson on University Exten- 

 sion, which a|)pears in the present num- 

 ber of the Montlily, is one which de- 

 serves and doubtless will receive a wide 

 and sympathetic attention. Prof. Hen- 

 derson states his case well, and no in- 

 telligent reader can fail to be impressed 

 with the importance of the movement 

 which he describes and advocates. For 

 our own part we think its importance 

 can hardly be over-estimated. It aims 

 at nothing less than an intellectual revo- 

 lution — at placing within the reach of 

 thousands in every part of the country 

 educational advantages which hitherto 

 have been confined to university stu- 

 dents. Useful as the colleges and uni- 

 versities are in their way, we incline to 

 the opinion that what is known as uni- 

 versity extension holds out a promise 

 of yet greater usefulness. The former 

 are often spoken of as " seats " of learn- 

 ing, and the expression is appropriate; 

 but, in the extension movement, learn- 

 ing leaves its seats and goes forth to 

 find its disciples in the highways and 

 byways. This simple fact is a pledge of 

 a more living adaptation to the practical 

 needs of the community than is to be 

 expected in the case of the older and 

 more permanent educational establish- 

 ments. The reactive effect upon the 

 colleges themselves will doubtless be 

 also very beneficial. The theory of the 

 movement is that college professors will 

 do extra-collegiate work ; and it is cer- 

 tain that, in addressing more miscellane- 

 ous audiences than are wont to be 

 gathered within college walls, they will 

 learn new methods of instruction and 

 discover new springs of influence. Col- 

 lege students form a more or less select 

 class, and they are expected not only to 

 follow in an unquestioning manner the 



lines of study indicated to them, but to 

 accept in the same way whatever may 

 be the special educational views or tra- 

 ditions of the institution they attend. 

 The extension classes will be at once 

 more fluid in their composition and 

 more favorable to initiative and origi- 

 nality on the part of the teacher. There 

 will thus tend to be developed a new 

 type of teaching and new conceptions 

 of the possibilities of intellectual growth. 

 Science will learn — what it has never 

 yet thoroughly learned — to dwell among 

 the people and mingle its life with 

 theirs. 



Taking another point of view, we 

 might dwell upon the great need that 

 exists for something that will bring 

 home a touch of true culture and of ex- 

 act knowledge not so much to the 

 " masses "' as to the " classes." Among 

 the latter the fields are " white to the 

 harvest." We are often told that the ig- 

 norance of the working classes is a source 

 of danger to the state, but we are by no 

 means persuaded that the ignorance 

 of a somewhat higher social stratum 

 is not a more serious danger. A couple 

 of years ago the most popular clergy- 

 man in the United States, addressing 

 his own congregation, recommended 

 those of his hearers who were wealthy 

 to spend their money freely upon every 

 form of expensive luxury — to clothe 

 themselves in the richest fabrics and 

 most expensive furs, to ornament them- 

 selves with the costliest jewels, to make 

 their houses gorgeous with everything 

 that was most sumptuous and elegant, 

 to feed themselves with splendid liber- 

 ality, to conduct themselves in gen- 

 eral—so he actually said — as God's fa- 

 vored children, for whom nothing could 

 possibly be too good. In olden times it 

 was said that the poor had the gospel 

 preached to them, and that they heard it 



