PENNSYLVANIA COLLEGE. 263 



paralions, natural and artificial, in the possession of the Lecturer, ena- 

 ble him to render the instruction highly valuable. The pupil becomes 

 acquainted with the mechanism and functions of his frame, and is quali- 

 fied to follow intelligently the reasonings which have been based on the 

 structure of the human body in regard to the existence and attributes of 

 a Supreme First Cause. The introduction of the study of Natural His- 

 tory into the course is perhaps an advantage which few institutions enjoy. 

 The Lecturer on Zoology seeks to excite an interest and to infuse a love 

 among the students for this attractive branch of study. That the eftbrt 

 has not been unsuccessful is shown in the valuable Museum secured 

 chiefly through the industry of the students, and the flourishing condi- 

 tion of the Linnsean Association, the fundamental object of which is the 

 cnltivation of an acquaintance with animated nature. The facilities for 

 the acquisition of the German language is another admirable feature in 

 the arrangements of this institution. Perhaps there is no College in the 

 country more favorable for those who desire to unlock the treasures, of 

 which this noble language is the key. The study is carried throughout 

 the course, from the lowest class in the Preparatory Department to the 

 highest in the College proper. Although an optional study, it is pur- 

 sued by a large number of students with great spirit, and an effort is 

 made by practical exercises to prepare the young men to converse in this 

 copious language. As Pennsylvania College was organized with a di- 

 rect reference to the wants of the German population, its claims, there- 

 fore, upon Germans are strong. There were many and excellent Semi- 

 naries of learning in our country before its establishment, but there was 

 no one of this kind to which Germans and descendants of Germans 

 could look and say it was designed for their special benefit. 



The government of the students is parental, mild and affectionate, 

 but firm and energetic. Special cases excepted, they are all required to 

 lodge in the College edifice, under the immediate supervision of the 

 Faculty, who endeavor to exercise a constant guardianship over the 

 whole establishment. The Professors consider themselves charged with 

 the moral and religious as well as the intellectual culture of those com- 

 mitted to their care, and do put forth faithful efforts for their best inter- 

 ests. Their aim is to fix in the minds and hearts of their pupils those 

 great and controlling truths of revelation, which influence the happiness 

 and shape the character of man for time and eternity. A familiar ac- 

 quaintance with the Scriptures and a thorough knowledge of the Chris- 

 tian system, together with the cultivation of the moral affections, are 

 deemed an important part of a liberal education. Lectures on the evi- 

 dences of Natural and Revealed Religion, and on the Ethics of Christi-^^ 



