228 SCIENCE SKETCHES. 



THE EVOLUTION OF THE COLLEGE 

 CURRICULUM. 



A RECENT writer on the German system of 

 education, turning from his subject for a 

 moment's contemplation of the American system, 

 is moved to say that the most striking charac- 

 teristic of the latter is simply its want of system. 

 Instead of being part of a definite whole, well 

 ordered or ill ordered as the case may be, each 

 feature of the American system has been devel- 

 oped with little regard to its relation to the oth- 

 ers ; and this confusion in development has been 

 made worse by our characteristic misapplication of 

 names, an example of which is seen in our indis- 

 criminate use of the terms *' college" and " univer- 

 sity." In many a so-called college in America the 

 chief work done is the teaching of the elements of 

 grammar and arithmetic. The '' university idea " 

 is often regarded as fully met by the addition to 

 such a college of a Normal School, a professor 

 or two in Law or Theology, and a self-supporting 

 '' College of Music." 



Yet in spite of all eccentricities in name or form, 

 we can recognize the existence of a certain definite 

 type of school which we may call the American 

 college. There are many variations in this type of 

 school, — variations due to geographical position. 



