252 SCIENCE SKETCHES. 



too much stress or too little. Too much ; for the 

 deeree is treated as if it were an end in itself 

 Too little ; for every college in our land gives this 

 degree to men whose sole claim to higher edu- 

 cation consists in a four years' residence in a 

 college town, a four years' ** exposure to scholas- 

 tic influences." They make their count of marks 

 on the college books; and if by hook or crook 

 they can keep " regular," the march of time will 

 carry them through. Then again the competi- 

 tion for numbers among our would-be " populous 

 schools " often leads to discrepancies between the. 

 actual requirements and those laid down in the 

 published catalogues. Thus low standards are 

 adopted for mere numbers' sake. And besides 

 the reputable institutions, all sorts of mushroom 

 establishments in private hands have in the West- 

 ern States been authorized by law to grant the 

 Bachelor's degree, with practically no scholastic 

 requirements at all. 



When the colleges in the patchwork era at- 

 tempted to teach in four years a little of every- 

 thing, it was found that by the same process a 

 little of everything could likewise be given in two 

 years, or even in one year, by carrying the process 

 of condensation a little farther. I received a letter 

 not long ago from the President of an alleged col- 

 lege in Kansas, — a school which gives the Bach- 

 elor's degree on a course a year or two long, 

 begun at any time, and with no special preparation. 

 He said that he had exactly one year of daily reci- 

 tations to devote to all the sciences, each completed 

 in turn. He was especially anxious to make no 



