RUTH. 



413 



with an energy that overleaped all obstacles presented 

 the claims of the college in the pulpits of the de- 

 nomination and to individuals until he raised the sum 

 of $144,758 ; and on the occasion of the centennial 

 celebration he niade another great effort which re- 

 sulted in subscriptions amounting to $140,000. During 

 his administration six new professorships were estab- 

 lished, the number of students doubled, reaching at 

 one time 200, and the following buildings erected : 

 a large geological hall, an exceptionally beautiful 

 chapel and library under one roof, an astronomical 

 observatory, an addition to the grammar school more 

 than doubling its accommodations, and certain useful 

 structures on the experimental form. These works 

 tell their own story of diligent wisdom and render a 

 well-earned fume secure. When Dr. Campbell re- 

 signed the trustees generously gave him an annuity 

 ot $3000 for life. 



The State College of New Jersey "for the benefit 

 of Agriculture and the Mechanic Arts" was organized j 

 as a department of Rutgers College in 1865. It 

 originated in a provision of Congress granting to the 

 several States a certain quantity of the public lands to 

 enable them to establish colleges, the leading object 

 of which shall be to "teach such branches of learning 

 as are related- to agriculture anil the mechanic arts, 

 in such a manner as the Legislatures of the States 

 may respectively prescribe, in order to promote 

 the liberal and practical education of the industrial 

 classes in the several pursuits and professions of life." 

 The sale of the public lands allotted to New Jersey 

 amounted to $116,000, now invested in State bonds 

 under the care of the State treasurer, and the income 

 of which is paid to the trustees. Great credit in due I 

 to Dr. George H. Cook, the vice-president of the col- 1 

 lege, and who for many years had rendered invaluable 

 services to the State, as the State geologist, for his 

 energy and influence in securing the location of the 

 State College at New Brunswick as a part of the 

 scientific school of Rutgers already in existence. A 

 i'arm of 100 acres is used with great success for con- 

 ducting experiments in agriculture, the results of which 

 are published for the benefit of farmers. Fifteen pro- 

 fessorships ably manned afford instruction in four 

 courses of study, viz. : one in engineering and mechan- 

 ics, one in chemistry and agriculture, one in electricity, 

 and one of two years in agriculture. The courses of 

 study and discipline are under the management of the 

 faculty and trustees of Rutgers, subject to the super- 

 vision of a board of visitors appointed by the gov- 

 ernor, and consisting of two from each Congressional 

 district. It provides fifty free scholarships, which are 

 distributed among the counties according to popula- 

 tion. 



In June, 1882, Merrill Edwards Gates, Ph. D., 

 LL. D. , L. H. I). , was inaugurated president of Rut- 

 gers College. Dr. Gates took this position with the 

 prestige ot unusual success as an educator whije prin- 

 cipal of Albany Academy. Since his accession the 

 endowment has been still further increased by $115.000 

 . besides annual subscriptions pledged for a period of 

 years amounting in all to over $.'50,000, making the 

 total income of the college about $50,000 ; the library 

 has received 14.000 additional volumes ; the standard 

 of scholarship has been raised both by new require- 

 ment.') for admission, and by a rigid insistence upon 

 faithfulness in study and the maintenance of a high 

 luoral character as necessary to graduation; certain 

 subjects in science treated in German and French text- 

 books have been introduced ; physical development by 

 appropriate gymnastic exercises nave been made com- 

 pulsory ; the classical department has been reorganized 

 and improved ; new emphasis and impulse have been 

 given to the pursuit of modern languages ; several new 

 professorships have been created, affording wider in- 

 struction in scientific subjects, such as electrical engi- 

 neering, biology, mineralogy, etc.; more laboratory 

 work wit" greater facilities of room and teaching has 



been assigned to special students ; and the number of 

 students nas grown from 116 to 193. In addition to 

 his fruitful college labors Dr. Gates takes much interest 

 in public affairs both as a speaker and a worker. 



By act of Congress in 1 887 an annual appropriation 

 of $15,000 was authorized for the agricultural colleges 

 of each State, to be expended in carrying on and pub- 

 lishing investigations in the interests of agriculture ; 

 and by an act of the New Jersey Legislature in 1888 

 the sum of $30,000 was appropriated for a laboratory 

 for the agricultural experiment station located on the 

 college grounds. The services of Dr. George H. Cook, 

 who has always been devoted to the agricultural and 

 industrial interests of the State, deserve in connection 

 with these two acts the heartiest recognition. Rutgers 

 College has a faculty of eighteen professors, but not a 

 tutor, affording instruction in all subjects taught in 

 other best American colleges. Its students, besides 

 having their own society libraries and the college library 

 at command, enjoy full privileges in the Sage Library 

 belonging to the theological seminary, making alto- 

 gether over 70,000 carefully selected volumes open for 

 their consultation. 



The trustees of the college have also an excellent 

 grammar school fully equipped with teachers and a 

 boarding department where sanitary arrangements re- 

 ceive special attention. (T. S. D.) 



RUTH, BOOK OF. The article on this subject in 



v TT-XT tue ENCYCLOPEDIA BRITANNICA is 



bee \ol. XXI. ma j n iy an argument to prove that "the 



Am Rep.). Book of Rut ? does not ? er its elf as a 

 document written soon after the period 

 to which it refers," but was written at some unknown 

 date, " long after the time of Ezra." In proof of this 

 it is argued that Jewish tradition classifies Ruth, not 

 among the prophetic writings, but among the Hagi- 

 ograplia as one of the Megilloth. But if this were 

 fully admitted it would not prove that the tradition 

 regarded Ruth as either late or non-prophetic in its 

 origin ; for the Jewish tradition attributes the larger 

 part of the Psalms to David, Canticles and most of 

 the Proverbs to Solomon, certain other Hagiographio 

 writings to the times of Hezekiah, and, indeed, re- 

 gards most of the Hagiographa as pre-exilic, and all 

 of them as of prophetic authorship. The notion that 

 the Hagiographa are mostly a collection of writings 

 that were produced top late to be included in the legal 

 and prophetic canons is wholly untenable. (See BIBLE 

 and CANON.) 



But the statement that Jewish tradition classifies 

 Ruth among the Hagiographa, while partly true, docs 

 not convey the whole truth in the case. "The Septu- 

 aeint, the Vulgate, and the English version make 

 Ruth follow Judges." As a mere matter of classifica- 

 tion, Ruth fits very well either of the two positions 

 assigned to it. Which position is the correct one de- 

 pends on the principle of classification followed. But 

 there is no room for reasonable doubt that the arrange- 

 ment that connects Ruth with Judges is the one which 

 really represents the Jewish tradition as to the date 

 and authorship of the book. The average reader 

 would probably understand from the article in the 

 BRITANNICA that the evidence of this is solely con- 

 jectural that it depends upon the fact that by count- 

 ing Ruth with Judges and lamentations with Jere- 

 miah the 24 books of the Hebrew canon "can be re- 

 duced to 22, the number assigned by Josephus and 

 other ancient authorities." But this understanding 

 of the matter is a mistake. The opinion that Ruth 

 was counted with Judges and Lamentations with 

 Jeremiah is not a mere conjectural way of accounting 

 for the phenomena, but is supported by explicit testi- 

 mony. Jerome specifically testifies to it, and evidently 

 regards it as the preferable view, though he mentiona 

 the other classification of the books as being held by 

 some. Origen directly and unequivocally says that 

 the Hebrews counted Judges and Ruth as one book, 

 and he recognizes no other view. The Baba, Uatra 



