104 TRANSACTIONS OF THE 



In organising such a university, we must consider first the 

 branches of knowledge whicli should be taught, secure the men 

 available for them, and then make a classification of the whole 

 scheme according to a scientific principle. We might first draw 

 up a project in which all the branches desirable were interwoven, 

 next consider what men we have to fill the chairs, and how the 

 branches must be divided among them. These two considerations 

 would act and react upon each other as far as a practical scheme 

 was concerned, and the distribution of the subjects would, after 

 they were determined upon, be an easy task. Consulting a num- 

 ber of scientific friends, I find that courses of literature, science, 

 and arts, could easily be extended to sixty in number without 

 assigning any unimportant subject. That these might occupy 

 twenty to forty lectures, and that the least beginning of a respec- 

 table sort would be by twenty subjects and ten or fifteen instruc- 

 tors. All the details, however, would be much better left to the 

 organization of the Chancellor and first faculty. After a careful 

 examination of the schools of Europe, some twenty years ago, I 

 saw abundant reason to conclude that an institution might have 

 ever so good a plan upon paper and yet not be successful, and 

 that a moderately good plan well administered might be better 

 than an excellent one carried out by inferior ability. I would 

 therefore counsel as high a flight as possible in looking for the 

 ■professors, especially the first professors of the institution, and a 

 liberal concession to their views in organizing and developing the 

 ■new-born establishment. 



With the facilities for travel in our country, the professors of 

 our colleges could readily take part in University instruction 

 ivithout impairing their usefulness at home. Agassiz lectured in 

 Harvard and in the medical college of Charleston. The most 

 active minds in the faculties would thus be brought together in 

 -one institution, and they would return to their regular posts with 

 all the glow which inter-communion of rich minds is sure to pro- 

 duce to react upon the college and themselves. Thus the requi- 

 site number of lecturers could readily be found, and thus the 

 elite of our school men and men of science could be brought into 

 r^ular communication with each other. 



