384 



i::OIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. IX. No. 219. 



the master's degree. The University address 

 was given by Dr. A. F. Nightingale, Superin- 

 tendent of High Schools, Chicago. During 

 the evening exercises Governor Poynter made 

 the welcome announcement that he had that 

 morning signed the ' University Revenue Bill ' 

 and that it was now the law of the State. This 

 bill is one in which all the friends of the Uni- 

 versity were much interested. It provides first 

 for the classification and handling of the funds 

 of the University, as follows : The permanent 

 endowment fund, the temporary University 

 fund, the University cash fund, the United 

 States Morrill fund and the agricultural ex- 

 periment station fund, and requires that the 

 State Treasurer shall be the custodian of all Uni- 

 versity funds. The second and by far the most 

 important provision is that by which the Uni- 

 versity tax is increased from three-eighths of a 

 mill to one mill on each dollar of valuation of 

 the ' grand assessment roll ' of the State. This 

 will place a much larger sum in the hands of 

 the Regents of the University and will enable 

 them to plan for larger things in the future. 

 It is one of the most important acts of any 

 Legislature in Nebraska in its bearing upon 

 higher education. 



We hope that the following item printed in 

 the San Francisco Call is correct: "Three 

 measures for the benefit of Stanford University 

 have been presented in the California Senate. 

 They are in the form of amendments to the po- 

 litical code, allowing corporations formed for 

 educational purposes to accept gifts and be- 

 quests. When the bills finally become laws 

 Mrs. Stanford stands ready to turn over her 

 own personal fortune of more than $5,000,000 

 to the college, and Governor Stanford's 

 brother, who has made a fortune in Australia, 

 will turn over in installments nearly $15,000,- 

 000 more. This vast sum, with the present 

 funds at the disposal of the college, will place 

 it on a financial standing far beyond its com- 

 petitors. Under the present provisions of the 

 codes an educational institution cannot accept 

 a gift or bequest. It was the intent of the law 

 to prevent certain eleemosynary institutions 

 from securing possession of large tracts of land 

 and sums of money, and hold them, with no 

 benefit to anyone, and so when it was desired 



to endow the University with all the Stanford 

 millions it was found to be impossible to do so 

 under the laws of the State. It was about a 

 year ago that the Australian Stanford first 

 broached the subject of adding his millions to 

 those of his brother. It had always been Gov- 

 ernor Stanford's wish that his childless and kin- 

 less brother should follow his example regard- 

 ing the University, and a year ago it was decided 

 to bring the two fortunes together." 



The annual report of President Eliot, of Har- 

 vard University for 1897, is, as usual, an edu- 

 cational document of great importance. With 

 the appended reports of the deans of the facul- 

 ties and schools and the directors of the scien- 

 tific establishments it contains 322 pages, and 

 the report of the Treasurer is given in much de- 

 tail, occupying 89 pages. Among the svibjects 

 considered is President Eliot's favorite plan of 

 reducing the College course to three years, it be- 

 ing pointed out that more than one-third of the 

 students do practically complete the work re- 

 quired in this time. It is noted that men of high 

 scholarship are fully equal to others in physical 

 development, as shown by the gymnasium rec- 

 ords. President Eliot finds that during the past 

 twenty-seven years the number of members of 

 the faculty has increased more rapidly than the 

 number of students and that the average ages 

 of the members of the faculty has decreased 

 by less than one year. The instructors of the 

 first three classes are considerably older than 

 formerly, while the instructors of the senior 

 class are younger. The average age of the 

 Harvard instructor is about forty years. Dur- 

 ing the year the requirements for admission to 

 Harvard College and the Lawrence Scientific 

 School were revised in a manner favorable to 

 the sciences. The text-book study of physics 

 and astronomy is omitted and four new sub- 

 jects are offered, namely, astronomy, physiog- 

 raphy, meteorology and anatomy, with physi- 

 ology and hygiene. No reason is given for not 

 allowing zoology or botany to be elected, yet 

 these are perhaps the sciences which can be 

 best taught in the ordinary preparatory schools. 

 The terms of admission to the Lawrence Scien- 

 tific School will, we are glad to learn, gradually 

 be raised to substantial equality with those of 

 of the College. 



