NOVEMBEB 20, 1908] 



SCIENCE 



715 



the enlargement of existing knowledge and 

 the training of young men and women of 

 superior ability and education in methods 

 of independent investigation so that they 

 too may, in time, make some contribution 

 to the stock of human knowledge. A love 

 of knowledge, an ardent desire to wrest 

 something from the unknown, a conviction 

 that science and scholarship are along with 

 virtue the chief good of human life, would 

 seem to be the animating motives of a life 

 of research. Given this subjective equip- 

 ment in combination with superior powers 

 of observation, reasoning and imagination, 

 and productive scholarship and science are 

 assured. But these gifts are not possessed 

 by all professors, and still less by all grad- 

 uate students. And it is a grave question 

 whether graduates of mediocre ability — 

 minds lacking in energy, ambition and im- 

 agination—should, after they have demon- 

 strated their quality in a probationary 

 year, be encouraged or even permitted to 

 continue work intended to fit men to be- 

 come scholars and investigators. 



The recommendations contained in Presi- 

 dent Schurman's report of last year in re- 

 gard to the requirement of arts work for 

 admission to the professional schools, have 

 been under careful consideration by the 

 faculties of the various colleges of the uni- 

 versity and by the trustees, but final action 

 has been deferred. The facilities of engi- 

 neering and architecture have drawn up 

 five-year courses as alternatives to the pres- 

 ent four-year courses, in which they in- 

 clude over 70 hours in arts and sciences and 

 at least 30 hours in literary and historical 

 subjects. The faculty of law favor the 

 requirement of a year and in the near 

 future of two years of arts work for admis- 

 sion to the course in law. All these pro- 

 posals are now under consideration. The 

 medical college, on the other hand, has so 

 advanced its requirements that a bachelor's 



degree or its equivalent is required for 

 admission to the course in medicine. 

 Finally, courses suitable for students in 

 preparation for the vocations of teaching, 

 organized philanthropy, the civil service 

 and business management were arranged 

 by the faculty of arts and sciences for the 

 benefit of juniors and seniors in that col- 

 lege, and these groups of studies will here- 

 after be included in the list of eleetives. 



President Schurman next devotes con- 

 siderable space to the work and needs of 

 the New York State Veterinary College 

 which is by law dedicated to both instruc- 

 tion and research. Dr. Veranus A. Moore, 

 the distinguished pathologist of the uni- 

 versity, who has for years held the position 

 of professor of pathology and bacteriology 

 in the veterinary college, has been ap- 

 pointed director of that college to succeed 

 Dr. Law, who retires on a pension provided 

 by the Carnegie Foundation for the Ad- 

 vancement of Teaching. The minimum re- 

 quirements which Dr. Moore sets down for 

 next year are an increase of the annual 

 legislative appropriation for maintenance 

 from $30,000 to $40,000 ; a new annual ap- 

 propriation to begin with $10,000 for re- 

 search, experimental investigations and ex- 

 tension work; and a special appropriation 

 of $125,000 for buildings and equipment 

 for the clinical work of the college. 



The total expense of adequately maintaining 



this college together with the interest on the first 

 cost of the buildings when completed would equal 

 but a fraction of one per cent, of the loss to our 

 state by the death of animals from diseases that 

 are largely preventable. 



The great event of the year for the New 

 York State College of Agriculture was the 

 purchase by the university of additional 

 farm lands which in combination with 

 present holdings now gives the college of 

 agriculture 579 acres for farming purposes, 

 in addition to the 100 acres provided for 

 the veterinary college for an experimental 



