130 
The table gives a comparison with the 
data for last year which shows a decrease 
of ten in the total number of degrees con- 
ferred. This is doubtless an accidental 
variation without significance. The de- 
crease of nineteen degrees in the humanities, 
under which are included philology, gram- 
mar, literature and philosophy, may also 
be accidental, but the comparatively small 
number of university doctorates in these 
subjects deserves consideration. Our edu- 
cational system is largely based on the 
study of language, and in view of the great 
number of teachers required it appears that 
they are satisfied with a less adequate edu- 
cation than is the case in the sciences. In 
Germany every gymnasium teacher of 
Latin or French holds the equivalent of a 
doctorate, and there is evidently need of a 
higher standard in America. This year 
education and sociology have been placed 
with the sciences. Philology and economics 
are, of course, also sciences. The division is 
artificial and made only in respect to the 
general field covered by this JouRNAL. 
Six universities, Johns Hopkins, Colum- 
bia, Yale, Chicago, Harvard and Pennsy]l- 
vania, conferred 169 degrees—more than 
three times as many as all the other uni- 
versities combined. Columbia gave this 
year decidedly the largest number of de- 
grees in the sciences, while Harvard is the 
only one of these universities in which the 
degrees in the humanities were more nu- 
merous than in the sciences. The degree was 
not conferred last year by Indiana, Illinois, 
Stanford, Cincinnati, Columbian, Catholic, 
Western Reserve, Vanderbilt, or Tulane 
University. The degrees were in all cases 
the doctorate of philosophy, with the excep- 
tion of two doctorates of science, one at 
Harvard and one at New York University. 
The distribution of students among the 
different sciences was as follows: 
+5 
3 
Chemistry ..........0..- 32 
Psychology ......../... 15 
SCIENCE. 
[N. S. Vou. X. No. 240. 
Mathematics........... 13 +2 
BOtanyieneceeeceeeseheess 11 0 
ZOOLOBY)\ccseecenssctesees 11 =I 
Physics ..... enonoonaacta 7 —4 
Education .............. 5 
Geolopysiencesssscesaces: 5 —Il 
Sociology ...........0668 5 4 
Paleontology........... 4 +4 
Astronomy ...........65 2 —1 
Mineralogy............. 2 +2 
Physiology.............. 1 =3 
Bacteriology............ 1 +1 
Meteorology............ i +1 
Thesecond column, giving the increase or 
decrease as compared with last year, indi- 
cates that the sciences have in general 
maintained the same relative position. 
Chemistry leads so decidedly because in 
this science a university training is useful 
in technical work. The most disappointing 
aspect of university education seems to be 
the complete lack of medical students who 
take higher degrees. Here we have a field 
for research sure to yield results of the 
greatest possible theoretical and practical 
importance, and but very few trained 
workers. Physicians have opportunity, and 
in most cases leisure, but owing, it appears, 
to the lack of a proper education they ac- 
complish comparatively little in the way of 
scientific research. 
While no definite conclusion can be 
drawn from the results of a single year, it: 
may be noted that at Johns Hopkins more. 
than half the scientific degrees are given in 
chemistry. This science also leads at Yale 
and Harvard. Psychology and education 
are especially strong at Columbia. Chicago- 
stands first in zoology and in physiology. 
The details in regard to the theses are as. 
follows : 
COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY. 
Burtis Burr Breese : Inhibition. 
Edward Sandford Burgess: Studies in the Genus 
Aster. 
Elsie Worthington Clews : The Educational Legis- 
lation and Administration of the Colonial Govern- 
ments. 
