July 13, 1906.] 



SCIENCE. 



41 



tutor, however, until 1858. After gradu- 

 ating in 1859 from the Divinity School, he 

 spent the next two years preaching in the 

 Unitarian churches in New Bedford, Mass., 

 and in Charleston, S. C. In 1861 he gave 

 up the ministry to return to Harvard as 

 assistant professor of mathematics, and re- 

 mained in the service of the university 

 until his death. In 1869 he w^as made 

 professor of mathematics, and in 1885 ap- 

 pointed to the Perkins professorship of 

 mathematics and astronomy. He served 

 as secretary of the Academic Council from 

 its establishment in 1872 until 1889, as 

 dean of the graduate school from its foun- 

 dation in 1890 until 1895, and as dean of 

 the faculty of arts and sciences from 1895 

 until 1898. His resignation from the fac- 

 ulty, to take effect in March, 1907, on the 

 completion of fifty years' service as a 

 teacher in the university, was accepted by 

 the president and fellows only a few weeks 

 before his death. He died suddenly of 

 pneumonia on March 21, 1906, in the sev- 

 enty-second year of his life and in the 

 fiftieth year of his service as a teacher in 

 the university. It is a curious coincidence 

 that his father also died in the seventy- 

 second year of his life and in the fiftieth 

 of his service in the university. 



The period from 1860 to 1880 was a 

 time of great changes in the university, 

 the development of the elective system, 

 and the beginning of the graduate school. 

 With these changes James Peirce had much 

 to do. It may justly be said that the great 

 work of his life was the development of 

 graduate instruction in Harvard Univer- 

 sity. Accordingly I purpose to give some 

 account of the condition of the mathemat- 

 ical instruction at Harvard at the begin- 

 ning of his academic career, and to show 

 by following its development the growth of 

 the elective system, the beginning of grad- 

 uate instruction, and to trace, as far as 



possible, his influence in this period of 

 transition. 



In 1853 when he graduated from college 

 the mathematical instruction was given by 

 his father. Professor Benjamin Peirce, and 

 by a single tutor, Mr. C. F. Choate. The 

 course consisted of required freshman work 

 in plane and solid geometry, algebra and 

 plane trigonometry ; of required sophomore 

 work in algebra, spherical trigonometry 

 and analytic geometry, of elective courses 

 for juniors and seniors in 'imaginary, in- 

 tegral and residual calculus,' in mechanics, 

 and in astronomy. All college work in the 

 freshman and sophomore years, and in the 

 junior and senior years three fifths of the 

 work, was required. The elective system, 

 though undeveloped, had already had its 

 beginning. About 1849 this small privilege 

 of election was in danger of being with- 

 drawn by the faculty; at one time a ma- 

 jority of this body actually favored making 

 the whole course required. The elective 

 system was saved at that time by the de- 

 termined fight of a few liberal-minded men, 

 prominent among whom was Benjamin 

 Peirce. 



In 1854 Tutor Choate resigned and in 

 his place James Peirce was appointed. In 

 the same year his classmate, Charles W. 

 Eliot, was also appointed tutor in mathe- 

 matics, the teaching force of the depart- 

 ment being thus increased to three. The 

 tutors hereafter carried on the freshman 

 and sophomore work, leaving Professor 

 Benjamin Peirce free for more advanced 

 work. James Peirce, having the first ap- 

 pointment, had the choice between fresh- 

 man and sophomore work. With a modesty 

 which always characterized him, he decided 

 to teach the freshmen, believing himself not 

 so well qualified to give the sophomore in- 

 struction as to teach the more elementary 

 freshman subjects. 



At this time examinations in all college 



