February 28, 1902.] 



SCIENCE. 



333 



1860 there were 77 ; in 1880, 173 ; in 1891, 

 446; in 1892, 383; in 1895, 422, and in 

 1898, 397. 



These figures show clearly that the in- 

 crease, in the attendance at American uni- 

 versities is not accounted for by a falling 

 off in attendance at German universities. 

 On the other hand, they do show that for 

 the last ten years at least there has been no 

 increase in the attendance at German uni- 

 versities, but rather a slight decrease. 



Six thousand students are, then, to-day 

 pursuing advanced courses in our Ameri- 

 can universities, while not longer ago than 

 1875 the number was only about 400. In 

 this connection it must further be borne in 

 mind that during this period the colleges 

 have not relaxed in their requirements. 

 The tendency has been in the opposite 

 direction. So that it means to-day more 

 j'ather than less than it did in 1875 to be a 

 graduate student. That there is an in- 

 creasing demand for univex-sity work is 

 clear and it seems to be destined to play a 

 more and more important part in the de- 

 velopment of our educational methods. 



Now, what is the caiise of the rapid in- 

 crease in the demand for univei'sity work, 

 or the rapid increase in the attendance 

 upon university courses? No simple an- 

 swer would be correct. Probably the prin- 

 cipal direct cause is the increased demand 

 on the part of the colleges, and to some ex- 

 tent of the high schools, for teachers who 

 have had university training. The degree 

 of Doctor of Philosophy being the outward 

 and visible sign of such training, many col- 

 leges have virtually taken the ground that 

 none but Ph.D.'s need apply. This would, 

 of course, tend directly to increase the at- 

 tendance at the universities. Operating in 

 the same way is the multiplication of chairs 

 in the colleges. While not long ago one 

 man often taught a number of subjects, 

 sometimes related, sometimes not, the col- 

 lege authorities are coming more and more 



to entrust a single subject to a single man. 

 The old-fashioned professor who could 

 teach any subject in the curx'iculum with 

 equal success is a thing of the past except 

 in a few remote regions. The university- 

 trained man has largely taken his place, 

 and the universities are spreading their in- 

 fluence into the nooks and corners of the 

 country through these men. 



I need not discuss this phase of the sub- 

 ject further. It will, I am sure, be acknowl- 

 edged without argument that it is desirable 

 that our college faculties should be made 

 up of men who have enjoyed the best edu- 

 cational advantages. In supplying such 

 men the universities are doing a work of 

 the highest value for the country. If noth- 

 ing else were accomplished by our univer- 

 sities they would be worthy of all the sup- 

 port they get. The results of their work in 

 this direction are not as tangible as that of 

 the work of the colleges, for the latter reach 

 much larger numbers and in ways that can 

 be more easily followed. But if we keep in 

 mind the fact that the college is de- 

 pendent upon the university for its faculty 

 and that the character of the college is in 

 turn dependent ixpon the character of its 

 faculty, it will be seen that whatever good 

 may come from the college is to be traced 

 directly to work done by the universities. 

 In order to keep our colleges up to a high 

 standard it is absohxtely necessary that our 

 universities should be maintained on a high 

 plane. This university work is not some- 

 thing apart, independent of other kinds of 

 educational work. It is a necessary part of 

 the whole system. It affects not only our 

 colleges, but our schools of all grades, and 

 must, therefore, have a profound influence 

 upon the intellectual condition of the whole 

 country. It is difficult, perhaps, to prove 

 this, bixt it seems to me that the statements 

 just made are almost self-evident truths. 



But the universities are also doing an- 

 other kind of work of importance to the 



