442 



SCIENCE. 



(N. S. Vol. XV. No. 377. 



Examination of the diagram shows at 

 once the entire absence of any uniformity 

 in the practice of our universities as to the 

 make-up of their calendar. Each institu- 

 tion seems to be a law unto itself, and 

 except that they all begin in the latter 

 part of September or the earlier part of 

 October; that they all have a Christmas 

 vacation and that they all end the year's 

 work in June, there is no uniformity of 

 practice. But even within these broad 

 limits there is great variety. Three of the 

 universities, for instance, begin the third 

 week in September; four begin the fourth 

 week in September; and three the first 

 week in October. In the duration of the 

 Christmas vacation there is even greater 

 proportionate variety, the length being 

 from one week to three. In regard to 

 spring vacations a still greater diversity 

 occurs, some of the institutions having 

 none, one having a considerable vacation 

 in the middle of March, another having a 

 considerable vacation in the middle of 

 April. The length of vacation varies from 

 nothing up to ten days. Equally conspicu- 

 ous is the discordance of the time of clos- 

 ing the work of the year. The practice of 

 Chicago University of partially continu- 

 ing the work of instruction during the 

 summer time differs from that of other 

 universities, and this is indicated in the 

 diagram by representing the summer 

 period for that university as half black 

 and half white. 



An examination of these diagrams must, 

 I think, convince every one that it is a prac- 

 tical problem for our universities to con- 

 sider whether they should not aim at a 

 greater or perhaps even a complete uni- 

 formity in the length of their term times 

 and of their vacation times. There would 

 he many advantages in this and it would 

 be one of the factors which might eon- 

 tribute to facilitate the migration of stu- 

 dents from one university to another. 



Now that we have an association of a num- 

 ber of the leading universities of the coun- 

 try, the machinery for the proper discus- 

 sion of the length of the university terms 

 already exists, and it is to be hoped that 

 this association will take up the consider- 

 ation of this problem, study it thoroughly 

 and, if it seems expedient, introduce a 

 reform in the practice as it now exists. 



The national movement in favor of Con- 

 vocation Week is distinctly in favor of 

 uniformity in the distribution of vaca- 

 tions. It seems to me that the success of 

 the movement in behalf of Convocation 

 Week is complete and that all of our uni- 

 versities will ultimately conform their 

 Christmas vacation to this new demand, 

 as so many of our universities have already 

 done. 



Another fact which is very striking in a 

 graphic representation is the very large 

 proportion of time which is wholly given 

 up to vacation. In this respect university 

 students are privileged beings, having a 

 degree of liberty, of exoneration from 

 responsibility and work such as is 

 accorded to young men in no other occu- 

 pation whatever. In old times when our 

 colleges had, not young men, but boys as 

 students, this great amount of vacation 

 was certainly justified as a measure for the 

 protection of the health of growing boys. 

 But why students of advanced years 

 should be treated as if they were incapable 

 of doing the amount of work which they 

 would have to do if they went into any 

 practical business or profession in life, is 

 not clear. I think it may be safely said 

 that from the standpoint of the benefit to 

 students, the amount of university vaca- 

 tion is very excessive, and when we think 

 how much our young men are now retarded 

 when they go through college and still 

 more if they go through a college and a 

 professional school before they can enter 

 on practical life, we must look upon the 



