October 17, 1902.] 



SCIENCE. 



621 



on a f our. : jiears ' course rof ins,trueiti(p sat- 

 isfactorily, will raise the requirements for 

 admission to a proper point and then con- 

 centrate all their strength upon a thor- 

 oughly soimd course of two years leading 

 to the bachelor's degree. More depends 

 upon the strict enforcement of proper stand- 

 ards of admission to college than is gen- 

 erally believed ; that is at present the weak- 

 est point in college administration. The 

 general standard of college education in 

 the United States would be strengthened 

 more if the weaker colleges would fix and 

 rigidly enforce proper entrance require- 

 ments and concentrate all their money and 

 energies upon two years of thorough col- 

 lege work than if they continue to spread 

 a college course over four years with ad- 

 mission secured on nominal terms or on 

 none at all. 



The policy outlined would, I think, 

 largely increase the number of students 

 seeking a college education, and many who 

 might enter one of the stronger colleges for 

 the two years' course would remain for 

 four years. The loss of income due to the 

 dropping out of students after two years 

 of residence would be more than made good 

 very soon by the large increase in college 

 attendance. 



As the system of higher education in the 

 United States has developed it has become 

 apparent that we have substituted three 

 institutions— secondary school, college and 

 university— for the two— secondary school 

 and university— which exist in France and 

 Germany. The work done in the United 

 States by the best colleges is done in France 

 and Germany one half by the secondary 

 school and one half by the university. The 

 training given in Europe differs in many 

 ways from that given here, but from an 

 administrative point of view the compari- 

 son just made is substantially correct. The 

 college, as we have it, is peculiar to our 

 own national system of education, and is 



perli^ps itSiStcongest, as it certainly js its 

 most characteristic, feature. It breaks the 

 sharp transition which is so noticeable in 

 Europe between the close surveillance and 

 prescribed order of the secondary school 

 and the absolute freedom of the university. 

 Its course of liberal study comes just at 

 the time in the student's life to do him 

 most good, to open and inform his intelli- 

 gence and to refine and strengthen his char- 

 acter. Its student life, social opportuni- 

 ties, and athletic sports are all additional 

 elements of usefulness and of strength. It 

 has endeared itself to three or four genera- 

 tions of the flower of our American youth 

 and it is more useful to-day than at any 

 earlier time. 



For all of these reasons I am anxious to 

 have it preserved as part of our educa- 

 tional system and so adjusted to the social 

 and educational conditions which surround 

 us that a college training may be an essen- 

 tial part of the higher education of an 

 American whether he is destined to a pro- 

 fessional career or to a business occupa- 

 tion. It seems to me clear that if the col- 

 lege is not so adjusted it will, despite its 

 recent rapid growth, lose its prestige and 

 place of honor in our American Ufe, and 

 that it may eventually disappear entirely, 

 to the great damage of our whole educa- 

 tional system. 



Nicholas Murray Butler. 



ADDRESS OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE 



BRITISH ASSOCIATION FOR THE 



ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE. 



III. 



THE UPPER AIR AND AURORAS. 



Tpie present liquid ocean, neglecting- 

 everything for the moment but the water, 

 was at a previous period of the earth's 

 history part of the atmosphere, and its con- 

 densation has been brought about by the 

 gradual cooling of the earth's surface. 

 This resulting ocean is subjected to the 

 pressure of the remaining uncondensed 



