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SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. XVI. No. 412. 



nell professors, if they desire the appoint- 

 ment, and professors of other universities 

 selected for eminence in their respective 

 branches of learning or science. The Cor- 

 nell summer session, Avhich continues six 

 weeks, attracted this year more than tveice 

 as many regular students of the university 

 (218 as against 101) as last year. And 

 students in the academic department who 

 regularly attend the summer session may, 

 if they have entered on advanced standing 

 or done extra work in course, satisfy the 

 requirements for the A.B. degree in three 

 years instead of four. This is a shortening 

 of time without lowering the standards or 

 even changing the character of the studies. 

 In all discussions regarding the length of 

 the A.B. course and the nature of the 

 studies it should embrace, the summer ses- 

 sion has been overlooked. Yet it may 

 contain the key to that problem as well 

 as to the problem of the adjustment of 

 term time and holidays. 



The relation of the A.B. course to the 

 technical and professional courses has 

 again been under consideration. 



The faculty of arts and sciences some 

 time ago made the work for the A.B. de- 

 gree entirely elective. The tabulation by 

 Dean Crane of the studies elected for four 

 years by the class graduating in 1901, shows 

 no wide divergence from the results 

 formerly obtaining under the operation of 

 the combined prescribed and elective sys- 

 tem. Like the A.B.'s of preceding years, 

 the graduates of 1901 selected courses pre- 

 dominantly humanistic. Of all choices of 

 studies made by the class, 80 per cent, were 

 in languages, philosophy, history and polit- 

 ical science, and art. As compared with 

 the prescribed classical course of a genera- 

 tion ago there is, however, a noticeable 

 change. Wliile 10 per cent, of the elec- 

 tions were in ancient languages, 37 per 

 cent, were in modem languages, and 22 

 per cent, in history and political science. 



That is to say, while under the elective sys- 

 tem the studies of candidates for the A.B. 

 degree continue to be for the most part 

 humanistic, the newer humanities— Eng- 

 lish, French, German, history, economics, 

 etc.— have taken the larger portion of the 

 place which a generation ago was occupied 

 by the older humanities— Latin and Greek. 



The privilege of students taking the 

 A.B. course at Cornell to elect their own 

 studies is not likely to be modified. Of 

 course there are restrictions upon fresh- 

 men inherent in the nature of the studies 

 themselves. And there is the further lim- 

 itation, which critics continually ignore, 

 that the subjects embraced by the academic 

 department do not extend beyond the hu- 

 manities and the pure sciences, so that a 

 student entering upon the A.B. course is 

 not permitted to elect work in engineering, 

 agriculture or other tecluiical or profes- 

 sional departments. 



But, while the university refuses to re- 

 duce the A.B. course from foiir years to 

 three, it does permit juniors and seniors 

 who intend taking subseqiiently a profes- 

 sional course to anticipate one year of such 

 work as a part of the A.B. course. The 

 question has been raised whether, in such 

 cases, the A.B. degree is given on the 

 ground that the candidate has studied four 

 years or that he has taken certain studies 

 (arts and sciences) though for three years 

 only. And the suggestion has been made 

 that the subjects which juniors and seniors 

 are permitted to take in the professional 

 schools should be restricted to those which 

 might be regarded as constituents of a 

 liberal culture. But a university which 

 allows its students to elect freely among 

 languages, literature, philosophy, history, 

 political science, mathematics and the 

 physical and biological sciences for the 

 A.B. degree will meet great difficulty in 

 applying the criterion suggested. Perhaps 

 the best solution of the theoretical dilemma 



