856 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXVI. No. 677 



tivity on the part of the ehurclies, a non- 

 religiovis instruction by the state will be 

 found not to interfere with the satisfactory- 

 development of religion, but to yield an 

 intelligent citizenship which is not possible 

 in any other way for the same expenditure 

 of effort and capital. 



As to the form of university government, 

 no hard and fast lines can be drawn, since 

 each community has its own local prob- 

 lems to solve. In general terms, however, 

 the alumni should have a very large voice 

 in affairs, if they maintaiu an active uni- 

 versity interest and connection. They 

 know, as no others can, what is being done 

 in the university. They know the strong 

 points as well as the weak in their own 

 training. If they have developed them- 

 selves as they should after graduation, they 

 are in a position to compare results achieved 

 at home with those secured abroad and, 

 when working shoiilder to shoulder with 

 the staff of the university, are capable of 

 giving advice, assistance and support that 

 it is not possible to obtain from any other 

 group of citizens. The faculties certainly 

 should have representation in the general 

 and special conduct of affairs, in the selec- 

 tion of new teachers and in the formulation 

 and realization of a general tmiversity 

 policy. The government of the state or 

 province should also be represented, since 

 it has charge of the state or provincial 

 treasury, and has to meet the detailed needs 

 of the province, including interests other 

 than educational. University interests 

 should be so safeguarded, however, that 

 no individual or political party can in any 

 way, or for any purpose, interfere with the 

 proper performance of its function and its 

 natural growth. Those who are interested 

 in the government of imiversities will find 

 a number of articles in recent issues of 

 Science by leading educationalists of the 

 United States and a great deal can there 

 be gained which may be. of value to Mani- 



toba, because her problems are very similar 

 indeed to those which confront the various 

 states of the union. 



Professor J. McKeen Cattell, of Colum- 

 bia University, has written a number of 

 articles recently which are instructive and 

 far-sighted, although, at first glance, they 

 appear much more radical than they really 

 are. I may quote from his article on 

 ' ' University Control " :^ 



In the colleges from 'n'hicli our universities have 

 developed the problem of administration was com- 

 paratively simple. The faculty and the president 

 met weekly and consulted daily ; each was familiar 

 with the work of the entire institution; a spirit 

 of cooperation and loyalty naturally prevailed. 

 The trustees also understood the economy of the 

 college and were able to work intelligently for the 

 general good. But when a university covers the 

 whole field of human loiowledge, when it is con- 

 cerned with professional work in divergent direc- 

 tions, when it adds research. and creative scholar- 

 ship to instruction, when both men and women are 

 admitted, when there are 500 instructors and 5,000 

 students, it is no longer possible for each trustee 

 and for each professor to share intelligently in 

 the conduct of the whole institution. We appear 

 at present to be between the Scylla of presidential 

 autocracy and the Charybdis of faculty and trus- 

 tee incompetence. The more incompetent the fac- 

 ulties become, the greater is the need for executive 

 autocracy, and the greater the autocracy of the 

 president, the more incompetent do the faculties 

 become. Under these conditions it appears that 

 the university must be completely reorganized 

 on a representative basis. It should not be a 

 despotism and it can not be a simple democracy. 

 Autonomy should be given to the schools, depart- 

 ments or divisions. The administrative, legisla- 

 tive and judicial work must be done by experts, 

 but they should represent those whom they serve. 



The present writer ventures to propose tenta- 

 tively the following form of organization for our 

 larger tmiversities, to be reached as the result of 

 a gradual evolution: 



" 1. There should be a corporation consisting of 

 the professors and other officers of the university, 

 the alumni who maintain their interest in the in- 

 stitution and members of the community who ally 



1 Science, N. S., Vol. XXIII., No. 586, pp. 475- 

 477, March 23, 1906. 



I 



