May 11, 1906.] 



SCIENCE. 



735 



state and church colleges. Many of them 

 were legitimately named universities and 

 did what was then regarded as tmiversity 

 work. The war destroyed their endow- 

 ments and buildings, and left most of them 

 with only one asset, their names. When 

 they were reopened, after the war, it was 

 hard for some of the universities immedi- 

 ately to become colleges, and for the col- 

 leges to become preparatory schools. In 

 many instances their ante-bellum titles 

 carried with them grants, franchises and 

 endowments, rendering it practically impos- 

 sible for them to assume more modest and 

 significant names. I am quite sure that 

 the authorities of a majority of the so-called 

 universities of the south would prefer 

 that their institutions be called colleges; 

 but for the reasons assigned and others, 

 they have been largely powerless to change 

 the titles. Furthermore, some institutions, 

 which enjoyed merited reputations before 

 the war have tried to justify their preten- 

 sions by indulging in the hope that they 

 may come into their own again. 



But whether we praise, apologize for or 

 blame our institutions, the south is in this 

 matter justly criticized, though pretence is 

 rapidly disappearing, and most southern 

 colleges are honestly trying to live up to 

 their published standards. Some, how- 

 ever, still continue to publish courses which 

 either are not taught, or are conducted in a 

 perfunctory manner. I shall not call any 

 names, but I am venturing the statement 

 that ten of the forty institutions on the list 

 publish courses in their catalogues differ- 

 ent from those given in the circular now 

 under discussion. 



I have already digressed, but must ask 

 leave to wander a little farther yet. 



There are too many colleges in the south. 

 It is a mistake to substitute quantity for 

 quality. It were better for the south to 

 have fewer, well-equipped colleges than so 



many with inadequate appointments. It 

 is too late and impracticable now for each 

 state to focus all of its higher state insti- 

 tutions into one common plant. The pi'es- 

 ent generation is not responsible for the 

 mistakes of the past, and can not correct 

 some of them ; but it is responsible for the 

 future. There should be no more dissipa- 

 tion of our educational forces, and all fu- 

 ture enlargement should be added directly 

 to the central university. Probably no 

 state in the south makes more liberal ap- 

 propriations for higher education than 

 Georgia. Two sets of schools and colleges 

 for the two races must necessarily be sup- 

 ported. We believe that this is funda- 

 mental and should be maintained at all 

 hazards. But is it educationally econom- 

 ical for Georgia to provide seven separate, 

 unarticulated institutions, so situated 

 that students from no one of them can 

 have access to the instruction and equip- 

 ment of the others? Other states, espe- 

 cially those in the west, are consolidating 

 their public institutions into great univer- 

 sity systems. 



9. What are your requirements in inor- 

 ganic preparations? 



10. ^W^lat are your requirements in or- 

 ganic preparations? 



Eight of the list of colleges require both 

 organic and inorganic preparations addi- 

 tional to their elementary courses in these 

 subjects; three of them, organic prepara- 

 tions only; and two, inorganic prepara- 

 tions only. One of the largest universities 

 in the south, Tulane, has no formulated 

 preseinption for either organic or inorganic 

 preparations. Dr. Dudley, of Vanderbilt, 

 writes, 'I never could see the necessity for 

 inorganic preparations. ' 



Why so few southern chemistry teachers 

 carry on research themselves, much less 

 offer courses, is patent, when we consider 

 their situation. They are so overloaded 



