Mat 26, 1911] 



SCIENCE 



797 



examinations. The results have been out- 

 lined. It would seem better to adopt for 

 each of these ends a method directly con- 

 trived to accomplish that particular pur- 

 pose, and not to try to perform two dis- 

 tinct processes by a machine mainly 

 adapted to one only. 



Both in regard to the course of study 

 and to the result of that study, the school 

 , and the college have each a distinct re- 

 sponsibility. The general type of school 

 course which is to be accepted as a part of 

 the whole education to be attested by the 

 degree of A.B. or S.B., may, and indeed 

 must, be determined by the college which 

 gives the degree. But under that general 

 type the details of curriculum and of meth- 

 ods of instruction are more likely to be ef- 

 fectively arranged by the school itself than 

 by the authorities of the college. To de- 

 prive the school of its freedom and conse- 

 quent responsibility is to weaken its power 

 of maintaining and pursuing an educa- 

 tional ideal. On the other hand, the test- 

 ing of the result of the school education be- 

 longs to the college, and an adequate test 

 ought to give evidence of general intellec- 

 tual power, not merely of the faithfulness 

 with which a boy has studied individual 

 subjects at school. The idea that an edu- 

 cation consists in absolving individual 

 courses, whether at school or college, is, at 

 the present day, the root of much evil. 



In New England, as elsewhere, one of 

 the difficulties of which the schools have 

 complained has been alleviated by the 

 certificate system, which, through the co- 

 operation of the colleges in the New Eng- 

 land Certificating Board is now well or- 

 ganized with strict standards. Colleges 

 which thus give to certain schools the 

 privilege of certif jdng to the preparedness 

 of their graduates for college thereby re- 

 lax their control, not indeed over the sub- 

 jects studied, but over the method of in- 



struction in the individual subjects ; and 

 this has proved a considerable relief. But 

 the certificate system, at least as organized 

 in New England, violates both of the prin- 

 ciples which have been laid down above. 

 Under it the domination of the coUege 

 over the topics which are to make up the 

 school curriculum, over the relative weight 

 which shall be given them, and over other 

 details which properly belong to the judg- 

 ment of the school, is quite as close and 

 harassing as under the examination sys- 

 tem. On the other hand, that portion of 

 the task which is the rightful prerogative 

 of the college, namely, the determination 

 of how well the schools have done their 

 work, is abandoned by the college and 

 handed over to the headmasters of the 

 schools, who certify, not merely that the 

 boy has done such and such work in his 

 school course, but that, in the opinion of 

 the master, he is fit to enter college. In 

 both these matters the certificate system 

 has reversed the proper procedure, and 

 puts the responsibility on the wrong side. 



Under the influence of considerations 

 like these, the new plan already spoken of 

 has been adopted at Harvard College. 

 The following statement of it has been sent 

 out widely. 



NEW EEQTjmBMENTS FOE ADMISSION TO HAKVAKD 

 COLLEGE 



To be admitted to Harvard College, a candidate 



(1) Must present evidence of an approved school 



course satisfactorily completed; and 



(2) Must show in four examinations as ex- 



plained below that his scholarship is of a 

 satisfactory quality: 



SCHOOL EECOKD 



A candidate must present to the committee on ad- 

 mission evidence of his secondary school work 

 in the form of an official detailed statement 



