368 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. XVII. No. 427. 



quickly impress upon the freshman classes 

 the reason why English is necessarily in- 

 cluded in the curriculum; unless the sym- 

 pathy of the students can be promptly se- 

 cured in connection with this difficult study, 

 there is but little hope that much good can 

 be accomplished in the time available. 



To do in four years all the work which 

 has been here most briefly outlined the stu- 

 dent should be strong mentally and phys- 

 ically and be possessed of a definite pur- 

 pose. 



There is danger of overstrain, but I 

 firmly believe the danger of injury is less 

 than in the case of the courses in some of 

 our universities, where, according to our 

 own observation, confirmed by the views 

 lately expressed by a number of the univer- 

 sity presidents, the students can take their 

 B.A. degree in four years without any sus- 

 tained effort. This is an enervating in- 

 fluence to which many young men can 

 not safely be subjected. Our students are 

 better able to sustain the strain to which 

 we subject them because they average in 

 years somewhat higher than those entering 

 the universities for the first degree. Our 

 last three classes averaged, respectively, at 

 entrance, I8I/2 years, 18i/^ years and 18% 

 years ; a general average of say 18% years. 



This brings the average age of the grad- 

 uate to more than 221^ years, as there are 

 more of the younger students than the 

 older who drop by the way. 



This should dispose of the question of 

 lengthening the course to flve years, ex- 

 cept in the case of the few who are specially 

 qualified to carry on work in engineering 

 research. 



There can be no question that during 

 the next decade we are to see many changes 

 in our educational methods. We must here 

 be prepared to listen to all suggestions with 

 an open mind, and then be careful not to 

 act rashly. During the last quarter cen- 



tury there have been in the United States 

 not a few false moves made in our educa- 

 tional schemes, and especially has there 

 been a tendency at times to spread out 

 thin at the expense of thoroughness. 



In looking over the list of our alumni and 

 the work they have performed and are now 

 performing, we can obtain therefrom 

 enough encouragement to warrant us in 

 moving slowly when radically different 

 methods are suggested for our adoption. 



When we think of these changes to come 

 we may well hearten ourselves by recalling 

 that many of our great universities and 

 important colleges and separate technical 

 schools are under the direction of men who 

 are statesmen as well as scholars. 



While it is our duty as teachers and 

 guides to see to it first that the men en- 

 trusted to us should be producers and not 

 dependents, that the problem of self-sup- 

 port should first be honestly and squarely 

 met, we should further endeavor to culti- 

 vate in them aspirations for the higher 

 things of this life and the life to come. 



The motive for the struggle for success 

 may at first be largely selfish, but, as we 

 all can acknowledge with gratitude, from 

 lower motives can be evolved those of a 

 higher order. 



While we of the faculty can not give our 

 students religious training, we can be care- 

 ful to set them an example of absolute 

 honesty and straightforwardness. We can 

 best eliminate meanness and trickiness from 

 the student body by being ourselves candid, 

 just and, as far as our natures will permit, 

 sympathetic. We may well recall the names 

 of the headmasters of certain schools whose 

 influence upon the lives of their scholars 

 has been potent to the end. It was not the 

 curriculum or the system of teaching which 

 made these schools so effective for good, but 

 the personal influence of these men who 

 were deeply sensible of the responsibility 



