526 



SCIENCE. 



LN. S. Vol. XVII. No. 431. 



By making the possession of the A.B. 

 degree the only test of fitness maxiy a well- 

 prepared man will to-day be rejected and 

 many a poorly prepared man admitted. 

 Should we not arrive at a conclusion satis- 

 factory to both college and professional 

 school if a six years' combined course 

 should lead both to the bachelor of arts 

 and (in the case of the law) to the bachelor 

 of laws? Let me here quote briefly from 

 a notable address by Mr. John H. Con- 

 verse, of this city, delivered on Founder's 

 Day at Lehigh University in 1896 : 



" For an institution proposing to do full 

 university work, I would formulate a 

 course of five or six years as might be re- 

 quired. For one half or more of such 

 course let the curriculum deal, as at 

 present, with the humanities, the sciences 

 and all that makes for the broadest educa- 

 tion properly so called. At a fixed period, 

 say at the end of three years, let the stu- 

 dent elect the professional, business or 

 scientific course which will, as far as pos- 

 sible, qualify him for his proposed life 

 work. The general course should thus 

 eventually branch out in various directions 

 such as theology, engineering, medicine, 

 architecture, law, chemistry, agriculture, 

 business, transportation. To accomplish 

 many of these specialties to-day in con- 

 nection with a college course requires six 

 or seven years. A combined university 

 course, such as is suggested, would, there- 

 fore, be an economy of time. It would 

 measurably avoid duplicating some sub- 

 jects which are common to both a college 

 and a professional course. The degree 

 finally conferred should recognize the gen- 

 eral culture as well as the special training 

 and would, therefore, differentiate such a 

 curriculum from that of an ordinary pro- 

 fessional or technical school." 



This may well be called the ideal pro- 

 fessional education, and could be entered 

 on at the age of eighteen and completed at 



the age of twenty-three or twenty-four. 

 But I still hold that graduates of our best 

 high schools should not be denied admis- 

 sion to professional schools if they can 

 prove their fitness as regards both knowl- 

 edge and maturity. 



The attempt to readjust our educational 

 system in the interest of professional 

 education meets with vigorous opposition 

 from those who fear that it means the 

 passing of the college, with all its good tra- 

 ditions and aims. I do not think their 

 fears are likely to be realized. For a large 

 number of those who intend to enter on 

 professional life this shorter cut is neces- 

 sary. But there will always remain a not 

 insignificant remnant who, for love of 

 study, will lay deep and broad the founda- 

 tion of knowledge based on the humanities 

 and on the physical sciences. The choice 

 spirits whose lives are brightened with the 

 finest products of ancient and modern 

 thought and learning will always be with 

 us to keep up the tradition of pure scholar- 

 ship in our colleges and universities. And 

 there will still be many who, having the 

 time and means to take the lengthened 

 course, will enter the professional schools 

 after the full college course, and the pro- 

 fessions will still be graced by men whose 

 technical knowledge is based upon ripe 

 learning and culture. 



One more aspect of college and imiver- 

 sity life needs to be considered. The vital 

 and essential part played by the lengthen- 

 ing of the period of infancy in the develop- 

 ment of the human race, first pointed out 

 by Mr. John Fiske, has been happily made 

 use of by Dr. Nicholas Murray Butler in 

 expounding the ' Meaning of Education. ' 

 But, it may fairly be asked, is the artificial 

 prolongation of this period of irresponsi- 

 bility, which wealth has made possible, 

 been accompanied by increased benefits 

 to the race? Does it not rather result 

 in enervating than in strengthening of 



