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SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. XX. No. 502. 



as its first president. President Gilman 

 saw an opportunity for a new type of in- 

 stitution in America. Having visited uni- 

 versities abroad, he became convinced that 

 the great need was for a university upon 

 the German model, where investigation and 

 the production of scholars should be the 

 dominating ideas. The ablest scholars at 

 home and abroad were invited to fill the 

 chairs of Hopkins.^ The siiecess of this 

 new type of institution in America was 

 almost instantaneous. Not only did Hop- 

 kins soon become a chief center of re- 

 search in this country, but it sent scores 

 of men with Hopkins training as professors 

 to other imiversities. Even earlier than 

 the foundation of Hopkins, a steady stream 

 of students was returning to America frxim 

 German universities, bringing with them 

 the German spirit. After the foundation 

 of Hopkins this stream increased rapidly 

 in size. The students trained at Hopkins 

 and in Germany could not fail to influence 

 the more important institutions of the 

 country. There slowly appeared upon the 

 stronger of the old colleges a superstruc- 

 ture. 



This upward movement was more ciuick- 

 ly felt in the east than in the west, but, 

 even in the west, here and there, a scholar 

 in the state universities appeared who was 

 not content to do instructional work alone. 

 At Wisconsin the first of these were Allen 

 and Irving. Chamberlin, an investigator, 

 believing in research in state universities, 

 when he became president at Wisconsin, 

 began systematically to develop scholarship 

 and research. Other state universities 

 have gone through similar stages of growth. 

 Thus both in the east and in the west the 

 graduate school has arisen upon the col- 

 lege, and its influence permeates all 

 parts of the university. But the growth 

 of the graduate school in the American 

 university has been slow. The cost of such 

 a school, relative to the number of students 



within it, is large, and it has been assumed 

 that the state universities especially must 

 not go too far in the development of such 

 a school. No mistake could be so fatal to 

 the power for good of the state university. 

 In Germany, where the universities mainly 

 devote themselves to the class of work done 

 in the graduate school, the universities are, 

 without exception, supported by the gov- 

 ernment. The German statesman regards 

 it as a matter of course— as settled beyond 

 dispute— that the production of scholars 

 and investigators at the university is a 

 necessity to the nation. To them, he be- 

 lieves, is largely due the great position 

 which Germany has taken during the las\ 

 half century. It was after the disasters 

 of the Napoleonic wars that the German 

 educational system was reconstructed, at 

 the top of which was the i;niversity. The 

 rise of the university has been correlative 

 with, and one of the chief causes for, the 

 rise of Germany. 



If time permitted, I should be glad to 

 consider the effect of university work upon 

 the mind of the student, that is, work in 

 which he takes a share as an investigator 

 and during which he acquires the spirit of 

 research. It would be easy to show that 

 the qualities of mind gained by such Avork 

 are those which best fit him for the strug- 

 gle of life— which best fit him to handle 

 difficult business, social and economic prob- 

 lems. In Germany the university scholar 

 is a man of affairs. He is found in all 

 important divisions of administration. 

 Almost every prominent German and Aus- 

 trian professor is an official adviser to the 

 government. Already, in America, we see 

 the beginning of this movement. Univer- 

 sity professors are asked to serve on tax 

 commissions, in the valuation of railroads 

 and in various other capacities. Within 

 the next half century the number of such 

 men in these and similar positions will in- 

 crease many fold. The college-trained man, 



