354 



SCIEJSrCE. 



[Vol. IX., No. 219 



upon calves, with the same results. If these ob- 

 servations are confirmed by further experiments 

 and other experimenters, the micro-organism 

 which has been so long undiscovered, and which 

 causes tens of thousands of deaths annually, may 

 soon be added to the list w^hich now contains that 

 of tuberculosis, typhoid-fever, and a few other 

 diseases. 



THE AMERICAN SCHOOL OF CLASSICAL 

 STUDIES AT ATHENS. 



The opportunity which is just now presented to 

 the managers of the American school at Athens 

 to secure an efiicient, permanent director, brings 

 the claims of this useful enterprise with fresh 

 strength before the scholars and promoters of 

 learning in America. Dr. Charles Waldstein, 

 the accomplished archeologist, who is a citizen of 

 New York and a former student of Columbia col- 

 lege, but who now holds two important positions 

 at the University of Cambridge, England, as lec- 

 turer on archeology and director of theFitzwilliam 

 museum, has accepted the invitation of the man- 

 agers to assume the directorship, upon the condi- 

 tion that a permanent endowment shall be secured 

 for the school, sufficient for its legitimate needs, 

 before the 1st of October, 1888, when the appoint- 

 ed year of Professor Merriam of Columbia college 

 will end. A \vriter in the London Saturday re- 

 view for Sept. 26, 1885. gives an intelligent and 

 highly appreciative account of the work done by 

 the American school, but makes this forcible 

 criticism : " Undoubtedly the weak point of the 

 whole American scheme is the fact that the direc- 

 tor goes out for a year only. America can send a 

 succession of good scholars, but she cannot send a 

 succession of men capable of teaching archeology ; 

 indeed, a student who remains at Athens longer 

 than the regulation year might easily become more 

 learned in that pursuit than his director. Thus 

 the head of the school cannot instruct his stu- 

 dents, but only work with them, and they must 

 pick up their knowledge from books as well as 

 they can," 



The American school of classical studies was 

 projected by the Archeological institute of Ameri- 

 ca (of which Prof. Charles Eliot Norton is the 

 president), and was organized under the auspices 

 of some of the leading American colleges. The 

 director of the school was to be chosen from the 

 professors of Greek in these colleges, by a com- 

 mittee appointed by the Archeological institute. 

 The school was opened on the 2d of October, 1882, 

 under Prof. W. W. Goodwin of Harvard univer- 

 sity. Its object was to furnish to graduates of 

 American colleges an opportunity to study classi- 



cal literature, art, and antiquities in Athens under 

 suitable direction ; to prosecute and to aid original 

 research in these subjects ; and to co-operate with 

 the home institute, so far as possible, in conduct- 

 ing the exploration and excavation of classic sites. 

 The salary of the director was to be paid by his 

 own college, and no fees were to be charged to 

 the students. The boldness of this enterprise was 

 peculiarly American, for, while the older French 

 and German schools had been maintained for 

 many years by the liberality of the two govern- 

 ments that founded them, the projectors of the 

 American school relied with confidence upon the 

 willingness, and even eagerness, of our intelligent 

 men of wealth to take the place which ancient 

 governments fill in Europe, as patrons of learning. 



The American undertaking instantly presented 

 a stimulus in the same direction to English schol- 

 ars ; and within three years we find Dr. Light- 

 foot, the bishop of Durham, urging his country- 

 men to emulate our example in establishing a 

 school at Athens. He said at a public meeting in 

 London, in 1885, ' ' It now touches our honor as 

 Englishmen very nearly that this scheme should 

 be carried out without delay. France and Ger- 

 many have long been in the field. France has 

 her school, and Germany her institute ; and even 

 America has forestalled her in this race. That 

 new country, notwithstanding the vast and ab- 

 sorbing interests of the present, notwithstanding 

 the boundless hopes of the future, has been eager 

 to claim her part in the heritage. While all the 

 civilized nations of the world, one after another, 

 are establishing their literary consulates in Athens, 

 shall England alone be unrepresented at this 

 centre of Hellenic culture ? " 



These words, supported by the earnest appeals 

 of Dr. Hornby, provost of Eton, Prof. R. C. Jebb, 

 and other distinguished scholars, produced the de- 

 sired effect, and a British school is now established 

 in Athens. 



The American school has now nearly com- 

 pleted its fifth year of work, with increased num- 

 bers of students and every prospect of increasing 

 usefulness. It has up to this time occupied a 

 hired house, and has been entirely supported by 

 the annual contributions of fourteen colleges, from 

 which the house-rent, the appropriations for the 

 library, and incidental expenses, have been paid ; 

 each college, in its turn, sending a professor to 

 Athens as director for one year without expense 

 to the school. With these temporary and imper- 

 fect arrangements, much valuable work has been 

 accomplished by the school, which has received 

 cordial recognition both at home and abroad. 

 " Now," as the managers say, " a new era is to 

 begin. We are henceforth to have a home of our 



