616 



8CIENVE. 



[Vol. IX., No. 229 



melled by effete conventionalities,' it might have 

 been clipped out and consigned to the collection so 

 unselfishly organized and begun by Professor Clarke, 

 but a second thought would hardly have been given 

 to it. Emanating as it did, however, from the very 

 heart of the Back Bay region, it is worthy of the 

 serious and earnest consideration of all who are in- 

 terested in educational progress. 



What does it really mean ? But two exijlanations 

 seem plausible. The first, which is mentioned only 

 to be rejected, is that the authorities of the institu- 

 tion under consideration are privately and unoffi- 

 cially of the opinion that it is a mistake ; that its 

 courses of study are ill-adjusted, its facilities and 

 equipment meagre and inadequate ; and, in short, 

 that its patrons are being ' taken in.' Public or 

 private admission of this belief would be fatal, but 

 the demands of Puritan conscience cannot be wholly 

 ignored ; and the outcome is the ingeniously worded 

 notice, which, while inviting confidence in the school 

 itself, generously warns the public against any and 

 all others who may be trying to do the same thing in 

 the same way. Such an intricate and delicate sys- 

 tem of ethics might possibly originate in the vicinage 

 of the Concord school, but to ordinary people it is 

 incomprehensible, and the hypothesis is rejected as 

 being untenable. 



There remains only the explanation which has al- 

 ready been suggested : it is the beginning of new 

 things in college advertising, or, rather, it is the ap- 

 plication of the old and well-established, none-genu- 

 ine-unless-the-name-is-blown-in-the-bottle method in 

 a new direction. That the advantages of the new 

 departure will be universally recognized cannot be 

 questioned. Indeed, it can be shown that a little 

 timid experimentation along the new line had al- 

 ready been undertaken by institutions more or less 

 ' untrammelled ; ' but, now that cultured Boston has 

 stamped the guinea, it can no longer be looked upon 

 with suspicion. 



Our friends of the west and south may now begin 

 to woo the public in this new but entirely orthodox 

 manner, and ample opportunity will be afforded for 

 the display of hitherto unsuspected genius. Even 

 the most venerable and conservative schools must ex- 

 pect to be drawn in, or they will be distanced in the 

 race. The infinite variety of which the new method 

 is capable is shown on every page of the daily paper ; 

 but it is more than likely that some special line will 

 be worked, and among various styles something like 

 the following is likely to be popular : — 



A CUEIOUS CIRCUMSTANCE! 



There has been much comment aud discussion on the 

 street to-day, in reference to the fortunate escape of Mr. 

 Beverly Witherspoon from drowning, when the tug-boat 

 Martha went down yesterday. Just as the unfortunate boat 

 was entering the harbor, she was struck amidships by a 

 huge wave, which capsized her, and all on board were lost. 

 Had Mr. Witherspoon been on board of the Martha, he 

 would have gone down with the rest. When questioned by 

 a reporter to-day, he declared that he could only attribute 

 his good fortune to the fact that he was educated at the 



, an institution of learning which is widely, 



etc. 



Or this : — 



Admiral , 



President of the . 



Dear Sir, — Although generally unwilling to appear as 

 in any way favoring institutions of learning, I cannot refuse 

 to allow you to publish the true history of my son's case, if 

 the interests of humanity will be furthered thereby. For 

 several years my son was afflicted with ignorance and stu- 

 pidity. As he grew older the affliction increased, and at 

 last I felt com.pelled to send him to school in the hope of ef- 

 fecting a cure. During several years, and at vast expense, 

 I kept this up, sending him to the famous H d univer- 

 sity, the college of N J— at P , Y college, and 



other weU-known schools ; but he grew worse all of the 

 time, and appeared to be rapidly approaching imbecility. 

 One day, just as I was about to give up in despair, a friend 

 accidentally mentioned your institution, aud spoke of the 

 great benefit it had been to a youug man of his acquaint- 

 ance who was similarly afflicted. Like the proverbial 

 drowning man, I was ready to catch at a straw, so I at once 

 put my son under your care. At the end of three months a 

 great improvement was observed ; after a year, intervals of 

 lucidity became more frequent; and at the end of his 

 course, when he had received your diploma, he was able to 

 procure an excellent position as a writer of articles on 

 political economy. I have no objection to your mentioning 

 my name in your future advertisements. 



Yours respectfully, 



But, unless the thing is copyrighted, its origina- 

 tors will be obliged to keep a sharp lookout, as a 

 great deal of this sort of talent is lying around 

 loose. X. 



Queries. 



6. VoLAPiJK. — Where can I obtain any specific in- 

 formation concerning Volapiik, the universal lan- 

 guage about which a note appeared recently in 

 Science? — B.. T. P. 



[Volapiik was invented by Father Johann Martin 

 Schleyer of Constance, Baden, Germany, and an in- 

 quiry addressed to him would undoubtedly elicit 

 information as to literature, etc. M. M. Hachette et 

 Cie, the well-known Paris publishers, have recently 

 issued a book on this subject. — Ed.] 



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