Ke 
Ww, 
le 
al 
4p 
Ns 
vy 
te 
ae 
fF 
S 
8, 
ol 
18 
ne 
1g 
ts 
n 
0 
at 
al 
xd 
1d 
e. 
ve 
(t 
e 
rh 
ar 
oe 
0 
as 
2y 
te 
b- 
v1 
al 
re 
1t 
id 
it, 
nt 
ve 
0e 
Se 
ut 
8, 
ta 
us 
n- 
ur 
Ie 
ne 
ce 
1s 
ag 
et 
ny 
eS 
DISCUSSION. 
209 
this question and not the parent. I grant that there may be exceptions to this, in some 
of the Eastern cities, where the parent plans for his boy from the time the boy is four or 
five years old. I grant there may be exceptions to this where the parent is himself a 
sollege man. The great majority are those who do not know whether they are going to 
have a college education or are going to finish in the high-school. And this being the 
:ase, nine times out of ten they will take the general course. 
The question comes to most students, Shall I go out into life with the preparation I am 
retting in the high-school, or shall I go to the university, or to the college alone ? This 
juestion comes also : How will my high-school preparation fit me for another college ? 
And then, for the first time, the student is brought face to face with the fact that he 
has only one language, and the college requires two. And usually not less than three 
years in each of the two languages. The college requires German and Latin, or French 
and Latin, or Greek and Latin ; and the student perhaps has had four years in German, 
or has had four years in Latin and has no Greek, or has only one language. Now, 
under those circumstances, he has had his preparation of four years on one science or 
another. And he has had his four years divided between mathematics and English, 
and such studies as algebra, chemistry, history, literature, and so forth. Under these 
sircumstances, if it is true, and I believe it is, that science is a culture study ; if it is 
true that general history is a culture study, that the study of English authors is a 
sulture study ; that it trains the mind and prepares one for the higher regions of 
thought and learning, why cannot the college accept the students as we make them in 
:he four-year school course, instead of sticking to the old-fashioned idea that no one 
shall enter their doors who does not have two languages ? It seems to me there should 
zo up a cry to the colleges that they should have at least one of their courses in which 
shey would accept our ordinary high-school student. 
Now, I recall to mind two students who, during the last year, were freshmen in 
Beloit College. They were good students. They said: ‘“ Let us go, and try to make up 
what is lacking.” They were permitted to do so. They made up what was lacking, 
and they passed to the sophomore class in Beloit College. But you say that is a Western 
college. True. Probably that might not be done somewhere else. It is only remark- 
able students who can undertake to make up the language when the colleges require two 
languages. This question is under discussion among the college faculties themselves. 
mn our own University of Chicago the question is a burning question there. I had 
» conversation with one of the professors of the University of Chicago, presenting 
very much the same thoughts I have presented to you. He said to me : ** Will you go 
with me to President Harper, in order that we may present this same idea to him?” 
And I found from that conversation that they were considering this question. I don’t 
want them to merely consider the question. 1 want them to yield to this demand; and 
shey certainly will be more apt to yield to this demand if that ery comes up from us. 
[ don’t want to say there shall not be any Latin ; I don’t want to say there shall not be 
any Greek. 1 say, let them give our students a choice in some of those courses. 
rar CHAIRMAN : We have still some time left for the discussion for this thesis. 
Mg. Bourwoon : The Chicago University has made one move in the direction just 
ndicated by Mr. Cutler. That is, they have in their last requirement thirteen credits, 
wnd the pupil who can make up his thirteen may have a very wide range. He is 
required to make up his thirteen credits in that way, and that has added to the possibil- 
ity of the pupil passing to the university from the high-school. The weak point is, that 
“hey allow but one year’s credit for English, no matter how thorough the course has 
oeen; and it is one year to general history, when ancient history has the credit for 
half a year. There is some objection to this schedule. Their plan is, whatever the 
pupil lacks of these requirements he should take up in college. The candidate has the 
sption of the subject; he can make up anything that is on the list. I think the list 
rakes eighteen, or even more than twenty; but the list does not cover most of the 
languages taught in the high-school, so the pupil could make his thirteen credits. I 
anderstand that is substantially the plan adopted by the Stanford University. 
Dr. EpwARD OSTERBURG, of Sweden: Ladies and Gentlemen—I rise with some hesi- 
tancy, because I am not sure that I shall be able to explain to you what I mean in a 
tongue that is not my own. It has been very interesting to listen to the discussions here, 
but at the same time I cannot deny that it has been somewhat disappointing. When 1 
same from the other side, from the old country, and came here, I wanted to hear more 
advanced ideas than I have heard hitherto. Yesterday, for instance, there was a discus- 
sion about the specialization of the schools: and there were a great many who advocated