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struck this requirement out of their recommendations. We should not demand too much, if we should ask of all students entering college at least as much historical knowledge as would be implied in mastering that part of Fisher's or Weber's Outlines of History which brings one down to the period of the Protestant Reformation.

REMARKS OF PRINCIPAL A. M. WRIGHT.

MR. CHANCELLOR, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN.- - These recommendations were taken up by the associated principals yesterday in a meeting called for that purpose; they were carefully considered and revised. During the discussion we were warned that it would not be wisdom to give too large a dose to the colleges. For that reason under the third head, one year's work in general history was cut off. We hoped to get a better standard than we have at present. Our friend from Madison University tells us we made a mistake in cutting off general history. But this arrangement has been made into a plan of four years' work, and it is found that it fills four years pretty full to take either one of these courses, the Latin-scientific, or number three, in which there is neither Latin nor Greek. I think that in these recommendations we have placed before the colleges a plan of work, a plan for admission to college, which they will find satisfactory if they will adhere to it. But if adopted, they should adhere closely to the requirements. It seems to me from observation, that college presidents are too tender hearted in regard to the admission of boys to college. A boy presents himself and fails to reach what we would call a satisfactory result in his examinations, but out of a little tender heartedness the faculty admits him on conditions, saying, "We hope to build you up young man and bring you to the standard," instead of returning him in his youth to schools of secondary grade. Now what we desire as principals of secondary schools and what we ask by these recommendations is, that boys shall be left with us until they have, as I will repeat what was said by Principal Smith, until they have reached a mature mind, sufficient to grasp what we call the college course of instruction. My experience has been, as has been mentioned by many of the principals of the State, that young boys having made up their minds to go to college go, and much to our surprise many of them stay. I certainly have had boys in school who have gone to college after coming to me for a recommendation, and to whom I have said, no, most emphatically. I frequently have young ladies and young gentlemen come to me for a recommendation to teach. I tell them they don't know enough; to stay and learn something before they teach. It is so with many of the teachers of our secondary

schools; they cannot recommend many of these young men to college, but still they enter and remain in college. That is our complaint. Now, in presenting these recommendations the principals of the schools stand, I think, unanimously in favor of having them, throughout the State, as conditions of admission to the freshman classes in colleges, whether in the art course or the Latin-scientific course, or any other course prescribed by our university. It is a very easy matter for colleges, to place upon paper in catalogues what their requirements are, but it is a more difficult matter to adhere to those requirements. I think that is where our complaint comes in. Non-adherence to requirements suggested, as between ourselves as principals of the secondary schools and faculties of colleges; not agreeing to a plan, and when we have arranged and agreed not adhering strictly to that programme. I desire to express myself thus although I have very few to send to college, not more than two or three, but I am sending young ladies to college as well. I find that by urging the pupils to stay with us a little longer before entering college, I have been able to raise the age of graduates from my institution, so that last year it was nineteen years six months; this year it is twenty years nine months—the average age of the graduates in a class of eleven. I think if we use our influence and the colleges stand by their admissions and adopt these recommendations that's what we want -to adopt these recommendations, then we shall each of us have his legitimate work.

REMARKS OF PROFESSOR CHARLES C. BROWN.

MR. CHANCELLOR.-I wish to express my entire sympathy with the movement, which has been so well shown in the recommendations of the associated principals, and that of my college so far as I am authorized to speak. I have been a member of a committee of our faculty which has had this matter of the entrance examinations to the scientific course under discussion for a year past. We have discussed the matter carefully, and our statement of the case is almost exactly the same as that made here, though we were ignorant of the fact that it was under discussion by the associated principals.

First. Our requirements under the first head are, I think, the same as those desired by the association.

Second. Our committee went to work with the idea that we wished to bring the preparation for the scientific course up equal to that for the classical course, if such a thing were possible. We found that to make this possible the preparatory schools must be brought up to a more uniform standard. We know that there are a great many schools in the State, as the principals indicate by their recommenda

tion, which are fully able to prepare their students in the work required by this statement; but we know of a number of other academies and high schools which are not entirely up to that grade, and we are glad of this movement because we think that under the united action of the academy principals and the colleges, the tendency will be to bring all academies up to this grade. The recommendation of our committee, which has been adopted by the faculty and board of trustees, was the same for the scientific courses, requiring Latin, as the statement here made under the second head, with the exception that we are not disposed to recommend French or German and physics, as they cannot be obtained from a number of the preparatory schools. We shall be very glad to increase our requirements as soon as it is possible to obtain students properly prepared in the additional branches from the academies. The requirements for admission to the scientific course not requiring Latin are the same as those for the course requiring Latin.

Third. The only course in our college which comes under the third head of this statement is my own-civil engineering, and I will say that I shall be very glad indeed to add trigonometry and solid geometry to the requirements for that course, as soon as it can be done with an expectation of obtaining students properly prepared.

REMARKS OF PRINCIPAL H. W. CALLAHAN.

This has

MR. CHANCELLOR. I belong in one of the smallest counties in the State, a county without a city. Nine students have gone to college this fall, only three of whom are prepared to graduate at any of the first-class academies in the State. This is what other principals have felt; that the students knew that they did not need to graduate; that two years work, or even one year beyond getting a preliminary certificate, was sufficient to enter them on a scientific course. come to affect the arranging the courses of study. If the principals wish to have a higher standard, the pupils leave before they are ready to graduate. If they make the standard low, then they are not fully prepared to graduate or enter the best institutions of the State. With regard to this first resolution, there was considerable discussion in the committee as to whether the last three words should be added—" or fully equivalent," or whether we should not ask of the colleges that they demand of every student who had been in a course under the charge of the Regents, the full college entrance diploma, or be presumably unprepared to go on with the work. The exceptions were spoken of students who had nearly finished this work, but had failed principally on one or two subjects, and for that reason the last two words were added

to the first recommendation. Principal Wright spoke of the printed requirements of the colleges, being that which is covered by the recommendation, but the colleges were too easy in living up to them. Now, in this college entrance diploma, seventy-five per cent. is required for passing, and now in passing this resolution we must sincerely ask the colleges to demand rigorously seventy-five per cent. for the examinations which are placed on a par with this college entrance diploma. For the Latin-scientific course and the scientific course, I hold in my hand the two courses that the principals have laid out, covering all this ground. It has been carefully prepared, and gives three subjects for each term for a four years course in the Latin-scientific course. It was found that we could not take both French and German, without giving four studies a term for one year. It was found also that we could not give general history without giving four very strong studies for a complete year. So the French and general history were stricken out. Had I a blackboard I could put these courses before the Convocation, and you could see how we have arranged the work, and I feel sure you would be satisfied with it.

REMARKS OF BROTHER THOMAS.

MR. CHANCELLOR AND GENTLEMEN AND LADIES OF THE CONVOCATION.—It is indeed with some diffidence that I rise to express an opinion here, among so many members of years and wide experience, and it is only in deference to the gentlemen in charge of making this programme that I have agreed to do so. This is indeed an important question, as it serves to systematize the entire series of education from the beginning on which the colleges shall work, and serving at the same time as a term at which the academy shall end. One word I would say on this subject: I would base it on a principle, attempted I am sure by everybody, which is the principal object of all education and of college education, that is to develop the faculties of the student, and qualify them to make use of those faculties in after-life, so that when their alma mater introduces them to society she will not have reason to be ashamed of them, or they themselves have any reason to find fault with their own work. But beyond that it appears to me that we ought not to require so much for entrance into college as would leave but little to be done in the four years of college life. I value a high standard. I think we ought to leave nothing undone, not even to preserve the standard in this State, but even to raise it as far as lies in our power, and is consistent with the present wants and advantages of the people. But the intellectual development requires work, and as a gentleman from Buffalo yesterday said very well, after-life is perhaps

the principal thing, and it is only to that that the college course should be directed. For that purpose all the available time consistent with health and in the development of the physical man should be given to work in the college. Now there is a large amount of work to be done in the four years, and to do that we cannot consistently require a very large amount of work before. In reference to the first course of Latin and Greek work, that same gentleman from Buffalo made a distinction yesterday between reading the classics — reading the Latin and Greek as classics-as treasures of literature, and reading them merely to learn Latin and Greek. I think that with the entrance into the classic course in Latin so much should be required as would enable students to read the classics in a literary point of view; and, therefore, so much as will enable them to read Latin, simple Latin, without much difficulty. I see in this programme, also, that the scientific course algebra and geometry — are put down. Well, if that means the entire full course of algebra and geometry, which it is customary in college, it certainly requires mature years to a certain extent, and cultivated brain and some share of ability to study the more difficult portions of algebra and geometry. The same remark I would make in regard to the study of literature before college, and chemistry and physics. If these things are studied to any great extent before college, why there is hardly any, hardly sufficient, left for the full, complete, thorough training in college, which is due them in after-life. They may study it to some extent as if it were a preparatory course. That would suit the requirements most admirably for entrance into college.

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REMARKS OF PRINCIPAL D. C. FARR.

MR. CHANCELLOR, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN OF THE CONVOCATION.— There is one thing in this discussion that has been exceedingly pleasant to me, and I must say that I did not quite expect it, and that is the exceeding good nature on the part of our friends of the colleges. I had supposed that anything so radical, anything so entirely different from the established order of things, would call forth a severe castigation on their part upon us for our presumption, and I heartily rejoice to believe that they have passed through such a stage of discipline, and have cultivated so much patience, and have exhibited it here to-day. I believe that the men who represent them are worthy of a great deal more gratitude than some of us principals of academies have been willing to grant them. I believe that they understand most fully what the college is for; that it is for men, not for boys. And if they will only go upon that supposition and carry it out in practice, that is all we ask. We do not want, as friends of education, our colleges and

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