tllBRARY OF CONGRESS.! ^ ■- # 1 [SMITHSONIAN BEPOSIT.] S i -^^ '^^ II ^$ ^1 ^UNITED STATES 0FAMER1CA.|; COLLEGE REFORM. -^.^ COLLEGE REEORM. BY FRANCIS H.^MITH, A.M. ^ SUPERINTENDENT AND PROFESSOR OF MATUEMATICS OF THE VIRGINIA MILITARY ^^X^ INSTITDTE; LATE PROFESSOR OF MATHEMATICS IN HAMPDEN SIDNEY ^ college; and FORMERLY an ASSISTANT PROFESSOR in THE UNITED STATES MILITARY ACADEMY, WEST POINT. .o^ r< PHILADELPHIA: THOMAS, COWPERTHWAIT & CO. l-i 5" Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1851, BY THOMAS, COWPERTHWAIT AND CO., In the Clerk's Office of the District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. C. SHERMAN, PRINTER. PREFACE. The Virginia Military Institute was established by the State of Virginia in 1839. It was the first attempt to introduce a complete military organiza- tion into a State College. The success which has attended the experiment has directed public atten- tion to the system of discipline and instruction here introduced, with a view to a reform of the college system, as it has existed in some of the oldest institutions of our country. It has been impossible for the undersigned, amid engrossing public duties, to do justice in a single letter to his views on this important subject. His replies to the many inquiries which have been ad- dressed to him have necessarily been imperfect. X PREFACE. because wanting the details which are essential to a thorough understanding of his views, and to a successful application of the system which he has recommended. It is due alike to the Institution to which he is attached, as to those who are interested in the cause of education, that the subject should be presented in such a form as to be available to the public. For this purpose the following pages on College Reform have been prepared. Francis H. Smith. Virginia Military Institute, March, 1851. CONTENTS. I. Present System of Collegiate Education in the page United States, - - - - - 14 II. Defects op the Present System of Collegiate Education, with the Reforms Suggested, - 18 1. VisATORiAL Authority, - - - - 18 2. Faculty, - - - - - 19 3. Course op Study, - - - - 20 4. Mode of Instruction, - - - - 27 5. Discipline, - - - - - 35 III. Religious Education, - - - - 51 IV. Military Institutions, - - - 53 COLLEGE REFORM. It may be considered a favourable omen for the cause of sound learning, tliat public attention is now so universally directed to the subject of Edu- cational Reform. Whatever be the cause which induces this inquiry, whether from the conviction that the existing systems of education are radically defective, or from the necessity of accommodating them to the progressive spirit of the age, it can hardly fail to result in much good. It is proposed at this time to inquire into the present collegiate system of the United States, with the view to exhibit its defects, and to suggest such a reform as may adapt it to the necessities and demands of the present day. 14 COLLEGE REFORM. I. WHAT IS THE PRESENT SYSTEM OE COLLEGIATE EDUCATION IN THE UNITED STATES? The colleges of the United States, except when connected with the state government, are under the control of a corporation, styled a Board of Trustees, or Visitors. This Board prescribes the laws for the government of the college, directs and disburses its funds, appoints professors, and confers degrees. For these important duties, it meets once or twice a year, and continues in session the whole or a part of one day. The members of the Board hold their offices during life, and all vacancies are filled by appointment from the Board itself. These va- cancies are for the most part filled from the sectarian or political bias of the individual, or from the sup- posed influence which a great name may exert on the popularity of the college. A seat in the Board being often regarded as an honorary and not a labo- rious office, the number of members is usually very large, varying, according to circumstances, from twelve to fifty. The trustees receive no compensa- tion for their services, and are responsible to no one. COLLEaE REFORM. 15 The instruction and discipline of our colleges are confided to ^faculty, composed of a president, professors, and tutors ; who, with the exception of tutors, hold their ofiices during good behaviour, which is practically a life tenure. The president presides at the faculty meetings, is sometimes a member of the Board of Trustees, delivers diplomas, and is the organ of communica- tion with the college. In other respects the autho- rity of the president does not differ from that of a professor. He has charge of one or more classes for instruction. The hours of recitation, and the amount of instruction to be given by each profes- sor, are arranged among the professors themselves or by the usages of the college. The salary of a professor varies from eight hundred dollars to twelve hundred dollars, and is paid for the most part from the tuition fees. The permanent funds of the college sometimes meet a portion of the salary. TJie course of study for the degree of A. B. is distributed among four classes, the studies of each class occupying one year. These studies embrace Latin, Greek, mathematics, natural philosophy (in- 16 COLLEGE REFORM. eluding mechanics, optics, and astronomj), chemis- try, physiology, geology, intellectual and moral philosophy, rhetoric, political economy, constitu- tional law, and the evidences of Christianity. Al- though every candidate for a bachelor's degree is required to go through the whole of the prescribed course, the extent to which instruction is carried in the classical and metaphysical studies, is much greater than in the mathematical and dependent branches. The mode of instruction is in part by recitation, in part by lectures ; but as attendance upon the class-room is not always imperative upon the stu- dent, the actual number of recitations of a student in any one subject is often less than one a week. Further, as the number of professors does not in- crease with the number of students, the larger the attendance at a college, as a general thing, the less thorough the character of the instruction. Exami- nations of the students take place at the end of each term, at which an occasional member of the Board may be seen. The professor himself always conducts the examination, and is the sole judge of the merit of the student. Deficiency in studies n COLLEGE REFORM. 17 may subject a student to a second examination, or deprive him of his diploma ; but neglect of studies or want of capacity will not exclude him from the privileges of the college, provided he conform to college laws and pay the college fees. No classifi- cation is made of the student in order of merit, except to specify those who deserve the '' honors" of the class, and to such, special parts are assigned on commencement days. The discipline of the college consists in circular reports to parents or guardians, exhibiting the number of absences from appointed duties, and the general diligence of the student ; private and public reprimands; suspension; dismission; and expulsion. The class standing of a student is not at all affected by his moral deportment. He may be the most irregular and vicious student in college, and still receive the first honors of his class. On the other hand, a rigid conformity to college laws will not give a student any advantage over one of equal talents but of bad habits. The students lodge in the college buildings, and board in public boarding houses which are approved by the faculty, or in private families. 2* 18 COLLEaE REFORM. Such is a brief but correct outline of the college system of the United States.* Some may be found to differ materially from this outline, others partially. But with all the exceptions which here and there exist, the above may be considered the college system of the United States, the defects of which we desire to point out, and, if possible, re- form. II. DEFECTS OF THE PRESENT SYSTEM OF COLLEGIATE EDUCATION, AND REFORMS SUGGESTED. I. VISATOKIAL AUTHOPaiT. This, as we have seen, resides in a cumbrous, self -perpetuating , and irresponsible corporation. Could human ingenuity contrive a more inefficient body to control a college ? Reform. — Eeduce the Board of Trustees to a number not exceeding nine; abolish the life tenure, and let each trustee serve six years, one-third of * See Dr. Wayland's outline of the College System of the United States. COLLEGE REFORM. 19 the Board going out by rotation every two years. There is some difficulty in saying who shall fill vacancies, but as the best plan that can be fallen upon, where the state is not the founder, let nomi- nations be made by the society of Alumni, and confirmed by the Board. Let a seat at the Board be vacated when inexcusable absences from its meetings occur. A report of the proceedings of each meeting should be published, and all reason- able expenses of the trustees in discharging their duties be paid. The president of the college should never be a trustee. One of the duties of the Board is to inquire into the manner in which the presi- dent and professors have discharged their duties.- He should not try his own case. II. FACULTY. The present arrangement for instruction needs but slight improvement. Whatever inefficiency exists in the faculty of a college, may be traced to the neglect of the Board of trustees in exercising a proper supervision. The reform above suggested is designed to remove this defect, and as a conse- quence the dependent one of an ignorant or imbe- 20 COLLEGE REFORM. cile faculty. More authority should be given to the president, by making him the chief executive officer of the institution, and responsible for its management. The faculty of our colleges is a species of oligarchy. No government can be effi- cient without a head. The president should be required to present to the Board, at each annual meeting, a written report of the operations of the institution for the year, transmitting at the same time reports from each professor, showing the pro- gress of his classes, &c. The college funds should be controled and disbursed by the president or faculty, under the supervision and direction of the Board (the salaries of professors being prescribed by the Board). This practice exists in William and Mary College, Virginia, with signal success. The salaries of professors are too low. They should be fixed at a rate abundantly sufficient to give perfect competency, and they should be as far as possible independent of the tuition fees. III. COURSE OF STUDY, The course of study embraces too extensive a range for the time devoted to it, and as a conse- COLLEGE REFORM. 21 quence, the student leaves the college with a super- ficial knowledge, nothing being thoroughly ac- quired ; or, he devotes himself to the particular branches which are most highly esteemed in the college, to the total neglect of those deemed less important. Most of our colleges give pre-emi- nence to the classics and metaphysics. Hence, college graduates are generally good classical scho- lars and logicians, but many graduate in mathema- tics and natural philosophy, who cannot solve a quadratic equation, or demonstrate the parallelo- gram of forces. And here lies the chief defect of our present college system. The education that is furnished is based upon the wants of what are called the learned professions, and all who enter college, with whatever pursuit in life in view, must go through the same course of studies, that is pre- scribed for the lawyer, the physician, or the divine. This is a practical age, the American people are emphatically a practical people, and while the pub- lic demand has been for the knowledge of those sciences by which labour may be profitably directed, the agriculturist, the manufacturer, the mechanic, and the merchant, must study Latin, Greek, and 22 COLLEGE REFORM. logic, or he must not think of coveting an acade- mical degree* Dr. Wayland has most correctly and forcibly explained the cause why the colleges of the United States have not kept pace with the general progress of the country. " We have constructed them (colleges) upon the idea that they are to be schools of preparation for the professions. Our customers, therefore, come from the smallest class of society ; and the impor- tance of the education which we furnish is not so universally acknowledged as formerly, even by this class. We have produced an article for which the demand is diminishing. We sell it at less than cost, and the deficiency is made up by charity. We give it away and still the demand diminishes." (See Report to Corporation of Brown University.) Reform. — Before suggesting the reform which the defect just referred to requires, let us examine the remedies which have been tried or proposed for it. In some colleges a special course is taught to meet the wants of the numerous classes of young men who are not designed for the learned profes- sions. Those who go through the prescribed course receive from the faculty a certificate of proficiency, COLLEGE REFORM. 23 but ihej are not considered graduates of the col- lege. On the contrary, the prevailing sentiment in college being favourable to the classical course, those who take the special course do not rank among their fellow students as high as those of the regular classes. No duties are assigned them at the annual commencements. They are rarely chosen by the literary societies to represent them on pub- lic occasions, and thus practically, the effect of the system is to drive young men of talent and ambition into the regular collegiate course, while the special course is for the most part taken by those who are too indolent or too badly prepared to graduate. Dr. Wayland, in his report before quoted, pro- poses to abandon the present system of adjusting collegiate study to a fixed term of four years, and to allow every student, within limits to be deter- mined by statute, to carry on, as he chose, a greater or less number of courses. The objection to this plan arises chiefly from the character and qualifications of those who enter col- lege. Boys get nowadays so restless at the gram- mar schools, that before they are half equipped for 24 COLLEGE EEFORM. a college course, they are taken from school and sent to college. Parents too commonly give little thought to the course of studies which their sons may select. They determine this matter for them- selves. Are they competent to select from the various courses presented in a university pro- gramme, those which they most need ? Or, will they not generally select those which will re- quire the least effort ? Such an arrangement as the one proposed by Dr. Wayland, would answer well, and was originally designed for those who, having passed through the ordinary college course, might extend and perfect their knowledge upon particular branches, at an university. Such was the design of the University of Virginia, and it is an admirable one. But where no previous test of qualification for admission is imposed, young men will seek such institutions, because of the latitude allowed in selecting their studies, while they will fail to meet the particular wants which have sug- gested this arrangement. A college course to be faithfully and profitably prosecuted, must be presented as a whole. All who enter its walls should be required to go through COLLEGE REFO EM. 25 the entire course, and proficiency upon this course should entitle the student to his degree. For this purpose, the reform that is suggested consists in dividing among several colleges, the in- struction which Dr. Wayland would ofi"er in one. Thus, we might have classical colleges, commercial colleges, agricultural colleges, and colleges for the industrial pursuits. The classical colleges would vary very little from their present organization. Commercial colleges might suppress Latin and Greek, and substitute French, Spanish, and full English studies. The mathematical and scientific course should also be so modified as to give full instruction in book-keeping, banking, commercial law, political economy, and geography. Agricultural colleges would also leave out Latin and Greek, and substitute French and German, with the English course. Chemistry, theoretical and practical, botany, geology, mineralogy, and physiology, animal and vegetable, should be car- ried as far as practicable. The industrial colleges would substitute for Latin and Greek, French and English, and extend the 3 26 COLLEGE EEFORM. course of mathematics to descriptive geometry, shades, shadows, and perspective, with a full course of civil engineering and right-line drawing, and give minute and extensive instruction in me- chanics, especially in the application of moving powers. By the above arrangement, the parent would determine before sending his son to college, upon his pursuit for life ; and when he entered college, he would pursue that course of study which enlight- ened judgment and experience would show to be best for the special object to be attained. It is of great moment to the proper discipline of the mind, that it be steadily fixed upon some definite object, and no obstacle should be interposed to cause a diversion of the mind from that object. Let a young man know when he enters the college walls, that he commences his profession, whether of medi- cine, law, agriculture, manufacture, or engineer- ing, and that success in life depends upon his per- severingly pursuing that object, and you have prepared him for an effort w^hich all must make who would reach distinction. He does not fritter away his time with the excuse that this or that COLLEGE REFORM. 27 study will be of no use to him, as is too often the case by the present system, but he goes to college prepared to believe that all of the prescribed course is essential to him, and he takes it up as a wliole^ determined to master it as a whole. A habit of thoroughness is thus formed, — a most important element of success in every pursuit in life. IV. MODE OF INSTRUCTION. From the fact that the present college course embraces the whole range of science, literature, and the arts, only one teacher can generally be assigned to a single branch. As a consequence, the professor has a larger number of students under his charge than he is able to instruct properly. Superficial knowledge is thus substituted for the thoroughness which it should be the aim of every college to impart. The system of lectures is from the same cause too prevalent. A young ma;n of sixteen or seventeen is not going to study very hard, if his teacher take up the time in lecturing instead of examining him upon the text. He will lay aside his books, and rely upon the superficial knowledge derived from a hurried lecture. 28 COLLEGE REFORM. The present system of instruction does not pro- vide sufficient motives for exertion, as little or no emulation is excited. Young men of good minds and studious habits learn well in college. They would learn well anywhere. The dull or the idle student is left pretty much to himself. Reform. — Divide the classes in each department of study into sections of fifteen each, each section to recite separately for one hour or one hour and a' half. A professor might in most cases hear three of these sections daily, and thus take charge of about forty-five students. Should there be more students in his department, he should be supplied with one or more assistant professors or tutors. Thoroughness in instruction can only be secured by this division of labour. The professor would of course interchange with his assistants, direct their mode of instruction, and keep a general over- sight of the entire class as it progresses. When lectures are to be delivered, the class could be assembled by the professor for this purpose. Lessons should as far as practicable be learned from the text-hook, and each student thoroughly examined each day upon the lessons of the day. COLLEGE REFORM. 29 Each professor and assistant professor should give daily marks indicating the proficiency of the stu- dent upon the lesson. The grade of marking may be scaled as follows : for a perfect recitation, give 3, and 0, where there is a total want of prepara- tion. Intermediate numbers would indicate rela- tive merit, as by the annexed table. SCALE OF MARKING KECITATIONS. INDIFFERENT. 23 OI Oi. 2 II U U At the end of each week the instructor should make out a class report, giving the result of the week's recitation, and present it to the president, that the totals may be transferred to the merit- hooh. Table A shows the form of the weekly class report, and Table B, the mode in which the merit- book is kept. When a student is absent, his mark for the day should be averaged. The merit-hook, B, should be accessible to the students, and a transcript from it should be com- municated periodically to parents. 3* 30 COLLEGE EEFORM. The above arrangements are preparatory to the regular grading of the classes in the order of merit. Until colleges are brought to adopt this system in full, they will never he what they ought to he. Some object to it on account of the emulation which it excites. Emulation is necessary in every pursuit of life, and is nowhere so essential as in a college. The Apostle Paul did not consider it wrong to '^provoke to emulation" his brethren, according to the flesh ; and Dr. Macknight, in his note on the subject, draws a correct distinction between emu- lation and envy. " Emulation is a desire to equal others in the advantages which they possess, and is gratified by advancing ourselves in an honour- able manner to an equality with them ; whereas envy is a grief accompanied with hatred, occasioned by the good things which another possesses, and which we think he does not deserve as well as we do ; and is gratified by degrading others." (Notes on 11th chap. Epistle to Romans.) The class-marks being thus used "to provoke to emulation," we will explain the method of apply- ing them. At the end of the term the sum of the weekly COLLEGE REFORM. 31 totals in merit-book B is taken. This will indicate the comparative merit of the members of the class as exhibited by the daily recitations. This result is combined with the marks given at the examina- tion, greater dignity being of course attached to the examination-marks. The examination being an important element in the standing, should be as thorough as possible, and viva voce, all the members of the board of trustees being present at the one which fixes the merit for the year. There is much to recommend the viva voce system of examination. It gives in- terest to the occasion, imparts confidence to the student, and stimulates to exertion. No one with proper pride would like to stand up before a board of intelligent gentlemen, and fail to answer the questions proposed to him. Such an examination gives the board of trustees an opportunity to judge not only of the progress of the class, but of the competency and fidelity of the professor. An in- dolent or incompetent professor might very readily write out from the labours of others a list of exa- mination questions, but might not be able to con- duct properly a viva voce examination. Nor need 32 COLLEGE EEFORM. it occupy too long a time. The annual meeting of the board might very well employ seven or eight days. In this time the classes in a college of one hundred and twenty students could be fairly and fully examined by the mode suggested. If more time be required, divide the board into committees of three or four each, and carry on separate exa- minations at the same time. To enable the board to judge more fully of the merit of the students, and of the system of instruction, one or more com- petent persons should be invited by the board an- nually to be associated with the faculty as exami- ners. The board will now be able to form a very fair estimate of the relative merit of a class b}' combining the weekly class-marks with the exami- nation-marks and the opinion of the instructor. It is essential to embrace in the result, the instructor's opinion, since, for reasons that will be manifest to every teacher, the weekly marks will not always be a correct criterion of the actual merits of all the members of a class. Some students absent them- selves from the class-rooms when they have diffi- cult lessons, and thus escape marks which would COLLEGE REFORM. 33 place them below others, above whom by this arti- fice they happen to be marked. To form now the general merit of a class in all the studies of the class, it is necessary to grade each subject according to its relative importance. Thus, the general merit of a class which had been studying mathematics, chemistry, and French, might be arranged by giving to these subjects the relative value, say of 300, 200, and 100. These numbers would then correspond with the maximum mark which any student could receive in these sub- jects. Assuming j- the maximum mark as the minimum mark, those who were last in the class in these subjects would receive 100, QQ-Q, and 33*3 respectively. The other members of the class would receive numbers which would form an arith- metical series, of which the assumed maximum and minimum would be the extremes. These rules result of course from arbitrary ar- rangement, and may be modified to suit circum- stances. Those students who are not sustained at an examination, receive a lower mark than the minimum, and are pronounced deficient. This de- ficiency should operate in one of two ways. The 34 COLLEGE REFORM. student should either be turned back to recommence the studies of the session, or he should be required to withdraw from the college. If the deficiency result from gross neglect of studies, or manifest incapacity, he should withdraw. A grossly idle student is a bad example, and should not be allowed to remain in college. AYhere want of capacity exists to such a degree as to cause no progress to be made in the studies, it is but justice to the parent and to the youth, that money and time be not wasted upon him. If the deficiency result from want of previous preparation or extreme youth, the student might be turned back to recommence his studies. Proficiency being regulated by the know- ledge necessary to prosecute the studies of the higher classes, it is useless to advance a student unless he has this knowledge. The standard for graduation must of course be regulated by the authorities of the college, and will correspond with the objects to be attained by the particular course studied. It is well to fix a minimum scale for pro- ficiency in the class. Thus, 15 being the maximum for the week, a lower mark than 12, for example, should be regarded as a deficient mark. This COLLEGE REFORM. 35 directs the attention of the student to his weekly marks, and enables him to judge of his own pro- gress. Should the weekly marks for the session place a student below "proficiency^ he should be pro- nounced deficient, unless his examination clearly shows the reverse. V. DISCIPLINE. Before we can determine the nature of the dis- cipline required for our colleges, we must ascertain what responsibility a college assumes in the moral government of the student. Young men are commonly lodged in the college buildings, are required to be in their rooms during the study hours of the day, when not engaged in the class-rooms, to be present at night; and to enforce these rules, the officers of the college at regular intervals visit their rooms. The college, therefore, assumes the responsibility of guarding, by these regulations, the morals of the student. Is it right that it should ? We answer unhesi- tatingly it is. Young men leave home to enter college usually before they reach majority. We have no means of ascertaining with accuracy the 36 COLLEGE REFORM. average age of entrance into college, except in the experience of tlie institution to which the writer belongs. It may be assumed, however, at eighteen years. Is a young man at this age capable of taking care of himself? If so, why does the law of the land trammel his liberty until he is twenty- one ? This interesting period of his life is the very one, w^hich, from its peculiar temptations, it should be the office of a college to protect by all the moral appliances which could be brought to bear upon it. A young man leaves his home, he has been accustomed to all the restraints which pa- rental anxiety and affection deem essential to his welfare. He enters college, and is at once throw^n amid a thousand temptations, which he had not known before, or if known, had been protected from, by parental vigilance and counsel. Must he meet these temptations alone ? Or shall not the authority of the college be thrown around him to shelter him from the dangers which have, alas ! but too often shipwrecked the hopes of many a pro- mising youth ? The young man needs this autho- rity, the parent desires it, nay, demands it, and that college which fails to exercise it, is not meet- COLLEGE REFORM. 37 ing the ends for which it was founded. Let me not be misunderstood. The parent knows too well the nature of the difficulty in governing the young to expect a college to give security against all the evil effects of college life. His own care has often proved ineffectual in the midst of less dangers at home. But he does expect his son to be under the influence of the wholesome restraints of college dis- cipline, and that the authorities of the college will stand towards him in loco parentis. Is it right, then, to allow him to lodge in the families of the neighbouring village? To sit up until midnight over the card-table or the wine-bottle ? To wan- der about the streets at all hours of the night? Are the rules of a private family to prevent these practices ? The college is then to transfer to the private citizen the discipline of the student. But how is this discipline to be exercised ? In one of two ways, — either by turning the student out of the family, or reporting him to the president of the college for discipline. In either case it will be an unpleasant duty, and if the family be dependent upon the patronage of the students, as is most generally the case, it will never be exercised with- 4 38 COLLEGE REFORM. out a sacrifice greater tlian can be expected. We know what the caprices of young men are. Let a boarding-house keeper exercise restraint on the points referred to, and his "occupation's gone." With these views of the responsibility of a college, we come now to inquire into the defects of the present system of discipline. The control is only partial. Young men of notoriously bad habits may be dismissed, but the discipline does not effectively reach offences of a minor grade. The incentives to virtue are not sufficiently urgent, nor the restraints to vice suffi- ciently strong. Reform. — What then shall be the nature of the college discipline ? And how far shall this disci- pline extend ? These are important questions, and have given rise to various theories, according to the different views of those who have written upon the subject. Some have maintained that the rules of a college should be few in number and simple in their character, and these rigidly en- forced, as involving offences of a graver nature. Others have objected to formal rules altogether, and have argued that colleges should be governed COLLEGE REFORM. 39 by the "code of honour," or by means purely moral. Now, young men have evil passions, which it should be the object of discipline to restrain ; they have careless, idle, and procrastinating habits, which discipline should correct ; and they have noble qualities, which discipline should properly cultivate and direct. Much may be accomplished by "moral" means. The pride and honour of a youth may often be appealed to with effect. But more is wanting. A system of discipline is re- quired, which, without neglecting these, shall meet the numberless cases of irregularity which do not in themselves involve a departure from moral prin- ciple, but the control of which is important to the well-being and progress of the student. Small offences should be noticed and checked, lest they grow into larger ones ; and promptness, punctuality, and system, in the discharge of all duties, should be cultivated as habits^ the importance of which will be felt in the active business of life. This discipline should admit of being carried into effect, without exciting the angry passions of teachers or pupils ; for unless there exist a mutual respect and 40 COLLEGE REFORM. regard between the teacher and the pupil, no satis- factory results can be attained by either. If these views of the nature of college discipline be correct, it will be seen that the objection to an uniform system of discipline for the old and young does not so fully exist, as might, at first view, be supposed. Young men of twenty-five may be more sedate in their habits, and less liable to the influ- ences of bad example in others ; but besides setting sometimes bad examples themselves, they not unfre- quently have careless and idle habits, which should be corrected, and they often need the stimulants of college discipline as much as the young. No man who enters college is ever too old to learn habits of order and system, which a wholesome discipline may impart ; and the fact that he enters college late in life, may be the very reason, that being deprived of this training in his earlier days, he needs it the more now. Were the students of our theological seminaries placed under the discipline which will be now explained, its efiect would soon be perceptible in a more acjtive, energetic, and sys- tematic ministry. It is recommended, therefore, — COLLEGE KEFORM. 41 1. To define particularly every duty^ and to punish hy demerit-marks, corresponding with the criminality of each offence, every violation of the rules, or neglect of the duties of the college. The following outline will show how these rules may be defined, and what penalties might attach to each offence. OFFENCES. DEMERIT. Profane language, 10 Irreverence in religious exercises, 5 to 10 Disorderly conduct, 5 to 8 Absent from class duty. 3 Want of preparation in lessons, 3 Late at class-call, 1 Talking in lecture-room. 2 to 5 Abuse of college property, 5 to 10 Neglect of police in room, 3 Neglect of personal neatness, 3 to 5 Visiting during study hours. 5 Absent from college, 5 Absent at night. 8 Using tobacco, 5 Spitting tobacco juice on lecture-room floors, 5 Noise in college. 5 to 10 Not rising at prescribed time, 3 Not retiring at prescribed time, 3 &c. &c. These rules and the corresponding demerit may 4* 42 COLLEaE REFORM. be varied to suit the circumstances of the institu- tion. Reports for violation of any college law should be made in writing to the president of the college, who should cause them to be transcribed and read out to the students every Friday afternoon. On the following morning those students who have excuses for their reports, should present them in writing according to a prescribed form (see Form) to the president. The president should then care- fully examine each excuse, and cause the reports not removed to be recorded, with the penalty at- tached, in the demerit-hook. No verbal communi- cation should take place between any officer and student, in reference to any report for a delin- quency, except by way of explanation, with the consent of the president, and then the explanation should always be asked and given in the most courteous terms. Written excuses are required to avoid disputation. The demerit-book should be open to the inspection and examination of parents and students. Table D shows the form of the demerit-book. 2. When the total amount of demerit of any stu- COLLEGE REFORM. 43 dent exceeds 100 in a session of five months, he should he immediately/ dismissed from the college. This rule does not make it necessary to retain a vicious student until he gets 100 demerit. No young man of bad habits, or who has been detected in a wilful act of moral delinquency, should be allowed to remain in college. The position cannot with safety be held, that the promise and hope of amendment are sufficient grounds for withholding extreme discipline. The question involved does not affect the individual delinquent alone. Example is an all-powerful principle with the young ; and when the continuance of a bad student in a college may be the means of communicating vicious princi- ples or habits to others, those who allow it are working an injury which cannot be compensated for by the probable benefits anticipated. One of the most distinguished teachers* of the present day has well remarked, " Till a man learns that the first, second, and third duty of a schoolmaster is to get rid of unpromising subjects, a great public school will never he what it might be, and what it ought * Dr. Arnold, of Rugby School, England, 44 COLLEGE REFORM. to he.'' The remark is equally applicable to col- leges. It is also true, in general, that when a student with a perfect knowledge of the effects of his de- merit is so irregular or disorderly, as to exceed 100 demerit in a term, he possesses habits which will make his continuance in the college not only inju- rious to others, but unprofitable to himself. When the president observes the demerit of a young man fearfully increasing, his duty is to talk with him privately, admonish him of the consequences. If this will not check him, let him bring into exercise the co-operation of the parent; and if all these influences fail, he has what Dr. Arnold would call an "unpromising subject," and "his first, second, and third duty is to get rid of him at once." 3. The conduct of each student sJiould be com- bined with his scholarship, in forming the general merit. The system of demerit here proposed, will lose most of its efficacy, unless the class-standing of the student be influenced by his conduct. Experience has shown that this consideration will operate upon young men, who, without it, would only aim to COLLEGE REFORM. 45 avoid exceeding the limit of deficiency in conduct. Many an instance has come under the writer's own observation, in which the delinquent would plead with an earnestness which would show his willing- ness to submit to any penalty as a substitute for the demerit which would lower him a file in his class. And this combination of conduct with scho- larship is the correct mode of determining the general merit of a student. What is it which secures distinction in after life ? It is not intellect alone, but the union of this with industrious, me- thodical, and virtuous habits. Indeed, how often do we see success attend an inferiority of natural powers, where they have been honestly and zealously cultivated ! To combine the conduct with scholar- ship, we must fix a numerical standard by which to estimate-conduct. Give to it then an importance equal to 300. The student who has no demerit against him at the end of the term, will receive 300 as his conduct-mark. Let every demerit a student has, remove J from 300. A person having 20 demerit, would then have as his conduct-mark 295, that is, 300 less \°. One having 50 demerit, would receive 287 '5, and so on. The number of 46 COLLEGE REFORM. demerit for one year being limited to 200, the minimum conduct-mark would be 250, and all below this would be pronounced deficient in conduct. It is easy now to see the effect of demerit upon the general merit of a class. To make this more apparent still, Table E exhibits the arrangements of a class by scholarship alone, while Table F shows the result when conduct is combined with scholar- ship. The system of discipline which has just been ex- plained, is borrowed from that which generally exists in military institutions, but which is not ne- cessarily limited in its applications. It possesses decided advantages over those which commonly prevail, not only in its restraining influences over the vicious tendencies of the young, but in direct- ing the energies of the mind more fully and more universally to the attainment of knowledge. While other systems operate very well for the virtuous and industrious, and in fact control by the force of extreme punishment, those who are grossly negli- gent and vicious ; this supplies an important defect, by taking cognizance of a numerous class of of- fences which are not ordinarily noticed, so long as COLLEGE REFORM. 47 the student conducts himself with moderate pro- priety and attention. To secure this* important object, the college regu- lations must be very minute. Besides prescribing specific punishments for the more heinous moral offences, they must define with precision a routine of minor duties, and interdict a number of minor offences. To enforce these rules, the military prin- ciple of responsibtUtT/ must be introduced into the college. This can be done without difiiculty. The occupants of a room being required to attend to its police, one should be made responsible for its police and order, each, room-mate assuming this 07'derly duty '' in turn,'' say for one week. The college building should then be arranged by divi- sions, each division being placed in charge of a professor, whose duty it should be to visit the rooms at stated times, and report every student guilty of any violation of college regulations. Classes should be assembled on the college lawn by squad- marches, and from thence marched in order to the lecture-room. By these and similar arrangements any institution of learning might profitably adopt 48 COLLEGE REFORM. the essential features of the military schools, with- out assuming in any sense a military character. These minute rules will give some labour, and will require no little attention on the part of the officers of the college, but the benefits will fully compensate for all the care and labour ; for, besides the immediate advantages resulting from the system in the discipline of the college, there are moral questions involved, which ought not to be disre- garded in training the young. Those who are trained to discharge minor duties faithfully and punctually, find it easier to under- take and master weightier ones. Men become eminent in knowledge by taking heed to little things. The ladder of fame is only ascended step hy step. On the other hand, those who know that small offences cannot be committed with impunity, will regard those of a more aggravated character with more seriousness. When a man allows him- self in little things, they soon accumulate into great. He allows himself in little things, and thus forms a strong habit. Because it is little, he counts it of no moment, forgetting that men do not become infamous at once. The drunkard, the swindler, COLLEGE REFORM. 49 the outlaw, liave only reached their depth of folly and of crime by degrees. This discipline, there- fore, which teaches a youth to have respect to little tJmigs, and j&xes this principle as a habit, by incul- cating that no duty is too trifling to be neglected, and no offence too light to be overlooked, will do more to qualify him for the active duties of life than anything else. Ifethod, 'proinptness, and fidelity^ are the great leading qualities which con- stitute the business man. The discipline which induces them must be good. There is great difficulty in little things. Men who can set themselves right earnestly to work to accomplish great matters, are often at fault in those which are trivial, and yet all business men will say that it is by taking heed to these little things that security can be had, that the weightier ones will not be neglected; and he who has obtained the mastery over himself to meet and discharge the smallest duty, has done much to qualify himself for the greatest. If, in the consideration of the duties of this life, we include that higher sphere of duty and of action which embraces the life to come, how forcibly does this principle of taking heed to 5 50 COLLEGE REFORM. little things apply ! Go to the minister in holy things, and he will say that men become eminent in piety by forsaking little sins, by taking heed to little things. It is this overlooking little things which constitutes the stumbling-block to many who have their faces Zionward. Too many cling to some Zoar, and ask, ^^ Is it not a little oner' while others seek the Abanaand Pharpar, to the neglect of the simple teachings of Divine truth. The propriety of establishing a "commons" for the students must depend upon the circumstances of the college. Where the means will justify the outlay for a mess hall, economy and order may be promoted by such an arrangement. In this case^, the system of responsibility before referred to, must be introduced, by dividing the tables into separate sections, each in charge of a carver, who should be made accountable for the order of his section. Whether this suggestion be carried out or not, it is ea7'nestly insisted upon that all colleges provide, at whatever cost, a convenient and well-arranged hos- pital for the sick. It is surprising that this indis- pensable comfort is overlooked in the arrangements of a college outfit. Fine library rooms, museums COLLEGE REFORM. 51 and society halls, — these are provided, at great expense, but the sick student is thrown upon the kindness of his boarding-house keeper, or of his room-mates in a college dormitory, when his case requires a quiet room and skilful nursing. III. RELIGIOUS EDUCATION. It would transcend the limits contemplated in this brief outline, to enter upon a full development of the duty of colleges in the moral and religious training of youth. Nor is it necessary to do so. This subject has been so well discussed by those who are in every way competent for the task, that all necessary information may be obtained by a reference to the various existing works on religious education. Suffice it to say, that the object of all education, if limited to this life only, is to make men happy in themselves, and useful to others ; and it may be assumed as an indisputable truth, that we shall most certainly secure these ends by lay- 52 COLLEGE REFORM. ing deep in the youthful mind the principles and precepts of the Christian religion. But the great end of education is a preparation for another state of existence, and here the teacher's voice should give no '^ uncertain sound." Parents want Chris- tian teachers, that they may he sure their sons receive a pure morality. They want Christian teachers, because they know that " the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." Who can read the closing paragraph of the will of Patrick Henry, without acknowledging the truth of the eloquent sentiment it expresses, and without respect for the high authority from which it comes ? " I have now disposed of my property to my family ; there is one thing more I wish I could give them, and that is the Christian religion. If they had this, and I had not given them one shil- ling, they would be rich ; and if they had not that, and I had given them all the world, they would be poor." If the above views be correct, the propriety of systematic instruction from the Bible on the Sabbath will be manifest. With this should be associated COLLEGE REFORM. 53 the study of natural theology, and the evidences of the Christian religion. lY. MILITARY INSTITUTIONS. The success which has attended the establishment of the Virginia Military Institute, has prompted other institutions to attempt a similar organization. A word of caution is necessary on this point. The circumstances which led to the complete military character of the Virginia Military Insti- tute were peculiar. Here there is a depot of arms belonging to the state, which had been formerly guarded by a company of enlisted soldiers, at an annual charge to the state of some $6000. By imposing upon a corps of cadets the duties of the guard, the legislature organized a state military institution upon the basis of the U. S. Military Aca- demy, at West Point. By this arrangement the institution became in the fullest sense a part of the military of the state, the officers and cadets being 5* 54 COLLEGE KEFORM. under the command of the governor. This control on the part of the state gives an authority over the Institute which is essential to its maintaining a full military organization. Without this control all attempts to follow such a system must prove abor- tive. There is much to attract young men in the military dress, and the " pomp and circumstance" of the parades, at first ; but these soon become wearisome, and unless those who enter such insti- tutions are held under the restraining authority of the state, they will fluctuate with the tastes and whims of young men. Add to this, the ''appareil" of a military school is very expensive. Tents, military equipments, &c., must be provided and kept up, and these involve a large expenditure of money. Hence it is advised that no institution be attempted upon this model, except by state authority. Private enterprises will not succeed. All that is desirable in military schools, except the specific object aimed at by a state in the disci- pline of its militia, may be secured by an organiza- tion similar to that which has been sketched out in the foregoing pages. It is an error to suppose COLLEGE REFORM. 55 that the efficacy of the government in military institutions, results from the force of the bayonet. Quite the reverse. It is the system of responsi- hility, and the publicity given to the class merit and demerit (all of which may with equal propriety and success be introduced into any institution), which constitute the moral power of such schools. When a state establishes a military school, it is advised that the military feature be made eomjylete. To have an institution partly military and partly civil, or to suppose that you can have a military college with a professor of tactics and a company of cadets, is to attempt what must fail. Taking the organization of the United States Military Academy as the basis, carry out the system so well arranged in this admirable institution, and you will form a military state college which ought to suc- ceed and will succeed, if the state will properly maintain it. 56 COLLEaE REFORM, TABLE A r^r^ 4- \ /T\^^^^i^ * „f w OK^l^LJ \^ LVti^iD XV^^^Vyj > Class. < . ) (Sec I \ji. . i Names. M. T. W. T. F. Total. Remarks. 1 W. Y. C. 3 2i 2i 3 3 13* 2 J. A. M. 2 a 2i 3 3 13i 3 T. H. 3 2 3 21 13* 4 W. H. B. 2h 3 2f 11 3 13 5 J. T. B. W. 2i 3 3 3 2^ 14 6 J. C.P. 3 a a 2 3 13 7 P. C. B. 2^ 3 2h 3 2\ 13i 8 G. G. G. 3 2h 3 2 3 13i 9 A. J. V. 2 3 a 21 3 13 10 W. A. E. 3 a 2 3 3 131 n B. F. E. 3 2 3 2\ 2 12i 12 R. S. B. 3 2i 3 2\ 2i 12* 13 E. P.T. 2 3 2h 3 2 \2k 14 C. C. 2 3 2k 3 3 13^ 15 A. D. C. 2 2h 2\ 21 2i 11* To , Presider It of (^ 11 — college. A. B. Pr< jfessor» COLLEGE REFORM. 57 TABLE B. ABSTRACT FROM WEEKLY CLASS REPORT, 185L Department of . Class- . Section . i 00 6 Names. >1 1-s >1 1-9 ;-< pi 1-5 >> P ►-5 Grand total for month. 1 J. CM. 15 15 15 15 60 2 J. E. B. 15 15 15 15 60 3 J. C. M. Hi 15 Hi 15 59i 4 G. S. P. 14i 15 15 14i 58^ 5 W. 0. Y. 15 15 15 14* 591 6 J. G. 15 15 14i 15 59^ 7 T. T. 14 14^ 141 14 57i 8 J. M. Uk 14i 14 lU 57i 9 T. T. M. 14 14^ lU Uk 57i 10 N. H. 13f 14 15 14 56f 11 M. P. C. 13i 14i lU 14 56k 12 G. C. W. 13 14 lU 14 551- 13 C. T. M. 13i 14 13 131 54 14 C.L.R. 14 lU 15 14 57i 15 M. M. 15 13i 141 14i 57^ 58 COLLEGE REFORM. TABLE C. FORMS OF EXCUSES. A. B. Room out of order on the 10th April, 1851. Excuse. I forgot to police it. Respectfully submitted. A. B. To C. D., President of College. The excuse is not good. Forgetfulness might cause serious bad consequences. C. D. President. A. B. Noise in College on the 15th April, 1851. Excuse. There must be some error in the report, as I was not in College on the day mentioned, having permission from the President to be absent. Respectfully submitted. A. B. The report is removed. CD. President. COLLEGE REFORM. 59 TABLE D. DEMERIT BOOK. A. B. 1851. Delinquency. Demerit. January 3. Absent from mathematics, 3 10. Room out of order, 3 11. Using tobacco, 5 15. Visiting in study hours. 5 February 3. Noise in quarters, 5 " 17. Neglect of person. 3 29. Abuse of public buildings. 8 March 3. Profanity, 8 7. Absent from College without permission. 5 Total demerit for quarter. 45 60 COLLEGE REFORM. TABLE E. 'u a u Names. Merit in "o H Remarks. 1 B ■A -£3 CO s o >> -a bo § 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 W. G. B. G. H. P. G. W. T. R. H. P. F. V. H. C. R. E. R. J. H. J. R. H. C. T. R. T. 300 256 233 278 211 189 144 167 122 100 189 178- 200 100 167 111 156 122 144 133 100 91 62 84 69 76 48 55 33 40 589 525 495 462 447 376 348 344 299 273 ^ <&"* s-^." COLLEGE REFORM. 61 TABLE F. a g d3 Names. Merit in o Remarks. en « a ,q 1 u "bq a o >> C3 !-i 8 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 G. W. T. G. H. P. W. G. B. F. V. R. H. P. H. C. J. H. J. T. R. T. R. E. R. R. H. C. 233 256 300 211 278 189 167 100 144 122 200 178 189 167 100 111 122 133 156 144 62 91 100 69 84 76 55 40 48 33 300 269 202 294 265 274 300 300 210 225 795 794 791 741 727 650 644 573 558 524 MATHEMATICAL WORKS. VZRGIITIA XHIZiITARV IM-STIT nTS MATHEMATICAL SERIES, BY COL. FRANCIS H. SMITH, SUPERINTENDENT OF THE VIRGINIA MILITARY INSTITUTE. INTRODUCTION TO SMITH AND DUKE'S ARITHMETIC. BY FRANCIS H. SMITH, A.M. AMERICAN STATISTICAL ARITHMETIC. DESIGNED FOR ACADEIVHES AND SCHOOLS. BY FRANCIS H.SMITH, A.M. Superintendent and Professor of Mathematics in the Virginia Military Institute ; late Professor of Mathematics in Hampden Sydney College, and formerly Assistant Professor in the United States Military Academy, West Point ; And R. T. W. DUKE, Assistant Professor of Mathematics in the Tirginia 3Iilitary Institute. THIRD EDITION. KEY TO SMITH AND DUKE'S AMERICAN STATISTICAL ARITHMETIC. PREPARED BY WILLIAM FORBES, Assistant Professor of Mathematics in the Tirginia Military Institute. SMITH'S ALGEBRA. AN ELEMENTARY TREATISE ON ALGEBRA, PREPARED POR THE USE OF THE CADETS OF THE TIRGINIA MILITARY INSTITUTE, AND ADAPTED TO THE PRESENT STATE OF MATHE- MATICAL INSTRUCTION IN THE SCHOOLS, ACADEMIES, AND COLLEGES OF THE UNITED STATES. • BY FRANCIS H. SMITH, A.M. This work is designed to present as complete an Elementary course of Algebra, as the time devoted to the study of Mathematics in the Colleges of our country will allow ; while it will be equally within the comprehen- sion of the pupil of the High School or Academy. (93) MATHEMATICAL WORKS. From J. H. Brown, A.M., Principal of Zane Street School, Philadelphia. It was with much pleasure that I examined the American Statistical Arithmetic, by Smith and Duke, and an Introduction to the same, by Francis H. Smith, A.M., both published by you. They are works of more than ordinary merit. With clear and definite Rules, they convey a large amount of valuable information not usually within the reach of students of Arithmetic. Their general introduction will aid the cause of sound mstruction in the Schools and Academies of our country. Extract of a Letter q/" Professor Powers, late of Virginia University. I consider it decidedly the best Arithmetic I have seen, not only as regards the valuable statistical information it contains, but also in its arrangement, and the very clear and simple explanations of the rules which it gives. NOTICES OF SMITH'S ALGEBRA. Fro7n Prof. P. Powers, Late Professor of University of Virginia. I have been using your Algebra for nearly twelve months, and can truly say it answers my purpose better than any other I am acquainted with. It presents the leading principles of the science in a concise and simple form, and especially those higher principles which give beginners most trouble, so that I have never had my classes master them before with so little difficulty. From Prof. W. N. Pendleton. The work which you have translated, I have, ever since becoming fami- liar with it, regarded as a masterpiece in that department of mathematical science — indeed, my feelings respecting it have always partaken much of the enthusiastic. It bears the evident stamp of genius, and embodies more of the beauties of ingenuity, simplicity, and generalization, than any other work of that class of subjects with which my mathematical studies have made me acquainted. From the Virginian, Winchester, Va. A new Algebra, by Col. Francis A. Smith, the highly efficient and esteemed Superintendent of our Military Institute at Lexington, will reiiu^e no eulogy of ours, in view of the rapid and entire success of the author's previous work, the Statistical Arhhmetic, This work has all the prestige a city publisher can give it, and Virginians have thus all they demand before giving their encouragement to home productions. No Vir- ginia schoolboy will lose much by being minus Bonnycastle and plus Smith. (95] MATHEMATICAL WORKS. In preparing this work, the author has adopted those explanations and demonstrations which an experience of many years in teaching, and a care- ful comparison of standard authors, have shown to be best. Without following the system of any other writer, he has derived important aid from the works of Gamier, Bezout, JReynaud, Bourdon, Lacroix, Francoeur, Euler, Hutton, Thomson, Goodwyn, Scott, and the Encyclopedia Metropo-' lita7ia. Many of his examples have been selected from the valuable edi- tion of Button's Mathematics, by Professor Rutherford, of the Roya Military Academy, Woolwich. This work covers the full course of Davies' Bourdon, and contains a ne\v and beautiful demonstration of the Binomial Theorem in the case of an Exponent, by Professor Pike Powers, late of the University of Virginia. SMITH'S BIOT. AN ELEMENTARY TREATISE ON ANALYTICAL GEOMETRY. TRANSLATED FROM THE FRENCH OF J. B. BIOT, BY FRANCIS H. S Nl I T H , A . M. REVISED EMTION. This work of M. Biot has more to recommend it than the mere style of composition, unexceptionable as that is. The mode in which he has pre- sented the subject is so peculiar and felicitous, as to have drawn from the Princeton Review the high eulogium upon his work, of being " the most perfect scientific gem to be found in any language." Biot's An,alytical Geometry is the basis upon which other works published in this country have been prepared. NOTICES OF THE SERIES. From the Board of Directors of the Literary Fund, Va. The Board of Directors of the Literary Fund having examined Smith and Duke's American Statistical Arithmetic, composed by Francis H. Smith, Esq., Superintendent and Professor of Mathematics in the Virginia Military Institute, take pleasure in recommending the work, e.^pecially for the purpose for which it is designed, "to prepare beginners for the study of the more advanced parts of the science." The plan of inculcating valuable statistical information in the illustration of arithmetical rul^s, is not only novel and attractive, but useful, and is doubtless calculated to make a strong impression on the minds of youth. A true extract from the minutes. Signed, J. BROWN, Jr., Seamd Auditor. Office of the Literary Fund Board, Va.