TROUBLE AT VASSAR.

On account of the dissatisfaction at Vassar with the present marking system, neither salutatory nor valedictory were delivered at the recent commencement exercises. This state of affairs has been preceded by a correspondence between the faculty and the seniors, which has been published. The original reasons for reform, which were sent to the faculty, were as follows:

"First - We believe that the nervous strain imposed by the present honor system upon a large number of the students is incompatible with their highest physical and mental development. We know, many of us by experience, that from the freshman year the desire not to disappoint the hopes of parents and friends in this particular leads to worse than useless worry and anxiety, and interferes seriously with that quiet of nerve and mind essential to the best mental work.

Second - The system unavoidably fails, in some cases, to be a correct index of ability or industry. That would perhaps be a matter of small moment were it not that the public is prone to consider success or failure in gaining an honor the infallible test of a student's attainments. There are instances in which ill health, mobility to pursue a continuous course or other unavoidable circumstances prevent a student of genuine merit from reaching the required standard of excellence; and she is consequently, through no fault of her own, placed, in the judgment of outsiders, upon a level with the incompetent and the lazy - a fact which may seriously interfere with her future success in gaining desirable work.

Third - We believe that the present system leads, in many instances, to superficial work, or at least to work done mainly with a view to class-room recitation. A student spurred by the desire to gain high marks is apt to do merely the work which she feels will conduce to this end. Her college course thus signally fails to develop those scholarly habits of thought and study which it is the aim of the higher education to establish.

Fourth - The motives for study induced by the system are, we believe, unworthy ones, and especially unworthy of students who are to go into the world as exponents of the higher education of woman. The spirit of emulation - the desire to shine, at any cost, on commencement day are not the motives which will develop the students of Vassar College into worthy daughters of their alma mater, and these are the incentives to work which the present honor system in too many cases engenders. In view, then, of these reasons, and in view of the fact that, as students, we have infinitely better opportunities for judging the effect of this system than even your watchful care can give you, we earnestly desire that the present system of honors should be abolished."

On February 26 the following answer was returned by the faculty:

"Resolved, That the appointment of speakers for commencement day be here-after made on the grounds of the student's general record of scholarship, her literary ability and her conduct during her college course."

On March 3 a second paper, reading as follows, was sent by the class to the faculty:

"Since you have deemed it best that the speakers for commencement day should hereafter be appointed on what has always, tacitly, at least, been understood as the basis, viz., the student's 'general scholarship, literary ability and conduct throughout the course,' and since we do not believe it right that we should accept appointments which thus distinguish certain of our number as 'honor girls,' we respectfully ask that, in our case at least, no honor list shall in any way be announced, and that commencement exercises, as conducted by the students, be omitted. Our own wish would be that the literary exercises on that day should be furnished by the alumnae of the college."

In answer to this the president met the class informally, and, after stating his own opinion of the inexpediency of the reform aimed at, made the following communication from the faculty:

"The faculty, having given the requisite consideration to the petition of the senior class that at the following commencement none of its members be appointed to speak, but that the duty be assigned to the alumnae:

It is voted, That the faculty see no satisfactory reason for selecting speakers except from such as are candidates for a degree, and that in making selections, as all the candidates cannot speak, in their opinion the most practicable method is according to the principles stated in their action of February 26, namely, that appointments be given according to the student's record of general scholarship, her literary ability and her conduct during her college course."

After this individual protest was allowed to take the place of class objection.