The Future Site of Columbia.

The discussion over the proposed change of location of Columbia is extremely interestingto Harvard men. Columbia College, or the School of Arts, as it is termed, is being choked by the great city which surrounds it, while the metropolitan environment appears to be the principal reason for the strength of the professional schools of the university. The question is then whether the college shall be abolished and the entire energy of the institution devoted to the university organization proper or an attempt be made to reorganize after the plan of Harvard.

Dr. Thomas Fiske, writing in the Columbia Spectator, says: "Two distinct types of the University may be noted - the metropolitan and the rural. Both exist in this country. Both exist abroad. Highly developed examples of the former may be seen at Berlin and Paris, and of the latter at Cambridge and Oxford. Generally speaking, the latter is characterized by a close relationship to the life of the student. It is said to stand in loco parentis. The university of the other type assumes no responsibility for the detail of the student's life. In both types, however, it is equally essential to success that the location and surroundings of the university should offer no impediment to the convenience, health, and powers of self-maintenance of the students."

From the paragraph it is apparent that chance and wise administration, especially on the part of President Eliot have combined to give Harvard the advantages of both types of university. The success of the experiment the gains of the present year assure beyond doubt, for we have great professional schools deriving the advantages of city environment, and at the same time closely united with one of the largest undergraduate schools of arts in the world, this school or college being surrounded by almost ideal conditions.

The need of organization on some such plan has led to the proposal that the site of Columbia be changed to Manhattan Island below the Harlem River. This would give the college a chance to have gymnasiums and athletic grounds as well as dormitories. The Medical School and the Law School would continue to hold their sessions in New York.

Another plan, one which was the scheme favored by the late Ex-President Barnard is to make such concessions to the City of New York that the present University of New York shall be done away with and in return the city shall grant Columbia a suitable site in one of the large parks. Although greater difficulties lie in the way of this plan than of the other it would be the most desirable as regards the ultimate results.

The great difficulty in the way of any change is the conflict of interests which makes unity of action apparently impossible.

The annual report of President Low just issued shows that of the entire number of students in attendance at Columbia College in 1889-90, but 16.19 per cent., and in 1890-91 but 15.56 per cent. were credited to the School of Arts. Should this state of affairs be allowed to continue, the interests of the graduate and professional schools would naturally dominate the plans to be adopted for removal; or, if the School of Arts had been abolished a few years ago (a question which was very seriously discussed), the problem would be greatly simplified. But the School of Arts has survived the danger, and is about to be put on far broader and firmer foundations, which should greatly increase its attractions. One of the conditions of expansion of the School of Arts appears to be the erection of dormitories. In the American college, as in the English college, community of residence seems to be necessary to a high degree of prosperity. In small towns and villages this condition may be fulfilled, in a considerable measure, even without dormitories, which in New York has proved impossible, by the vastness of the city and the expense of living. There is no doubt that the School of Arts, as a college, would be better off in a locality where students and teachers might live in such close proximity that several hours might not, as now, be wasted daily by many students in the journey to and from the college. Again, the nature of American life makes peculiarly necessary for the collegian a strong force to counteract the incessant temptation to spread his energies over very various and often conflicting occupations.

When these facts are considered it is apparent that Columbia must shortly take some action or else change radically the character of its university pretensions.