The President's Report.

President Eliot's annual report, in which are included the reports of the deans of the college and of the professional schools, was published yesterday. The report is a most comprehensive one, covering, together with the report of the treasurer of the university, over 200 octavo pages. Owing to the limited space at the disposal of the CRIMSON, it will be impossible to do more than glance at the main points of the pamphlet. The first few pages are devoted to sketches of the three prominent professors whom the university lost by death last year,- Professor Sophocles, Professor Ellis, of the Medical School, and Dr. Abbot, of the Divinity School. The next important topic treated is the change in the required work of the freshman year, which, it is stated, is but the legitimate result of the development begun over sixty years ago. Under the regulations in force this year, freshmen are allowed to make choice of electives from twenty-five full courses and six half-courses, namely, nine in Greek and Latin, four and two halves in French and German, one and a half in history, three and three halves in mathematics, and eight in science; and no freshman is allowed to take more than two courses in one department. In this connection the subject of required themes and forensics is touched upon, and reasons are given for the recent change in the system. It is also stated that the ultimate object of the faculty is to restrict the required theme writing to the sophomore year. From this point on, 20 pages are devoted to a sketch of the changes which have taken place in the college curriculum since 1823. From this it appears that the development of the elective system has been slowly going on ever since that remote period, though of late years greater strides have been taken toward the completion of the plan, as is shown by the fact that in 1871, only 14 years ago, the number of hours of elective work per week was but 168, as against 382 hours of electives, from which students are now allowed to chose their work.

Some space is devoted to describing the causes which have contributed to the great increase in the number of special students. This department of the university has now assumed such proportions as to call for special consideration from the faculty. "It is the special students of the college," says the report, "into whose quality it is most interesting to inquire. From the year's report exhibiting the work of the special students, it appears that some achieve an extraordinary amount of work, while others attempt little, and complete less." Naturally enough the special students include in their number both the men who have come to get every benefit possible from the instruction given in the college, together with those whose chief ambition is to do as little work as they can, and at the same time meet the requirements of the college.

The changes made in the requirements for admission to the college during the last fifteen years have not made admission more difficult. The percentage of candidates who are admitted is increasing slightly, and the percentage admitted unconditionally is increasing considerably.

The fact that the scholarships at the disposal of the college are not sufficient to meet the needs of the increasing number of poor though meritorious students is commented upon. The increasig popularity of the gymnasium is noticed, and comment is made upon the fact that 901 lockers are now rented by students, against 474 in 1880.

An important portion of the report is that devoted to the library. It seems that plans have been procured for remodeling the interior of the older portion of Gore Hall, at an expense of $60,000.

These plans are very attractive, and would effect a great improvement upon the present condition of things; but it would be a better plan to convert the old Gore Hall into a fireproof bookstack, and to build a new reading-room on the north side, and so attached that no reasonable objection could be taken to lighting the room. Such a reading-room ought to have seats for at least 250 persons, and should be provided with coat-rooms and dressing-rooms, that students who have no rooms in Cambridge might find themselves comfortably provided for at the reading-room during the day. The university needs to take more thought for day-students, for that class of students is increasing with the development of the means of access to Cambridge from the surrounding cities.

Perhaps, to the average student, the most interesting portion of the report is that devoted to the athletic reforms. This subject is touched upon in the following words:

"Some of the inter-collegiate contests last year gave offence to many persons who have heretofore supported them and believed that while they did some harm, they did more good. In particular, the game of foot-ball was played in such a brutal and dishonorable way that the faculty, after waiting two seasons to see if the players could not reform the game themselves, have been obliged to prohibit inter-collegiate foot-ball altogether. It is very improbable that a game which involves violent personal collision between opposing players can ever be made a good inter-collegiate game. None of the popular games or contests which have proved long-lived and respectable, like cricket, tennis, fencing, shooting at a mark, rowing, sailing, hunting, jumping, and racing on foot, horseback, or bicycle, involve any bodily collision between contestants. Boxing and wrestling, which do require such personal collision, are very apt to degenerate as foot-ball has done. An ill effect of some of the inter-collegiate contests is their tendency to restrict the number of men in college who practice the competitive sports. The keenness of the competition creates a high standard of excellence, and persons who know that they cannot reach that standard cease to play. The athletic sports ought to cultivate moral as well as physical courage, fair dealing and the sense of honor. If any form of unfairness, or meanness is tolerated in them, they become sources of wide-spreading moral corruption. If students do not find their sense of honor cultivated and refined by their college life, they may be sure that their education is failing at its most vital point."

The remainder of the report is given up to the consideration of the needs of the several professional schools of the university.