Changes in Lines of Study

The last annual report of the college by comparison with previous reports brings out some rather interesting and decidedly significant facts as to the relative amount of time spent in the college on different studies. Statistics of this kind cannot be exact. They are based on the number of men taking respective courses, either elected or prescribed, and on the estimate held by college authorities of these courses. They give, however, a fair notion of the tendencies developed; and from 1825, the date of the first report issued, show an uninterrupted progress from the ancient to the modern, and from realms of fact to realms of thought.

In this year of 1825 more than one-third the college course was spent on Greek and Latin; Mathematics occupied almost another third; history, mostly ancient, and philosophy, religiously ethical, took up a large share of the remainder. The study of English was about on a parity with the study of Hebrew. Natural Science and political economy barely gained a place in the catalogue, while the modern languages as subjects of study, were unheard of.

At the accession of President Eliot in 1869, the stamp of the old regime was plainly to be seen, and the progress since that time is almost revolutional. Greek and Latin then had one-fourth the time; now less than one-tenth, and mathematics have been reduced to a considerably smaller figure still. The modern languages are now twice as much studied as the ancient, while natural science recieves four times as much attention as mathematics.

New lines of study, such as fine arts and music, have been introduced, but the most marked advance is in English. It occupied one twenty-fifth of the college time when President Eliot was elected; today it is more studied than any other subject. This is, in a good measure, due to the prescribed courses, but, excluding these it yields only to History. History, Philosophy, and Political Economy, with English, are the courses most generally elected, and to them is devoted nearly one-half of the college study.