TO MAKE THE COLLEGE NATIONAL

Is Harvard to be a national university with a local college as its neucleus? The answer is to make the College also national. And the chief reason why it fa9ls to keep pace with the University in national expansion, is to be found in the system of entrance examinations. Particularly in the western part of he country these examinations militate strongly against a greater number of men coming to Harvard, because admission to the local western colleges requires only a certificate. The factor of inaccessibility has been largely obviated by the decision to accept Board examinations. Nevertheless, as long as examinations of any sort are required, Harvard will be at a distinct disadvantage throughout the West. The adoption of the New Plan examinations, though an excellent step so far as it goes, does not completely cope with the situation, because the mere existence of examinations whose requirements are couched in the formidable language of the Catalogue is enough to strike terror to the hearts of those who are not accustomed to them.

There is no reason why the College cannot select the best preparatory schools of the West and accept their certificate for a small fraction, comprising the best scholars of their graduating classes. Such a procedure might very readily have the effect of actually making an examination-less admission to Harvard the goal for scholastic competition in many schools. And it would in all probability attract a number of the most desirable men.

As a further safeguard against lowering the College standard, men so admitted might easily be required to maintain a higher record in their College work.

As a matter of fact, however, the men who stand highest in their high school classes in the West are usually better students than a great many eastern men who tutor their way into the College. Under the present system mediocre men who have the advantage of the elaborate tutoring system of the East are preferred to more capable men in the West and South who have no such props.

Furthermore, once a school has sent more than one man to Harvard, a tradition might well become established, and the tendency will be for more men to come in succeeding years.

The Territorial Clubs, the Harvard Clubs, and the New Plan Examinations have done some good, but they have proved their inadequacy. More radical measures are needed.