no. r
KDITOIUAI.S.
107
this change moots with greater fuvor.
For aoout the close of tiio Junior .year
many students find it profitable lo them
selves to change their courses of study
having in their progress through college
happened upon other studies that, host
suit their tastes and natural dispositions;
and they would much prefer to contii.uc
their course of study by making suitable
selections rather than abandon it and
begin anew.
Within the University we have seen
many of the best students leave the scien
tific and classical courses and take up
their position in tiie literary division.
They had evidently aspired to a Hold of
action in the beginning different than
that, one to which other courses led them.
And because they could make the change
without loosing their gradein the Uni
versity, they willingly grasped the oppor
tunity to pursue a course ot study satis
factory to themselves and essential to a
future occupation, rather than abandon
a course of study nearly completed and
stand the chances of finishing another.
If this privilege of selecting studies in
the Senior year, were granted to students
in the University, it appears as though an
equal benefit might be extend to all. In
so doing, we believe students would feel
more interest and take more pride in the
last year's work
True, it may be urged that a post-grad-uate
course remains, an enticing bate to
every student who wishes to pursue stud
ies tending outside of his course or be
yond it. But these inducements loose
their charms, after a college course is
completed and the student eagerly awaits
the first opportunity to launch into a pro
fessional career.
uevi i:vs.
The shortness of the present, term be
hooves all lo improve well the time devot
ed to the reviews. The diligent student
is not always satisfied with the advance
work of the term. The loxt-book is some.
times passed over rapidly, and, without a
faithful review, a systematic and comprc
hensive knowledge of the subject matter
is not always gained. If, however, the
preliminary work lias been well attended
to, the review should be a comparative"""
easy task. The student who has been re.
miss in the former particular, has a
chance lo redeem himself in tiio latter.
But, in some cases, we fear the time
given to the reviews has been too short.
It sometimes occurs that the advance
work is given out in portions that remind
one of the proverbial doses of the old
school plrysicians. Then unless ample
time is allowed for reviews, good work
as a rule, should not be expected from the
student.
We do not believe in cramming. Wo
have not done much of it oui'EcIf, and
rather think we have gained by the absti
nence. A few days spent in genuine
cramming is apt to so cloy a student
with the books that he has attempted to
"get away with," that he can scarcely en
dure the thought of picking them up after,
wards. As an immediate reward a brilliant
victory may indeed bo won in the exami
nation, but in the long run, the results are
not equally durable.
While we believe that cramming is an
evil, the temptations to it arc not nhvavs
easy to resist. Wo trust that these lncon.
lives aro not deliberately intended. The
promotion of good scholarship demands
that there shall be as few inducements to
hurried cramming as possible. We can
convolve of no better way to avoid ius
evils, than to so frame the questions in ox
amination that but little of the text-book
can be cutagorically reproduced. Let
the student's positive knowledge of the
subject be taxed rather than his memory
of the mere wording of the book. Bettor
have the examination follow closely after
the last recitation of an ample review,
than to allow two or throe days of private
sludy.lt follow the completion of a brief
review,
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