Sophomores who study classics for a year or two and then drop them, often with avowed disgust. Annually, large numbers of Harvard undergraduates, following the lead of tradition or parental desire, peg away at Greek and Latin, with profit possibly, but with so little apparent pleasure that when, in the natural order of events, they have developed individual tastes, and are ready to cast off leading strings and choose for themselves, hardly any will be found faithful to what seems like the dying cause of Classics. In the years which they have devoted to classical study, in school and college, doubtless they acquire, as the Department points out, a certain facility in reading Greek and Latin at sight. What they do not, however, seem to carry away from their linguistic instruction is any disposition to turn this hardwon facility to account in their Junior and Senior years by applying it, as do the students of modern languages, to the study of literature under the guidance of competent instructors. An almost total lack of interest in classical literature, as such, is the phenomenon which lovers of the classics observe among Harvard undergraduates, and deplore, and attempt, perhaps without sufficient thought, to explain.

Before explanations are properly in order, however, the facts themselves should first be established by evidence more concrete than the impressions of disappointed observers. With this end in view, the tables which follow have been compiled from the College and Class records of the Class of 1897.1 They show what proportion of this Class elected courses under the various departments during each of the four years of academic life; and also what proportion expressed themselves at the close as either regretting, or peculiarly enjoying, any part of the work. No account is made of required work, nor of courses taken to remove entrance conditions. Moreover, since the object is to compare the extent to which interest in the various subjects was diffused through the Class, rather than to estimate the degree of enthusiasm which existed in individuals, account is made only of the number of students under the various departments, irrespective of the amount of work which each took, or concerning which he expressed an opinion. Thus, to cite actual examples, in the enumeration of men who took 1 The latest class for which figures were accessible, at the time this article was prepared.

work under the Classical Department during their Senior year, there is included, along with one man who received grade A in five courses, another who took one half-course during the second half-year, and dropped it before the examination; and, in the table of regrets, the same weight is given to men who regret specific courses or half-courses in Classics or Mathematics, as to those who regret that they have given any time at all to "Greek and Latin" or "Mathematics." Finally, in order that the tables may reflect as accurately as possible the influences to which students are subjected at Harvard, it is necessary that the conditions of residence should be uniform. Not every graduate of the Class of 1897, accordingly, has been tabulated, but only those who entered in 1893 in regular standing, and took four consecutive years of work under the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. Men who entered in advanced standing, or in a higher or lower class, or as special ́students, or who were absent for a year on leave of absence, are all excluded. Departures from the normal type are admitted only in the case of men who reserved part of their Senior work to count for the degree of A. M.; since the work of the Graduate School does not differ in kind from that of the College, these are included, with all their courses. Counting these, the number of four-year undergraduates whose studies are classified is 244.

From the point of view of scientific pedagogy, the classification of these studies according to the official departments of instruction under which courses fall is not altogether satisfactory. No distinction, for instance, is made between courses in English Literature, English Composition, and Elocution; nor between the regular linguistic work of the Classical and Semitic departments, and courses like Latin 10, Greek 10, Semitic 6 and 12,-large courses which require of students no knowledge of the languages. The figures for the English, Classical, and Semitic departments are thus unduly large. On the other hand, an apparently arbitrary schism is made between the closely allied branches of Mathematics and Engineering, and of Botany and Zoölogy, with the result that these studies do not make so good a showing as they deserve. Moreover, three branches of study, which appear in the Announcement of Courses as "Slavic," "Military Science," and "Hygiene," cannot very well be placed under any of the twenty-two official Departments, and have had to be added loosely under their

own names.

Other objections to this method of classification will doubtless present themselves. So great, however, is the difficulty of devising a scientific classification of the different branches of knowledge, that on the whole it has seemed advisable merely to indicate the qualifications with which the figures must be read, rather than, departing from the official classification, to run the risk of being charged with unfairness in the presentation of the

case.

The first table shows the number of men who studied under the various departments in their Senior year. The departments are arranged in order of preference.

Actual number

Per cent.

History and Government.
Philosophy.

TOTAL NUMBER.

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.. 244 123 122 121 114 72 52 46 44 323021 21 15 14 14 12 11 5

100 50 50 50 47 30 21 19 18 18 13 12 9 9 6 6 6 5 5 2 1 1 1 10.40

The second table traces the decrease in number of Classical students during the four years of residence. Since not more than two or three men, after they had once dropped the Classics, returned to it in a subsequent year, the figures represent pretty accurately a process of weeding out.

It is interesting to examine in detail the work of the faithful fourteen who endured to the end. Of these, one took a Junior course for the second half-year, and dropped it before the examiation; one took only Greek 10; one chose Greek 10, and, in addition, a course which he subsequently dropped; three took only Latin 2, which is intended for Sophomores; one took the regular classical work of the Sophomore year; one took the regular work of the Junior year. Of the remaining six, four took only Greek; one took the regular Senior courses, Greek 8 and Latin 8; one took Greek 7, 8, and 10, Latin 7, 8, and 12.

The third table includes all the departments and all four years, but is confined to men who were graduated with distinction. This restriction is made in order to eliminate, so far as possible, men who, in choosing their courses, looked out for "snaps." The total number of men included is 102, so that the actual figures also represent very closely the percentage. The Departments are arranged according to order of preference in the Freshman year. Those to the right of the heavy line did not offer any elective courses regularly open to Freshmen in 1893.

The fourth table, which is based upon the preceding, takes up the departments regularly open to Freshmen, and shows what percentage of the Freshman students in each Department persisted till graduation.

史

On the "Class Lives," which every member of the Class was expected to hand in to the Secretary at graduation, two of the questions were: "What courses do you regret having chosen?" and "Favorite courses?" Of the 244 men, 160 handed in Lives. Of these, 15 did not have any favorite courses, and 81 did not regret any. The last table tells how the departments fare at the hands of the remainder. It shows the actual number of men who regretted or favored courses under each department, and ratio in which the two quantities stand to one another.

also the

The tables speak for themselves. Fifty-nine per cent. of the Class were interested in Classics in their Freshman year; six per cent., as Seniors. Among the more serious students a larger number of Freshmen worked under this Department than under

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