ourse of
instruction in the college of arts. During the first year
the men study higher algebra, conic sections, plane
trigonometry, German (Otto's) botany, Gibbon's Rome. In the
college of letters the course is similar, but more attention
is given to classical studies; to Livy, Xenophon and Horace.
During the same years in the female college, they are
studying higher arithmetic, elementary algebra, United
States history, grammar, geography and map drawing. Truly a
high standard! The studies in the first term of the
preparatory department (to which none can be admitted under
twelve years of age) are identical with those in the female
college at the same time, except the Latin. Indeed, I cannot
see why it would not be an advantage to the students of the
female college to go into the preparatory department during
their first college year, since they can get their own
course with geometry added, and if they stay three years a
proportional amount of Latin and Greek. I could compare the
whole course in the same way, but my time and the reader's
patience would fail. There is no hint either of any thorough
prescribed course in any of the languages. In the first and
fourth year no foreign language is put down. In each term of
the second year French and Latin are written as elective,
the same for Latin or German in the third. This is a
wretched course at the best. I have no faith in a course set
down so loosely as "Latin" instead of being defined as to
what course of Latin, and what authors are read. In that
case we know exactly how much is required and expected, and
what the standard of scholarship. In the college of letters
we know that they go from Livy to Cicero on Old Age, then to
Horace and Tacitus. Similar definiteness would be
encouraging in the female catalogue. Its absence gives us
every reason to believe that the course does not amount to
enough to add any reputation to the college by being known.
Under the head of special information we are told that in
addition to this prescribed course of "thorough education
young ladies will be instructed in any optional study t