AMERICAN HISTORY EXAMINATIONS SET FOR NOVEMBER 15

November 15 has been set as the date of the first examinations for undergraduates for the William H. Bliss Prizes in American History, it was announced yesterday by Howard M. Jones, professor of English. The examinations are under the auspices of the Committee on the Extra-Curricular Study of American History, of which Jones is chairman.

A prize of $100 is being offered this year for the best exam paper. The competition is open to all undergraduates who are not now enrolled, or who have not been enrolled as college students, in courses in American literature or American history, and who have read the books listed in Part I in the "Harvard Reading List in American History."

To qualify for the examinations students must notify the Committee in writing before November 1. Notices should be sent to Lehman Hall.

Quiz on Part I Only

Contrary to the announcement in the preface to the "Harvard Reading List in American History," the examination on November 15 will cover only Part I of the pamphlet. In 1938, however, examinations will be held to cover Parts I and II of the pamphlet; and in 1939 and thereafter examinations will be offered covering Parts I, II, and III. Appropriate prizes, increasing in amount, will be offered as the number and difficulty of the examinations increase.

Copies of the Reading List in Amer- ican History have been available for some months at the Publications Office in Lehman Hall, and may be obtained upon application.

"Common Denominator"

The William H. Bliss Prizes in American History, of which the one to be offered November 15 is the first to be announced, are offered as a means of carrying out a recommendation by President Conant in his report of 1936-1937, when he said: "It seems clear...that it would be desirable for every college graduate to have a knowledge of the cultural history of the United States in the broadest sense of the term. . . . A true appreciation of this country's past might be the common denominator among educated men which would enable them to face the future united and unafraid."

Believing that "a course taken under compulsion at the college age" would not meet the need, President Conant appointed a committee of the faculty to prepare an "extra-curricular reading list" for the purpose.

This reading list has been widely hailed by the general public, some thousands of copies having been distributed. The prizes and examinations offered by the university are, however, at present confined to undergraduates.

Besides chairman Jones, members of the committee in charge of the American History program include Chester N. Greenough '98, professor of English, Francis O. Matthiessen, associate professor of History and Literature, Frederick Merk, professor of History, Samuel E. Morison '07, professor of History, Kenneth B. Murdock '16, professor of English, Arthur M. Schlesinger, professor of History, and Dumas Malone, director of the University Press