PRIZES OR HONORS.

WHILE benighted Yale and Harvard are training for a trial of wind and muscle, our more enlightened brethren are arranging for a contest to test the powers of brain and "cram" developed by their several Almoe Matres. Besides the oratorical contest, various other events are announced with the following programme: -

In Greek, 1. AEschylus's Agamemnon. 2. Demosthenes and AEschines de Corona. 3. Greek Composition. In Latin, 1. Cicero de Officiis. 2. Lucretius de Rerum Natura, Book VI. 3. Tacitus's Germania, for which Halm's text will be used. They will also be examined in reading and translating Latin at sight. In Mental Science, I. Herbert Spencer's First Principles. 2. Herbert Spencer's First Principles of Psychology, Vol. 1. In Mathematics, Algebra, Geometry, Trigonometry, Analytics, Differential and Integral Calculus.

An examination of the programme confirms us in the conclusion that Harvard was wise in refusing to join the Association; if we may complacently say so, every advantage that the contest can give may be obtained without leaving the soil of Cambridge. In place of the essays and the oratory we have the Bowdoin and Boylston prizes, and in place of the examinations of the I. C. L., the examinations for honors.

The prize essays are well enough, since they stimulate literary activity without involving cramming; but why examinations of the partial character announced should be made the object of intercollegiate contest it is hard to see. They call forth work, but not of the right kind. To examine a man on a play of AEschylus and orations of Demosthenes and AEschines cannot make him a broad Greek scholar, but will only force him to cram these subjects till he knows them by heart. Such an examination is no test of his ability to read the language. Again, it is necessary for a well-educated man to be familiar with Herbert Spencer; but it is destructive to all true scholarship to urge students to devote so much time and energy to the study of a single author who has not yet completely won his spurs in the field of philosophy.

The superiority of the honor examinations is easily seen. Aiming at a thorough knowledge of the whole subject, their extent renders useless any special preparation previous to examination. In the Classics, the main tests are reading at sight and composition. In Philosophy, the requirements are about five times as great as those of the I. C. L. In Mathematics, work equivalent to the Association's requirements is demanded for passing the examination for Second Year honors. Until, then, a diploma from the Association shall mean more than one from Harvard, we must be excused for continuing our bigoted and conservative course.