A DESCRIPTIVE BOOK OF ELECTIVES.

IN its present form, the Elective Pamphlet is little more than a bare list of the different courses, and it gives the least possible assistance to a student in selecting his studies. If the student be a Freshman, it is doubly hard to make a selection of studies that will suit him; because he knows few upper classmen from whom to get information about the different courses. Take, for example, the following from the Elective Pamphlet:* "NATURAL HISTORY 4. Geology. Three times a week. Professor SHALER. Course 4 can be taken twice a week, omitting the field work, if notice to that effect is given in advance." By the use of the dictionary, one gets a definition of geology; but that does not give a very clear idea of what the course is about. The next thing that needs further explanation is, Who conducts the course? It says, in the pamphlet, Professor Shaler. But Professor Shaler does not have charge of the field work. Mr. Davis and Mr. Diller have that. The next question is whether the two-hour course is to be recitations or lectures. The last and greatest doubt that can arise is as to the nature of field work. Most of these things are told us at the first recitation of the year; but they are not always fully explained. If from what is told we decide to leave the course, we are put to much trouble to do so, especially when we have made our plan of study for the remaining years. Of course, in the beginning, we can go to see the different professors that have charge of all the courses which we think of selecting for three years' work, and get a description of them; but the description is apt to be meagre, and our ideas confused from not wishing to bother the professors for a second and third account. Aside from this, it is a great nuisance to go to a professor's house or room a number of times, only to find that he is not at home, to say nothing of the trouble to the professor when you do find him at home.

I would suggest that, in place of the present Elective Pamphlet, a descriptive book be published, and that, if necessary, a price be charged for it. Every professor could then write a description of his courses. Possibly, it would be a good plan to give "Syllabi" of every course in connection with the descriptive book. The description of Natural History 4, for instance, might be made on the following plan, only as much fuller and better as a professor would make it: -

"NATURAL HISTORY 4. Geology," &c., as above. "The two-hour course will consist of lectures, in which will be explained the formation of the beds of rock on the earth's surface; formation of glaciers and the theories of their movement; volcanoes, their source and causes," &c., &c., in detail. "The third hour of the course will be devoted, while the mild weather lasts, to work in the various quarries near Cambridge. This work will consist of collecting specimens, drawing maps, &c. During the cold weather, the work will be in drawing models of various sections of the country. The examination on the field work will be held separately from the examination on the two-hour course, and will be upon the notebooks, which count 15 out of 100; on the specimens, which count 5 out of 100. The remaining 80 per cent is upon the examination paper. The third 'hour' on field work occupies three hours a week when visiting the quarries, and two hours when drawing from models. Mr. Davis and Mr. Diller have charge of this course. There will be four or five sections in field work, some of them going out in the morning, others in the afternoon," &c., &c.

"There will be an hour examination on the lectures in November. There will be no midyear examination in field work, but a one-hour examination in December. In the year 1879-80, - men took the three-hour course; - of them dropped the field work, and - were conditioned. - took the two-hour course," &c., &c.

There are, of course, other facts concerning the course that it would be useful to give, as to the number of hours that the average student would have to give to outside work, and what the general nature of that work would be. The statistics of the number of men taking the course, and of the number dropped, &c., as above, would be very useful. The average per cent attained by those who were not conditioned would be interesting. One or two of the professors have thought of publishing some statistics and explanations of their own courses; but no official suggestions of the kind have been made, to our knowledge.

BLUNT.

* This course is used as an example simply because the separation of the field work and lectures under different instructors furnishes an illustration of the necessity for some description of the courses.