THE NEW CATALOGUE.

At last, after long and impatient waiting, the ever-belated Catalogue has appeared. Few changes are to be seen in this year's issue to distinguish it from other years, save what has previously been explained. An enterprising "Index to Advertisers" adorns the last page, and a useful list of officers of the university, arranged alphabetically, as well as the usual list on the basis of collegiate seniority, appears for the first time. The chief change to be noticed is the new arrangement of full courses and half courses, a change that has already grown familiar, however, and lost the charm of novelty. The overseers whose terms expire in 1888 are Mayor Green, Charles Francis Adams, Jr., W. G. Russell, Leverett Saltonstall and Moorfield Story, a very imposing array of names. Among officers of instruction the chair of Professor of German remains still empty, alas, to the great detriment of the college. The other vacancies are the Perkins Professorship of Astronomy and Mathematics, Hersey Professorship in Anatomy, the chairs in Applied Zoology, in Engineering and in Dental Pathology. The office of "University Printer" is for the first time elevated to the dignity of a position in the catalogue. The list of annual lecturers is smaller than usual, and the only name of importance contained is that of President Walker, whose subject is "The Tenure of Land." In the list of students there is not much change from last year, save in the larger space given to freshmen and special students. The number of students entering from other colleges is gratifyingly large. A student from Harpoot, Armenia, and a bachelor of laws from Cambridge University, England, appears among the specials. The summary shows, in exact numbers, 203 seniors, 209 juniors, 207 sophomores, 263 freshmen and 46 specials, a total of 928 in the college proper. In the list of courses a closer and more compact arrangement and smaller type makes a pleasing change. Semetic languages and Sanskrit and Zend loom up in a very formidable manner. The descent to freshman studies next following, however, like that to Avernus, is easy - a statement that is perhaps equivocal. Those ancient deceits - the four tables of estimated annual expenses - still maintain their posts of duty in the catalogue, representing with invariable exactness from year to year, not the state of things which is, but the state which should be. The entire catalogue has a prosperous look, and indicates gratifying growth and improvement for the university.