INTELLECTUAL PREPAREDNESS.

While radical upsets in entrance requirements and curriculum have recently caused some sweeping changes in almost all of our sister universities, Harvard alone has remained unaltered. Ever since Yale and Princeton took steps toward the abolition of classical requirements and the "liberalization" of admission examinations, men interested in the welfare of the University have wondered what sort of a change would come in Harvard. But, with the fighting ended over a year ago, nothing unexpected has happened.

Apparently such a course of inaction can be explained in but two ways: either the war has not taught us anything worth adopting, or else we have not been keen enough to profit from its lessons. Is it again a case of "Harvard indifference," or is there a deeper reason than appears on the surface?

In a recent address a professor of the University gave an explanation of Harvard's inaction which is worthy of thoughtful consideration. He said that the reason there had been no abrupt upset here after the war is that Harvard has always progressed at a smooth rather than a jerky rate. Ever on the lookout and with committees always investigating and suggesting improvements, the University has grown slowly but continuously. In this way Harvard, under President Eliot, faced the period of readjustment after the Civil War. The growth of the graduate schools, the liberalizing of the requirements for the degree of "A. B.", and the introduction of the elective system, came gradually. Since their adoption here every one of these changes has been accepted by the collegiate world.

It is a long time since Greek was dropped as an entrance requirement, and since Latin was compulsory for Freshmen here. Harvard was the first college to adopt, the "Comprehensive Plan" for entrance, and has been a leader in the system of concentration, distribution and general examinations. The recent progressive steps taken by other universities have only in rare instances gone beyond what Harvard has already done. Perhaps the reason that Harvard has remained comparatively unchanged this year is that she was prepared to meet modern conditions before they met her.