Cornell College - Royal Purple Yearbook (Mount Vernon, IA)

Page 28 text:

CHAR-LES REUB'E,N Karas, M. A. Department of German Language and Literature CHARLES R. KEYES, Professor ELIZABETH SMITH, Instructor The annual catalogues of the college reveal an interesting history of the gradual progress in favor made by the modern languages. Cornell offered no German during the first five years of its existence, though the claims of French had been modestly recognized. In 1858, with the arrival of Miss Harriette J. Cooke as Teacher of German, Drawing and Painting, instruction in this language began, though it received no recognition in the very fully prescribed Collegiate Course. This statement was all that appeared in the catalogued: During the Junior and Senior Years students may pursue French, German or Hebrew in place of certain of the prescribed studies, the selection to be made by the faculty. Both of the modern languages appear among the ornamental branches U for which extra tuition is charged. These frills of education are enumerated as French, German, music, pencil drawing, crayoning, painting, ornamental hair work, and wax flowers and fruit. Not until 1869 does German appear as a regular elective for one year for Juniors in the scicntihic course. In 1872 Miss Cooke becomes professor of German and History, a two years' course is offered, and the extra tuition is no longer charged.

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' W7IN-.I'FRE'D C. Have, A. B-,. The Qurficulum of the English lclepartment offsets coourses in' rhetoric and olomlposition., languageu, and literature, but no halid.6L11d fast lil1GS of ,demarcation are drawn between any two of these phases of 'English inf struction. Composition courses contain fS,O1Il6'l literary interpretation, afforded by the study of modern essays, fiction, playsg language courses mover neglect the :appreciation of literary lqualltiog readings from Old and Middle Englishg and llteiratune courses call ooI1s1ta11tlatten- tion to the relation of the sword to the thollght, and the Qrgaiiic Dgfmlre-'Qf structure and style. t L . Students Whoo are interested in liteliature as an art may have Work lin the poetry of the nineteenth olentury, in in Shakspoere, and Milton and lthe1Glassiois1ts Those who are llotlintoetested BJG513hG1'P ics, but Wish to know JChG2't1llOllg'117fJSVOf great minded, and to have la more-yitlol revelation of the life and ideas of different ages of English Givililziatiolu, will fmd that COHSiClGI7B5blQ'2LfJDGIltClOl1 is devoted to political, social and religious' activities of each age represented poets referred to above- For sltydents of history or philosophy or social ectenclel, there loffered la oourse nilletooatlleclentury prose, iilcludingjthe study of Carlyle, Thackeray, Ruskin, Matthew Amold, and zothemfs, and devoting almost leiiclusive attention to the social ideas of these alltlloiss. , Alcoves in English and American literlaturezh endowedfrespectivelyoby the AGSfh9Si3H and Ph'i1O'If12L'Cht-BEUI1 Liteiwaliy Societies, afford some facilities for advanced Work in English.

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With George O. Curnie as professor of Gerinan and Frenchj in 1886, three years of Gerinan are offered. He occupies Cornell's first full chair in this language. by beconiing, in 1891, professor of the Gernian Language and Literature. The high standard attained by Professors Cooke and Gurine was well maintained during 1896-97 by Professor F. G. VG. Schmidt, and froni 1897 to 1903, by Professor Francis A. Wood. In 1904 the third year class was larger enough to call for a division. This was accoinplished by extending. the regular course to four years. Throughout the history of German in the college the classical Writers have received the greatest share of attention, though, as the catalogues indicate, more modern authors are also freely read. ' The nuniber of 'students in the departinent has' increased even more rapidly than the general growth of college attendance. During, the present year two teachers with eight classes have provided more or less instruction in the German language for three hundred different students. - ' .1 I