Hiram College - Spider Web Yearbook (Hiram, OH)

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A college education should stand for two things: an all around education and a well-disciplined mind. The very conditions of the age make men of broad and liberal thought a necessity. It is frequently said that this is an age of specialization in educational as well as in other lines of work. And so it is. But not a specialization built upon a narrow foundation. A lofty specialization needs a broad base upon which to stand. In order then that we may have a strong specialized work in the University it is very neces¬ sary that the work of the college be broad and liberal. But discipline of mind is the most valuable product of the col¬ lege course. Timothy Dwight says: ‘Education should have as its end and purpose the culture and development of the thinking mind.” This can only be attained by studies that exact hard and patient toil. Hiram’s successful effort to maintain a high standard of college work is worthy of great commendation. She adheres with great accuracy to her published courses and yearly grows more severe in the care which she exercises in admitting the grades of students from inferior institu¬ tions. By her very spirit she causes her students to seek voluntarily a thorough college training. For this reason the abridged courses provided a few years ago to meet a certain demand have served almost wholly as feeders for the regular college courses. Long live Hiram and her prosperity! 17

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patriotism of the Seniors to give both dignity and vivacity to the greatest college publication of the year. Of what value is the Bachelors’ degree ? is a question that is frequently asked and variously answered. A correct answer depends altogether upon the condi¬ tions of its bestowal. If it stands for a thorough college course it is exceedingly valuable; otherwise it is worthless. This degree comes down to us from the thirteenth century with quite an honorable academic history and at present is of more certain merit than any other conferred by Ameri¬ can educational institutions. The doctor’s degree in Ger¬ many stands for real worth, but in the United States its value is an unknown quantity. The manner in which it has been conferred has been so promiscuous and the motive so mercenary that its value has fallen in public esteem. Thus far the integrity of the Bachelor’s degree has been kept tolerably pure, and although the amount of work that it represents may differ with different colleges, it never fails to stand for work actually performed by the student. The honesty of this degree is threatened by a growing demand for shorter courses and lighter studies. In the minds of an ever-increasing number, four years are too many to spend in college halls, and time devoted to the classics and higher mathematics is as good as lost. It behooves students who stand for a high standard of work as a requisite for this degree, to resist every effort to impeach its integrity and assist every effort to maintain its historical dignity. i6

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