ment of this object than a multitude of bad grammar schools, where superfluous matters, badly learned, stand in the way of sound instruction in necessary studies."*

But it is alleged, and the allegation is often admitted by themselves, that what Americans appreciate most is the dollar. Assuming this to be true, who can acquire money honestly and honorably without intelligence? One of the wisest thinkers France has produced in her happiest days has aptly and truly described knowledge, or a sound education, as a rich, inexhaustible mine, yielding wealth, influence, and power.

These were the reasons why we resolved, fifteen years ago, to "give prominent and friendly attention" to education and to subject" to fearless criticism" whatever seemed calculated to retard or vitiate it. We were quite as well aware then as we are now, that criticism is, in the estimation of those who are criticised, a hateful thing, but we knew that precisely on the same principle the sentence of the judge is equally hateful to the malefactors upon whom it is passed.

But, to return to our main subject. When gold, copper, brass, tin, and pewter, are placed side by side as they are used in commerce, it requires but little skill in metallurgy to distinguish them from each other. But, let us suppose that all the baser metals are cunningly enveloped with tinsel, and labelled "gold," "sterling gold," "California gold," &c., it will be admitted that then it becomes necessary to strip off the tinsel in order to detect the fraud. To those who put on the envelopes and labels this is a very unamiable thing; and, perhaps, it is but natural that they should be indignant and threatening in proportion as the metal enveloped and labelled is more or less base.

We would not be understood, however, as representing any of the institutions whose catalogues are given at the head of this paper by any of the baser metals, except brass! This would be unjust. Still more unjust would it be on our part to

* Democracy in America, vol ii., chap. xv.

attribute ill-temper or discourtesy even to the worst of them, since there is not one whose president or professors made the slightest objection to our seeing their classes.

We mention this as worthy of remark, and recognise it as a step in advance. It is not for us to judge whether our criticisms on the course of the learned Provost of the University of Pennsylvania, under similar circumstances, had any thing to do with this perfect unanimity among the different heads of those institutions, as to the propriety of admitting to their recitations strangers not unlikely to criticise them. Be this as it may, the result of our observation and experience in this matter is, that we think it may now be regarded as a rule, without an exception, that no college or university, in a word, no educational institution, male or female, of any denomination, having any just pretensions to a respectable rank, pretends any longer that the recitations of its classes should be heard only by appreciative, credulous ears, or that the classes themselves should be seen only by admiring eyes. In short, so much progress has been made in this direction, in public sentiment, that, at this moment, the fact that the head of an educational institution refuses, under any pretence, to allow his recitations to be heard, is held to be pretty conclusive evidence that they are only such as would do no credit to any institution.*

We beg leave to mention another conclusion which we

* It is quite fortunate for the Jesuit and other Catholic colleges of our time and country, which are under ultramontane rule, that the Syllabus comes to their relief in this matter, by making it a mortal sin to have any thing to do with heretical journals or journalists, but especially the latter. It serves them just as well in protecting their classes from too curious profane eyes, as the sacred mistletoe served the Druids in similar circumstances. That we do the good Fathers, and those who, like them, make the Syllabus their Holy Gospel, no injustice by this remark is sufficiently proved by the fact that the Catholic colleges and seminaries which are not under ultramontane rule, and need no cloak, are as much open to the public, and hold themselves as amenable to public sentiment, Protestant and Catholic, as the most liberal and enlightened of our Protestant institutions.

find has been very generally, if not universally, arrived at even among those head-masters of institutions, academies, etc., who have most reason to dread an exposé. It seems the whole tribe have agreed among themselves that, however much to be deplored the fact is, there is no use in threatening us, or trying to frighten us. They admit that in every case threats have only made matters worse, even when carried out to their utmost extent. Instance the case of the famous Pennsylvania University. Here they saw the score of Philadelphia newspapers, dailies and weeklies-with two or three exceptions among the better class-assail us, day after day, for weeks in defence of the Provost who was no President, and of the university which was no college! But they also saw that the chief result of all this mob work was to cause the great University and its learned Provost to receive two flagellations instead of one! They were astonished to find how little we cared about the immense howl and uproar made by the daily and weekly luminaries of the good Quaker city. Doubt. less, the class of head-masters alluded to have also profited by the cases of Vassar College, Seton Hall College, Stanford Military Institute, etc. But the case, which above all others seems to have been most wholesome in its effect in showing how much worse than useless it is to attempt to threaten and bully the National Quarterly," is that of the famous "Greenwich Academy of Boston University," or rather of its misguided and unhappy head-master. At all events, let the cause or the causes be what they may, it seems that in future we are not to be threatened or bullied.

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As for the heads of the Wesleyan University, Lafayette College, and Muhlenberg College, they are far too enlightened, and understand their duties as educators far too well, to have attempted, at any time, to make star-chambers, Pythian chapels, or Druidical temples of their class-rooms.

As we have intimated, in alluding to the erroneous impression which the performances of Provost Stillé had led us to entertain of the universities and colleges of Pennsylvania, our feeling, after having heard several of the Greek and Latin

recitations at Lafayette College, was one of most agreeable surprise. When we inquired for the President, the Rev. Dr. Cattell did not say gruffly and reproachfully, or otherwise, "There is no such person," but responded to us in the cordial, courteous manner in which the heads of such institutions who are confessedly qualified for their positions have never failed to do, in America more than in Europe.

Instead of evincing any unwillingness that we should see whatever we wished to be informed upon, Dr. Cattell voluntarily and most cheerfully conducted us to every department of the institution, requesting the professors in each to afford us every possible facility to form an opinion of their system of teaching and its general results. It was evident that the professors were as willing as the President, and both were equally well aware how many colleges and universities of lofty pretensions we had criticised, and had exasperated in no slight degree by our criticisms.

Our only regret is that, in the limited space prescribed in this article for glances at the six different institutions mentioned at its head, it is impossible for us to do justice to the convincing evidences of a high standard of education, both classical and scientific, which everywhere confronted us at Lafayette. But our readers know that it is not our habit to throw away or forget such of our notes as we cannot use in one number of our journal. There is nothing claiming comment, whether in the language of approbation or censure, which we do not carefully preserve until we can give it the amount of thought and space which its importance demands. In reading a good book for review we mark many passages, but can only comment on very few in our critique, since other books of different qualities also claim our attention. But the good things necessarily passed over in the former become available again and again; at one time, as an illustration of a principle; at another, as pointing a moral, etc. We make precisely similar uses of the more important facts we learn in visiting institutions like Lafayette.

The College is situated on an elevated plateau, and at a

distance looks much more like a handsome town or city, with its various groups of more or less extensive buildings, than Easton, which seems crouching, though cozily, in the valley beneath it, and from which it is reached by a series of winding terraces that give the ascent quite a picturesque and attractive appearance. Pardee Hall, dedicated with becoming pomp a year ago, is one of the largest and finest college buildings in this country. It is devoted almost exclusively to the scientific department which includes engineering in all its branches, as well as mining, metallurgy, chemistry, &c. The chemical laboratories are on the upper floors; they are very extensive, embrace a full supply of the most improved apparatus; and the advantages they afford, conducted as they are by professors whose qualifications are beyond dispute, seem fully appreciated by a large number of busy students.

We find a description of the new building in one of the Easton papers, which we cheerfully make room for here, only premising that the facts stated being indisputable, they will give the reader an idea of the scale of magnitude upon which improvements are made, and educational facilities increased at Lafayette; they will also show that we do not exaggerate what is being done for education at that institution; especially if it be remembered that they relate only to the scientific department, and then the precept be adopted in reference to the various other departments.-Ex uno disce

omnes:

"This magnificent structure cost over two hundred and fifty thousand dollars, and is the princely gift of Mr. Ario Pardee, the founder of the Scientific Department of the College. It consists of one centre building five stories in height, fifty-three feet front, and eighty-three feet deep, and two lateral wings, one on each side of the centre building, measuring sixty-one feet in length and thirty-one in width, four stories in height, including a mansard roof, the whole terminating in two crosswings forty-two feet front and eighty-four feet deep, and four stories in height. The entire length of front in a straight line is two hundred and fifty-six feet. The material is the Trenton brown stone, with trimming of light Ohio sandstone. It is heated throughout by steam and lighted by gas. The first floor is mainly devoted to the study of mining and metallurgy; the second contains the geological and miner