Growth Of The University

The University of Michigan began in 1841 with niDe stndents and one department, thatof literatnre, soience and the arts. It doses the flfty-seventb year of its history at the coming oomnienooment with 3,114 students and seven separate faculties. In ia first deoade the inorease was slow, frora 9 to 15. The medical department was added at the beginning, tbe law department at the end of tbe second deoade when the total attained 533. At the end of the tbird deoade wornen were admitted, and the total, includicg the new pbarmaoy department, was 1,102. Thus the third deoade more than doubled tbe attendance of the second From 1870 to 1875 there was bot 25 increase, due probably to tbe business depression socceeding for several years the panioof;871. From 1870 to 1898, nowever, the attendance has almost trebled. Toe falling off of the literary department in 1895-8 from 1,523 to 1,204 is due to tbe separate organization of the engineering department, wbose students had been incorporated with tbe literary departrneut. Jast before and afrer the war tbe literary department fel] off in nuiDbers from 287 to 217, rapidly regaining, the last year of tbe war, and quickly passing beyood its previous registration. Sinoe the .vears of business depression in 1870-75 lts attendance has steadily increased' barring the snbtraotion of the eugineers already alJnded to.