Regents Meet

Five members of the board of regents attended the monthly meeting held yesterday. In the morning the president's annual report was presented. It proved to be a document of unusual interest. After recounting the appointments on the faculty made during the past year Dr. Angelí paid a tribute to the memory of the late Prof. Frieze. Of Henry Wade Kogers, who has been made president of Northwestern University, he spoke as follows: "We appreciate the honor which is conferred upon this University by this houor bestowed upon one of her sons, who has rendered so valuable service in the discharge of his officialduties as teacher and as executive officer of our great school of law. To his enterprise and abiiity the rapid growth of that school in recent years is in no small measure due. Our best wishes for liis success followhim to liis new and important field of labor." The president at this point reported the attendance and the number of graduates during; tho year 1889-90. Conimenting upon the figures given, he says, "The number of graduates, on examination, was larger by 103 than in the year preceding, ïnuch larger than in any year previous to that and mucii larger than the number of graduates from any other American university at any time. This fact is the more striking and gratifying, when we remember that we have, during the past few years, largely increased the requirements for graduation in most of the departments." The number of women in the University rose from 301 in 18S8-89 to 3C9 in 1889 -90. In all departments but the literary, there was a decrease, but in the latter the numberof ladies increased 77. Last year the proportion of women to the total enrollinent was 28.1 in the literary department and 17.1 in the whole University. The president referred to the cosmopolitancharacterof.theinsütution and saw in that the far-reaching influence which the University of Michigan isdestinedtoexert. During tlie past year the number of gradúate students was eighty-four. It should be the policy of the University, thought tlie president, to encourage post-graduate work as much as possible. At this point he took up the question of reducing the college cotirse to three years, which he discussed at some length. While there v.as considerable weight in the argumenta favoring the change, because if that were adopted students might enter upon professional work at an earlier age, he thought that the same result might be gained by better arrangement. "Several courses present thetnselves. First, only three years of college work may be asked for the bachelor's degree. In that case a student must be required to do more work in each 3"ear than he has done heretofore in colleges, or the standard of attainment for graduation must be reduced. Second, substantially the plan which we have followed for several years may be adopted. The condition of attaining the bachelor degree is not meeting a. requirement of time, but of work. One must complete bo many courses of study, a part of which are fixed, a part elective, while in order to avoid cramming, there is a limit to the number of courses which a student may undertake at once." The president reminded the board that many succeed in finishing the course in three years and half and a few evenjin three years. This plan has worked very satisfactorily. The number of men who leave their eourse in order to go into professional work is not so large as formerly. In 1871-77, thirty-one per cent of the A. B. graduates took a professional course, while only fourteen per cent of those who did not remain in college did so. The number of both classes of students is much smaller now, and the president holds that it is not now necessary to give so much relativo weight to the needa of students who enter the professions. The engineering course, which is taken by one-sixth of the jiterary students, cannot be abridged; if anything, it should be extended. In concluding his argument, Dr. Angelí held that the curtailment of the college course should certainly not take place until the requirements for admission have been considerably raised. The average age of the students who enter the literary department is less than it was fifteen years ago by one fiill year. During 1889-90, the average was eighteen and one-eighth, that of the men being seventeen years and seven and one-half months, and that of the women.nineteen years and flve months, The decrease in the average age, Dr. Angelí held, Was due, first, to the improvement of the preparatory schools and, secondly, to the better flnancial condition of the parents,which enabled students to cometo college immediately after graduating. The president referred to the extensión of the medical course to four years and the erection of the hospitals. The result of the former change has been to attract a better class of students. He thoughtthat the hospitals should receive more patients irom the charitable institutions of the state than they do at present. Speaking of the law department, he advocated the enlargement of the requirements for admission and nrged the necessity of larger quarters for the students. He referred to the great demand for additional laboratory advantages, inasmuch as all true scientific study isnow carried on by the method of research. He advised the mmediate erection of a $50,000 addition on the eastern side of the museum building. The librarian's report gives the namberof bound volumesas 74,599 unbound pamphlets, 14,907; maps, 571. The crease over last year is 4.S96 volumes During 1889-90, 131.874 books were taken out of the general library, 4G,000 more tlian in tbe previous year. The president briefly referred to the additions to the museum during the past year; commended the work of the various religious guilds; ppoke of the caialogueof alumni now being prepared, Vvliich contains over 10,000 names : advoiated the purchase of ten or fiftecn aerea of land for athletic grounds, and finally touehed upon the great size of the university and thedifficulties ander which the wliole faculty labors on that account. The usual numberof appointments were made by the regents.the most important being that of Henry Wade Rogers as lecturer in tbe law denartment for one-ha!f the year and Piof. Melville Bigelow, of Boston, for the remaining half. Several degrees were conferred upon paststudents. The matter of appointing woman instructora was deferred. The ' committee on grounds and buildings were authorized to construct new water closets at an expense of $2,000. Prof. J. C. Knoulton was appointed acting dean, in place of lïenry Wade Rogors, resigned. The treasurer reported receipts duiing the past year of $344,690.23 and expenditures $278,173 32. CAMPUS NOTES J. R. Angelí, '90, is studying íbr a raaster's degree. There are ten Japanese students in the law department. "W. B. Ramsey law '91, has been elected manager of Glee Clnb. The new McMillan hall is lo be completed by April 1, 1891. E. B. Conrad, '90, of this city, is with a printing press flrm in Broakïyn. The U. of M. eleven defeated the Albions last Saturday by a score of 56 to 10. Freshmen asked each other the stt-reotyped questions at the S. C. A. social, last Friday evening. The dramatic club expects to present in January the "Bourgeois Geotilhomme," of Moliere. Two junior laws prefix their respective ñames with "Miss," to wit: Miss Emma R. Lee and Mis3 Julia R. Jenney. D.B. Cheever 91, a resident of this city, will discuss the new electric rail way before the engineering society to morrow evening. v J. Burgan, a freshman "lit," is now minus a fïnger. His hand was caugh in the !nner at the mechanical Uboratory on Monday last. The first annual inter-collegiate oratorical contest will be held in Ann Arbor next May. Evanston, Oberiin, Wisconsin and Michigan will take part. The rugby team will play with the D. A. C. at Detroit, on October ]8; Xotre Dame, at South Bend, October 25; Notre Dame, at Ann Arbor, Noveaiber 1 ; Cornell, November 15. place nut y et selected. Messrs. C. E. Filkinsand C. C. Spencer, atthe next meeting of the Alpha Nu, will debate the followingquestion: "Resolved, that the attitude of the Roman Catholic and Lutheran sects toward the Bennett law is justifiable." At the meeting of the Choral Union last week 150 persons reported and room 24 was packed. The union will present " Cristophorcs " in May, as previously stated, and expect to present Gounod's "Redemption" some time in May. The following are editora of this y ear's Oracle: H. A. Friedman, managing editor; W. J. Currer, business manager; Miss Lulu Southmayd, secretary ; H. H. Denham, F. H. Smith, S. S. Harria, W. P. Parker, W. S. Wfaiting, E. E. Jannette and Miss Margaret Cahill, associate editors. The lordly seniors of the leeal persuasión recently proclaimed their determination that no junior should wear a tile. One of them insisted on doing so, however, and was badly rusbed by the upper classruen on Friday. Freshmanlike he drew a revolver and kept his persecutor? at bay with a heavy cane. Since tben he has learned wisdom and discarded the tile. The laws, assisted by many other students, hired a brass band last night, procured torches and fireworks and marcbed in a body to the house of Prof. Knowlton, the newly elected dean. Mr. Henry delivered an address on behalf of the students and the proh'ssor responded with a few modest and apprppriate words. The students afterwárds gave Prof. Thompson an oval ion. The ladies of the university,irrepective of class, society or depart inent lines, met together on Saturday evening last and organized an assoeiation. About one hundred "co-eds" have already sent in their ñames, a constitution has been adopted and an executive committee of fifteen members has been selected to perfect the organization. The object of the association is the promotion of social intercourse atnoDg the ladies of the university. On Monday evening all the students already in the city were registered on the faculty books a'nd for the first time this year the University authorities gave out the figures. The attendance is as follows : literary, 1,045; law, 523; medical, 383 ; pharmacy, 9'! ; dental, 130; homceopathic, 73; total, 2,246. The enrollrnent at the same time last year was 1,943, distributed as follows : literary, 866; law, 468; medical, 366; pharmacy, 76; dental, 100; homceopathic, 67.