Through the kindness of the Dean we are able to announce the following changes in the Elective Pamphlet for next year. The distinction between college and graduate courses is abolished and the graduate will be numbered hereafter with the other courses. Formerly, in order to elect a graduate course, application had to be made to the faculty and their permission by vote was necessary before the course could be taken. Now, the higher courses which require the consent of the instructor will be marked by a star, and the rule is that all courses thus marked necessitate the consent of the instructor.

Another radical change is made in the hour system of the electives. Under the new system the number of hours has nothing to do with the choice of electives, for there will be no two or three hour courses. All electives are divided into whole and half courses. The distinction between whole and half courses, however, does not depend on the number of hours of recitation. The basis of the division lies in the amount of work the course is understood to imply. Thus it will be found that a number of full courses have only two hours a week, others even only one hour-e. g., one of the higher courses in Mathematics. The guide in making the choice is this: All the upper classmen are required to elect four courses or their equivalent-e. g., four whole courses, or two whole courses and four half courses.

It will be seen that, as was stated above, the number of hours of recitation implied does not enter into the calculation. In the pamphlet only the half courses are designated as such; all those not especially mentioned are to be regarded as whole courses. Again, another very neat change has been made by combining the official time-table with the number of the elective, i. e., under each elective, as far as is practicable, are placed the hour and day of the week on which the recitation occurs.

Of the more special changes are the following:

In the department of Modern Languages, contrary to the general impression, the work will be as comprehensive, the instruction as efficient, if not more so, than this year. French V. will pass under the supervision of Prof. Bocher, and an authority says it will be a different course than it has ever been before; no account will be made of the matter read; the examination will be, not on the substance of the books read, but extracts from different authors will be given to test the student's facility in reading French. Mr. Sheldon has charge of Italian I. and II.; Prof. Nash has full charge of the Spanish department; German I. and IV. will be consolidated, forming a whole course, under Mr. Lutz. Mr. Cook has presented a new course in German classics. This he designates as a senior course. In the Philosophical Department the most important change is that in the course numbered IV. "Locke, Berkeley and Hume." This was formerly taught by Prof. Palmer. It is now to pass under the supervision of Dr. James. Two advanced courses in Ethics will be given by Prof. F. G. Peabody. Courses I. and II. will hereafter be counted as whole courses and come three times a week. The English department will be substantially the same. English II. will continue to be regarded as a course that can be taken for two successive years, and the same is true of English VII. Lastly, the former graduate course in Beowulf, one hour, has been included in English IV., and the two constitute a whole course.

In history, the course marked II. will be made to cover the ground now taken by course I. and the latter will drop out. History III. will remain as before. Under this head a very important announcement is made that Professor Gurney will, in the years 1883-84, give a new course on the "Constitutional and Legal History of France to the end of the Fifteenth Century." This is to supplement his course in Roman History (III.) in alternate years.

There is no marked change in Chemistry and Physics. A few higher half courses will be added. The Mathematics are simply re-arranged as to their order. In Music, courses I. and IV. have been put together, thus making a three-hour whole course. Political Economy will be under the charge of Dr. Laughlin and Mr. Taussig. Course I. will be under their joint care and the same as this year, with the addition of "Elements in Banking." Pol. II. will be taught by Dr. Laughlin, and the course will be more comprehensive than the one given this year, embracing Professor Cairne's work, Carey's "Social Science and Lectures in the History of Political Economy." There will also be a higher course under the title, "Economic Effects of Land Tenure in England, Ireland, France, Germany and Russia." This is under Mr. Laughlin and will count as a one half course.

The above account will, we hope, suffice to give a general view of the changes to our readers.