The announcement of subjects for the Bowdoin prize dissertations will be eagerly welcomed by a considerable number of men whose competitive instincts seek an intellectual field for their exercise. Though the ultimate aim of such prizes must be to stimulate an active interest in the various lines of study, yet the distinction of winning a prize is in itself a perfectly commendable incentive to intellectual effort. It would be well if we had more prize competitions than we do. If that were the case, and the standards were kept high, the problem of securing more general recognition to scholarly attainment, which the Corporation has put before the Faculty, would be much nearer to solution. There would be no necessity for large appropriations of money. The prizes could be of small intrinsic value and still be a strong incentive to active competition, merely for the distinction they would confer.
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Co-operative Society Bulletin.
