French 6

Because of the fact that French 6 is divided into four sections, two French and two English, only those men in the French sections have the privilege of hearing the colorful yet meaty lectures of Professor Morize and Allard on French literature from the 12th century to the present day. Although the other sections are conducted by able enough men, their presentation of the hasty survey, approximately 12 lectures on the leading writers of each century, is naturally not as vivid and detailed yet at the same time as comprehensive as that of Professor Morize, who is a romantic at heart, and is inclined to resent the disparaging remarks made by members of other departments about Victor Hugo, or of Professor Allard, whose inimitable fashion of talking attracts many students.

In spite of the fact that the mechanics of the course demand endless reading reports and "lectures obligatoires," which harass the student before frequent hour exams, the outside reading itself is carefully picked to include the best works of each period, and can be made thoroughly enjoyable if not done under pressure.

French 9

For a course taken by so many men in the concentration field of Romance languages, this logical sequence of French 6 fails to hit the mark by a considerable distance. By this statement it is not intended to signify that the subjects are not covered properly in Professor Wright's lectures; there is no question that purely as a preparation for divisional exams this course on the seventeenth century is amply sufficient. However, nodding heads over many desks indicate that a number of students are far from thrilled by the words of the lecturer, but rather are lulled to sleep.

Two theses are required during the year. Corneille, Racine, and Moliere consume the greatest amount or time both inside and outside the classroom, but the reading of their plays is well worth while. Most of the other writers of less fame are covered in more or less sketchy fashion which does not interest the student to any considerable extent in either the lecture or the subject. Too many of the facts brought out, for facts are regrettably the mainstay of the talks, are ones which the hearers have usually heard once before. Perhaps a more satisfactory system would be that used in French 8, where the lesser writers are often passed over entirely both in lectures and reading, which gives time for the others to be covered more pleasantly and fully. Taken in sum, it is a useful course to have had, but one takes it rather for the reading than for the lectures.

Geology 4

If one has an interest in nature and a curiosity as to how the earth's features were formed, he should appreciate and enjoy Professor Mather's course. Of course, as in all elementary sciences the new and unfamiliar technique to be mastered and the arbitrary manner of setting forth principles and facts to be memorized is apt to repel the would be scientist. In spite of the popular conceptions of geologists in boy scout uniforms, hammering at rocks or partly fossilized among their dried bones and museum specimens, this is one of the most stimulating of the sciences. It teaches one to think in terms of great stretches of space and time and even the minutiae of the science lead directly to its broader and more general conclusions. The origin and ages of mountains, the reasons for volcanoes, glaciers, ocean basins and continental masses can hardly be called picayune material of interest only to the specialist.

German A

The remarks on French 1 and 2, printed above, may be applied with equal validity to German A. The course is useful chiefly as an argument against the existence of the language requirements and as a condemnation of a secondary school system which leaves the teaching of elementary language courses to the colleges. This criticism is not original. The professor in charge of the course deplores at the opening meeting the necessity of giving the course at all, and it is only too evident throughout the year that the instructors share his views. Besides those who take the course to pass off their language requirements, there is a minority who really want a knowledge of the tongue. It is right that they should be forewarned, for they will most likely be disappointed.

German B

Occasionally a man is a course and a course is a man, and so wedded are the two that separation of them defies the greatest feats of imagination. So it is with German B. Without Dr. Herrick the tremendous scope and perfect efficiency of the course is inconceivable; with him it remains an eighth wonder. Dr. Herrick is a born pedagog, inspiring, able to induce a desire for knowledge and to get results. He has a wealth of anecdotal and related information which makes the driest, application of Grimm's law or the third rule for the use of the subjunctive less grim, and the dullest passage of Immensee romantic and entrancing; still he tolerates few irrelevant digressions. His sympathy with his students is that of a man who understands their difficulties and makes the path as smooth as possible, yet he never slights thoroughness.

Any student beginning German may be honestly advised to substitute German B for the spotty inefficiencies of German A. For an instructor he will have a master rather than a tyro; in subject matter he will find that the dull necessities are compressed to a tight, clear, concise does made palatable by the chocolate chicle of interesting relevancies. Further, and most important, he will compress into one year the stupid translation which occupies the unenlightened who take German A, German 1, and German 2; he will be able at the end of a year of vigorous, stimulating effort, to go to more important courses, German 3, 4, 9, 26a, and justify the pair of A's or B's earned in German B by successful competition with the best of deutschen Bucherfreunde.

German 2

Students anxious to retain in their minds the general reading knowledge of German which they may have gathered in German A or 1A will find their desires fulfilled in this course of German 2, in which the prep school style of conducting the class is offset by some rather valuable reading in Goethe, Schiller, Lessing, Thomas Mann, and other famous writers of past or present times.

Daily prepared reading is supplemented by a book of outside reading to be done about every month and a half. Tests come with a lamentable frequency which necessitates doing considerable work on the books in question. There is no composition work; a slight amount of oral dictation is the only writing done. On the whole the course can certainly not be called interesting because of the class drudgery, nor on the other hand can it be called hard unless one finds German way over his head. No particular advance in the style of conducting the class or in the work chosen can be found over German 1A.