Page:A History of the University of Chicago by Thomas Wakefield Goodspeed.djvu/416

 362 A HISTORY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO attendance was increasingly large. In President Harper's Decen- nial Report he said : The attendance during the last five years at Morgan Park averaged annually one hundred and fifty-six; the attendance during the last five years of its connection with the University [1897-1902] has averaged, on the basis of three quarters to the year, two hundred and fifty-four. An event of great significance was the establishment in January, 1897, of the American Journal of Theology, edited by the Divinity faculty. This journal was a quarterly, and though not attaining a large circulation, was ably conducted and won a high rank among theological journals. In 1907 Dr. Hulbert, who had served for fifteen years as Dean, passed away. Professor Shailer Mathews, who had been made Junior Dean in 1899, succeeded to the Deanship in 1907, the same year in which Dr. Judson, after a year as Acting President, became President of the University. In 1911-12 the School took a most important step in the matter of its curriculum. It has been a common criticism of theological seminaries that they turned out scholars rather than practical, efficient workers. In his report to the President for the year in question Dean Mathews wrote: After careful consideration and full discussion, these general principles have been adopted for a curriculum: 1. The vocational curriculum should be of such a sort as will lead men to specialization and efficiency in various types of religious work. In general these types are: (i) the pastorate; (2) religious education in connection with churches; (3) work as missionaries; (4) social service; (5) special teaching in some particular discipline. 2. Such vocational curriculum should be organized in the interests of efficiency in the particular vocation, allowing (a) a full opportunity for general introduction to the underlying disciplines, and (b) an opportunity for specializa- tion. In the reports of the two succeeding years the Dean stated that every student who was a candidate for the degree of Bachelor of Divinity would be required to take eleven units of practical work, covering public speaking, music, observation of work of institutions, actual experience in churches, or other types of religious work for which the student is preparing, [and] the curricula