Page:American Journal of Sociology Volume 9.djvu/888

 854 THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SOCIOLOGY

Education's Drift Westward. A question which is attracting great interest in the educational world at the present time is the reported gain in enrol- ment of the colleges and universities of the middle West at the expense of eastern educational institutions. President Henry S. Pritchett of the Massachusetts Insti- tute of Technology in a recent interview asserted that " the increasing cost of living at the eastern colleges is driving men of the West to home institutions, and consequently these latter are growing more rapidly than their eastern rivals." Whether this statement is true or not, a table of statistics compiled by Mr. Rudolph Tombo, Jr., registrar of Columbia University, and published in the Boston Transcript, is very suggestive. " In almost all cases," says that paper, " the western colleges showed a distinct gain, while some of the most prominent of eastern universities showed a loss or very slight increase. The figures given by Mr. Tombo are approximately those for November last, and are as accurate as is possible to get them, all being obtained from proper officials of the several universities."

The figures as given show the registration of twenty of the leading universi- ties of the country: University of California, University of Chicago, Columbia, Cornell, Harvard, University of Illinois, University of Indiana, Johns Hopkins, Leland Stanford Junior, University of Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, University of Nebraska, Northwestern, Ohio State University, Pennsylvania, Princeton, Syra- cuse, Wisconsin, and Yale. The general gain throughout the country is not as marked as it was last year. Several of the larger institutions have shown a dis- tinct loss, and in very rare instances has the general increase been as large as the year previous at any institution. The universities of California, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, and Wisconsin all show a gain in the total registration. Leland Stanford Junior remains practically the same as last year. Chicago, Indi- ana, Nebraska, and Northwestern are the western colleges to lose in the total registration. But President Pritchett's contention is illustrated by these latter, for Leland Stanford Junior, University of Indiana, and Northwestern have all gained in their undergraduate schools, showing that the tendency of the students to enter home institutions is first felt in the undergraduate schools. The other colleges to gain are Johns Hopkins, Pennsylvania, Princeton, Cornell, Columbia, Harvard, Yale, and Syracuse. Of these, Harvard and Johns Hopkins show a loss in undergraduates. The figures of 457 for Indiana and 312 for Michigan, the gain in the undergraduates, and 700 for Illinois and 337 for Wisconsin, in total regis- tration increase, are unapproached in the eastern colleges, with the exception of Harvard, which shows a total gain of 545. The middle West, as shown, seems to be profiting most by the westward tendency of education. All these are state institutions with abundant funds, with tuition but a nominal sum.

An examination of figures at Harvard shows that the increase of 545 in the total registration is mainly accounted for in the summer school, which increased 447, occasioned probably by the National Educational Association convention. The law school gained almost 100, while the department of medicine, college department, and Lawrence Scientific School all decreased. The divinity and graduate schools gained slightly. Columbia shows an increase, which, like Har- vard, is almost entirely accounted for by the increase at the summer session of 358. The law school decreased 81, the medical school 100, at both of which the entrance conditions were made more rigorous. The graduate school increased more than 100. Chicago's decrease of about 150 is mainly in the college department and in the school of medicine. The gain at the University of Michigan is in great part in the scientific and summer schools. The law, pharmacy, and dentistry faculties show a falling off. The slight increase in the University of California is mainly in the professional schools. The college department also shows a loss.

The University of Illinois, which shows a gain of over 700, has taken in the Chicago College of Dental Surgery during the year, which fact answers for much of the gain. The scientific and agricultural school has made considerable gains, and the medical school a slight increase. At the University of Minnesota there has been a gain, especially in the college of agriculture. The male students have decreased, but the women more than correspondingly inci eased. The scientific