Page:Notes and Queries - Series 9 - Volume 12.djvu/109

 ,9^ s, xii. AUG. s, iocs.] NOTES AND QUERIES.

101

LONDON, SATURDAY, AUGUST S t 190S.

CONTENTS. No. 293.

NOTES : Fraudulent American Diplomas and Degrees, 101 Drayton's 'Poly-Olbion,' 102 Heine's 'Princess Sab- bath,' 103 Farjeon "Poldavy" Cruciform Towns Omer : Homer, 104 Camerlengo's Silver Hammer "Peonage " ' Henry VI.' and Tacitus English Cardinals Raleigh in America, 105 Harris, Publisher, 106.

QUERIES : Correspondence of Comte dePuysaye Cession of Welsh Counties to England Free Catholic Christians Ash: Place-name Evil Spirits and Inkbottles, 106 Banns of Marriage Missing Word Dickens : ' Pickwick ' Mrs. Martyr: C. H. Wilson " Wake "=Village Feast "Shot the moon" County Council Board Schools Nicholas of Lynn and Nicolaus de Lyra, 107 Byfield House, Barnes Salop Weldon, 108.

EBPLIES : Dante Portrait Marat in London, 109 'Eng- lishwoman's Love - Letters ' " Waik," " Wene," and "Maike" Carson, 110 'Passing By' Square Cap Chantry in the West Riding Newspaper Cuttings " Travailler pour le Roi de Prusse," 111 Duels of Clergy- men ' Bisclavrat ' Legend of the Serpent's Feet, 112 St. Dials " Wick "Heraldic Shields Columbarium Owl, 113 " Vita posse priore frui," 114 Pope self-con- demned for Heresy Black Cats Counsellor Lacy Infant Saviour at the Breast Sexton's Tombstone "Bracelet " Breaking Glass at Jewish Weddings, 115 Nash Hotel Sign" World without end "Story of Ungrateful Son " Surizian," 116 Wesley Queries Good Friday in 1602, 117 Naval Pronunciation, 118.

NOTES ON BOOKS:-' The Cambridge Modern History' Furness's ' New Variorum Edition of Shakespeare ' Reviews and Magazines Booksellers' Catalogues.

Notices to Correspondents.

FRAUDULENT AMERICAN DIPLOMAS AND DEGREES.

(See 1 st S. v. 177 ; vi. 45 ; 4 th S. vi. 175 ; x. 224 ; 6 th S. xii. 477; 8* S. vi. 209, 273, 333, 436; vii. 36, 117, 217, 433; viii. 33; 9 th S. xi. 506.)

THE question of these spurious productions is an unsavoury one to handle, and yet it has as living an interest as the hunting of skunks has. Its importance as a nuisance has in many ways been demonstrated, and an evi- dent proof comes back to us from Europe when some of the countries threaten to refuse recognition to any of our American degrees. But the problem is not an easy one to solve, and our educational authorities have been sedulously discussing it for a good many years, with little hope of securing an effective remedy. In the meantime a ruthless expo- sure appears to have a temporary and partial effect, and the hand of the law comes in at times to grant a more permanent relief. The Reports of the Commissioner of Education, 1880, p. clx sq.; 1889-90, p. 1681 sq.; 1897-8, p. 1461 sq.; 1898-9, p. 1681 sq. ; 1899-1900, p. 1962 sq.; 1900-1, p. 1738, will repay a careful reading, and show the strong feeling on the subject.

The first difficulty we meet with is in the fact that all these degrees and diplomas do not issue from fictitious institutions of learn- ing ; they are not all without a legal authority and value. It is too true that an impecunious university is sometimes tempted to increase its income by giving away degrees, and on some pretext of charges receiving an equiva- lent in fees. How far this is actually carried on the general public can hardly know, but the Report is generally accepted as correct that a good many do. Even a greater abuse, and one which it is difficult to explain, is the action that can be taken upon a charter which by purchase or otherwise has fallen into private hands, or hands, at least, for which it was never intended, and which ought to have no legal sanction in the use or misuse of it. Yet on the ground of holding such a charter those who wish to make a profit by it can, or at least do, issue diplomas and degrees ; and holders have been known to possess a variety of such charters in order to keep the mill always in motion. The purely fictitious college and university is said to be not uncommon in certain States, and to do a lucrative stroke of business; especially in diplomas and degrees sent to Europe ; as a matter of fact, a ten - dollar LL.D. degree was reported two days ago as offered to a lawyer in this county, and no condition appears to have been necessary but the remittance of the money to "William Farr, Ph.D., LL.D., Dean of the American National Nashville College of Law."

The reputable institutions are now far more careful in the conferring of all their degrees, especially of those which are recog- nized as of an honorary character. There has been a general agreement among them that the Ph.D. shall not be given as an hono- rary degree, but only after a proper exami- nation. There is also encouraged the growth of a healthy feeling which would prevent an agricultural institution from giving a D.D. degree, or a dental college from giving an LL.D. According to the terms of some of the charters, there seems to be little limit or restriction in the degree- conferring powers, and the institution has usually a high-sound- ing title, which is used as a tempting bait.

Towards the suppression of the traffic there appears to be no royal road, and so long as vanity or interest and money combine to create a demand, there will always be unscrupulous men who make up a supply. University charters for conferring degrees do not proceed from any central Federal authority, but are issued by the several States. In some of these they are given according to the terms