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 CORNELL UNIVERSITY 365 at any part of the course for which he is pre- pared. For the accommodation of those who do not wish to pursue a regular course, elec- tive and special courses are provided. A stu- dent may select from the studies pursued at the university any three for which he is quali- fied, or, if an indigent student, he may con- tinue with but two studies; while any one may be registered as a " special student " in any single branch on condition that he devote as much time to that one study as is required to be given to three. In addition to the pro- vision for general instruction, the plan of the university embraces the following faculties, each distinct for its own purposes of special instruction, but all united for their general development : 1, agriculture ; 2, architecture ; 3, chemistry and physics; 4, civil engineer- ing ; 5, history and political science ;, 6, an- cient and Asiatic languages; 7, north Euro- pean languages ; 8, south European languages ; 9, mathematics; 10, mechanic arts; 11, mili- tary science and tactics ; 12, natural history, 13, philosophy and letters. The departments of agriculture and the mechanic arts were established to carry into effect the provisions of the act of congress granting land for that purpose. The college of agriculture compri- ses professorships of agricultural chemistry, agricultural geology, horticulture, zoology, and veterinary science. The agricultural mu- seum contains models of agricultural imple- ments, of plants, and of farm animals; and there are ample laboratory rooms for the anal- ysis of soils and rocks, the investigation of plants, their characters and diseases, and the dissection of domestic animals. The farm, of nearly 300 acres, affords opportunity for the practical application and illustration of the principles taught. In the Sibley college of the mechanic arts are professorships of in- dustrial mechanics, civil engineering, mathe- matics, and practical mechanics. The me- chanical museum contains many models illus- trating mechanical movements, models of va- rious classes of motors, and of engineering constructions, while in the machine shops is a large amount of machinery. There are facili- ties for field work in engineering and survey- ing, and for mechanical draughting; and printing in its various forms may be learned by means of the university press. No gen- eral degree will be conferred upon any candi- date unless he shall have attended a course of at least 12 lectures on general agriculture ; and every student, unless specially exempted, is re- quired to take part in the military drill. In addition to the provision for general military instruction, advanced instruction in military science is provided, embracing the study of military engineering, the art of war, and mili- tary law. Attendance on this course is option- al. A gift from Dean Sage of Albany of $30,000 has been lately received, the income of which is to be devoted to lectures on gen- eral theology by divines of different denomina- tions. The academical year comprises about 36 weeks of term time, beginning about the middle of September and ending in the latter part of June, and is divided into the fall, win- ter, and spring trimesters. To be entitled to admission, applicants are required to be not less than 16 years of age and to pass a satisfac- tory examination. During the first two years in all the courses instruction is partly by reci- tations, but by lectures whenever the subject admits of that mode of teaching. With ad- vanced students the system of teaching by lec- tures and frequent examinations is adopted as' far as practicable. Examinations, oral and written, are held at the end of each term. Each student is required to devote at least three hours a day to lectures and recitations. In 1873-'4 there were 461 students: 119 in the course in science, 84 in engineering, 32 in mechanic arts, 30 in literature, 25 in classics, 21 in architecture, 7 in agriculture, 7 in chem- istry, 6 in natural history, 120 in elective stu- dies, and 10 resident graduates. Of these 135 were state students, educated free of charge. The total number of degrees conferred was 100 : bachelors of science, 45 ; of literature, 3 ; of philosophy, 6 ; of arts, 17 ; of agriculture, 2 ; of architecture, 1 ; of engineering, 18 ; of me- chanic arts, 3 ; master of arts, civil engineer, and doctor of philosophy, 1 each ; and 2 licen- tiate certificates. No honorary degrees have ever been conferred by the institution. The charge for tuition is $15 per term, or $45 per annum. Some of the students support themselves while pursuing their studies by laboring on the farm, in the machine shops, or in the printing establishment, for which they receive from the university the usual rate of wages. The university press affords maintenance to more than 20 students. Skilled labor, however, is mostly in demand. The prizes offered for excellence in studies, &c., range from $10 to $100, and amount to more than $1,000 a year. Besides the degrees above mentioned, those of master of science and of arts and doctor of philosophy are con- ferred. Although of recent origin, Cornell university is rich in collections and apparatus for study, which are accessible to all under- graduates. The university library, which is rapidly increasing in size, contains more than 37,000 volumes, including about 5,000 pur- chased in Europe in 1868, and embracing the more recent and valuable works on agriculture, the mechanic arts, chemistry, engineering, the natural sciences, physiology, and veterinary surgery; about 4,000 in history, English. French, German, and Italian literature, forming a portion of the president's library, but deposit- ed for the use of the faculty and undergradu- ates ; nearly 7,000, chiefly in the ancient lan- guages and literatures, collected by the late Charles Anthon ; the library of Franz Bopp of the university of Berlin, about 2,500 volumes, relating almost wholly to oriental languages j and literatures and general philology ; the libra-