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 YASSAR COLLEGE the main college building was completed in 1865. It is of brick with blue freestone trim- mings, 500 ft. in length, with a breadth at the centre of 200 ft., and at the transverse wings of 164 ft. The central building and the wings are five stories high, and the connecting parts four stories. Within the edifice are five in- VATICAN 2T1 dependent dwellings for resident officers, ac- commodations for about 400 students, recita- tion and lecture rooms, a chapel, and apart- ments for a library and reading room, philoso- phical apparatus, laboratories, &c. Apart from the main edifice are an observatory and a spacious museum, containing an art gallery, Vassar College. a studio, cabinets of natural history, a lecture room, music rooms, a hall for literary socie- ties, a hall for calisthenics, and a bowling alley. In 1861 Prof. Milo P. Jewett was chosen pres- ident of the institution, and he subsequent- ly visited Europe to obtain information for the promotion of its organization. In 1864 he resigned, and was succeeded by John H. Raymond, LL. D., who still holds the office (1876). In September, 1865, the college was opened with 8 professors and 20 other instruc- tors, besides the president and lady principal, and 300 students, which number was increased during the year to 350. In 1867 the name of the institution was changed from Vassar female college to its present form. There is a pre- paratory course of study of about two years, and a collegiate course of four years. Special collegiate courses are also provided for ad- vanced students not under 20 years of age. Applicants for admission to the preparatory classes must be at least 15 years of age, and to any college class at least 16. In all cases ad- mission must be preceded by examination. To the middle of the sophomore year all studies are prescribed, except that the student has the option of taking Greek, German, or French. For the remainder of the course the student must pursue at least three studies, which may be selected by herself subject to the approval of the faculty. Students are encouraged to take, in addition to the regular course, one study in drawing, painting, and modelling, or in music. Students who complete the regular course receive the first or baccalaureate degree. A candidate for the second degree must pass examination in studies which have been ap- proved by the faculty as equivalent to a post- 814 VOL. xvi. 18 graduate course of two years, and must present a satisfactory dissertation on some literary or scientific subject. The price of board and tui- tion for each student is $400 for the college year of 40 weeks. An extra charge is made for private lessons in music and the arts of de- sign. Provision is made by the auxiliary fund for remitting to indigent students one half the charge for board and tuition. In 1875-'6 there were, besides the president and lady principal, 9 professors, of whom 3 were women, 22 fe- male teachers, and 370 students, of whom 202 were pursuing collegiate and 168 preparatory studies. Of the students, 114 were from New York, 253 .from other states, 2 from Canada, and 1 from Russia. The total number of graduates of the college to the close of 1875-'6 was 323. The college has a library of 9,000 volumes, and valuable philosophical apparatus. VATER, Johann Severin, a German linguist, born in Altenburg, May 27, 1771, died in Halle, March 16, 1826. He was a student and pro- fessor at Jena and Halle, in 1809 was trans- ferred to Konigsberg, and in 1820 resumed his chair at Halle. Although he taught theology, he is chiefly known as a philologist. His works include a Hebrew grammar (1797) ; HandbucJi der hebrtiischen, syrischen, cJialdd- ischen und ardbiscJien Grammatics (1801) ; a Polish (1807) and a Russian grammar (1809) ; a continuation of Adelung's Mithridates (1809 -'17) ; and Literatur der GrammatiJcen, Lexika und Wdrtersammlungen aller Sprachen der Erde (1815). He also edited and continued Henke's Allgemeine Geschichte der cJiristlichen Kirche (1818-'23). VATICAN, the papal palace at Rome, so called from its situation on the Mons Yaticanus, at