SENIORS ON THE LOOSE

The evils arising from a discrepancy in the Department of Government are not nearly so insidious as they may appear. There are but three half-courses for which a Senior may receive credit without giving proof of his work, and these are adequately covered by the General Examinations in May. In the case of a man who has done none of the work required, he is likely to do poorly in these examinations, so poorly in fact that he may have to take the final examination in the course, and his degree will depend on the outcome. Moreover, a student who has completed three and a half years of undergraduate work must be credited with some degree of integrity and good sense; and it is hardly necessary to check up on him with boarding-school vigilance.

An hour exam is merely a hindrance to the Senior who is trying to correlate his four years' work. The University does not want to tolerate any decrease in academic discipline represented by its degrees. But because fifteen courses are required for graduation, there is no reason to believe that fifteen letter grades should be recorded after the name of every graduate. In this land of cut-throat competition Harvard maintains its supremacy by turning out "certified" graduates. And the General Examination alone can serve its purpose well enough without the help of smaller tests.