PROFESSOR L. B. RICHARDSON RETURNS FROM TOUR OF INVESTIGATION

During the second semester of the recent college year Professor L. B. Richardson has been on leave of absence engaged in the investigation of educational ideals and methods in representative institutions in this country, Canada, England, and Scotland. He has just returned to Hanover after spending three months in his visits to foreign institutions. Aside from these visits to colleges some time was spent with groups of younger alumni in New York and Boston discussing the methods of the College as they appeared in the perspective of a recent graduate. President Hopkins and Dean Laycock were present at these meetings as were also Mr. Dußois in New York and Mr. Parkhurst in Boston. Meetings were also held with Palaeopitus and a group of the younger instructors in Hanover.

In the United States the following colleges and universities were visited between the end of January and the middle of March:

Amherst, Brown. Carleton, Case School, Chicago, Columbia, Harvard, Haverford, Knox, Michigan, Oberlin, Princeton, Smith, Swarthmore, Washington (St. Louis), Western Reserve, Williams, Wisconsin, Yale.

In Canada, McGill University and the University of Toronto were also visited.

In all these institutions the president was seen unless he was away from the college, as well as the dean and as many as possible of the leading members of the faculty. In all cases every courtesy and hospitality was extended and the interest in the investigation seemed general and sincere. Much interesting information was gained of movements which have been recently initiated or which are contemplated to meet conditions, which while differing locally are much the same as those existing at Dartmouth.

England was reached on April first. Some delay was experienced owing to the long Easter holiday but the work was soon started and pursued with much success. A number of the institutions which make up the great complex of the University of London, were first visited and then three weeks spent at Oxford and Cambridge. At the former the work was greatly facilitated by the assistance of the four Dartmouth men now studying there—Franklin McDuffee '2O, John P. Carleton '22, Troyer Anderson '22, and Ned B. Allen '22. After spending a week at Durham nearly two weeks were spent at three of the four Scottish universities—Edinburgh, St. Andrews, and Glasgow, in many respects the most interesting of all the universities which were visited.

Professor Richardson then proceeded to three representative provincial universities-Manchester, Birmingham, and Bristol. Time was also found to see two preparatory schools of somewhat different character—Winchester College and the City of London School. The English educators showed themselves most ready to give what information they had at their disposal, both as to the strength and the weaknesses of their system. Many interesting discussions were carried on, most illuminating to an American, at least from the varied points of view of educational principles which were naturally to be found in a system so radically different from our own.

Particularly pleasant was an opportunity to meet the Earl of London and Lady Dartmouth at lunch in their London residence. They recalled their visit to Hanover some twenty years ago with much pleasure and the honorary degree conferred upon Lord Dartmouth at that time brings the Dartmouth colors to the public eye at the festive occasions of the Unversity of Birmingham, of which institution the Earl is a member of the governing body. His Lordship seems to value the distinction of being the only member of the British peerage whose family has had much to do with the founding of an American college and for whom such a college was directly named. Through Professor Richardson he sent to the College an expression of his continued interest in its prosperity and his best wishes for its future welfare.

Mr. N. L. Goodrich, librarian of the College, accompanied Professor Richardson to Europe and was with him during the visit to some of the institutions mentioned. Most of his time was spent in the investigation of library methods in the English colleges.