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Show ' ' 4 " " If"" fffpH PRESIDENT ELIOT HEAD OF HARVARD HAR-VARD FOR 40 YEAR8. Dean of University Chiefs Tenders Reslonatlon to Take Effect Next : 8prlno U Father ef Elective 8ystem In 8chools. Boston. ITesidont Chnrles W. Eliot, for years head of Hnrvard university, has tendered his resignation. ProsI-dent ProsI-dent Lllot will bo 75 years old next March, and desires to ho free from trie cares of oraco tho remnlnder of his lire. Although because of his ngo tho res. gnatlon of President Eliot has been ooked forward to as a probability for tho last two or threo years, tho news that he will retlro In tho near future will doubtless cause surprlso to thousands thou-sands of Harvard graduates through out tho country. Ho Is tho dean of American university presidents, nnd the general public, like Hnrvard men, has grown to look upon him as nn educational Institution not to be changed suddenly. No university head, Indeed, probably Is better known to the public than President Eliot, und his long administration of university nffalrs, In Its esscptlal respects, seems In kepplrg with Harvard's spirit spir-it nnd hlHtory. President Kllot Is In his Bcvcnty-fifth Bcvcnty-fifth year having been born In Boston, Bos-ton, March 20, 1834. Ho was fitted for college nt tho Boston I.alln school nnd In 1853 wns graduated from Hnrvard. Hnr-vard. trorn 1851 to 185S ho was tu-tor tu-tor In mnthomatlcs and student In chemistry at tho university; In 1858 ho became assistant professor of mathematics and chemistry In tho university uni-versity Lnwrcnco Scientific school nnd remained In that capacity five yoars. Then he went to Kuropo and studied chemistry and Investigated educatlonnl methods for two years. Ilcturnlng to tho United States In 1805, he becamo professor of analytical analytic-al chemistry In the Massachusetts Institute In-stitute of Technology, whore ho remained re-mained four years. Again ho went abroad, to France, whero ho studied . n year and In 1809 he returned to take up tho presidency of Harvard. At tho tlmo ho becamo the head of this old and wealthy seat of learning and culture President Eliot was 35 Charle ' years old nnu had achieved a rcpu-Intlon rcpu-Intlon as an authority on chemistry. Theso two facts hardly qualified him for tho administration of n great Institution In-stitution of learning, according to Now England traditions. Slnco their establishment es-tablishment tho principal colleges of tho oast had been governed by clergymen clergy-men past mlddlo life. It was Mine-thing Mine-thing of a shock to Now England to hnvo a young man nnd a scientist be-como be-como tho head of Harvard. Tho Idea of young mon and non-clergymen as presidents has slnco becomu popular, and this Is largely duo to tho sue-con3 sue-con3 of President Eliot's administra tion. Tho namo of President Eliot will forever bo associated with tho do-volopment do-volopment of tho clcctlvo system In Amorlcan universities. Ho, possibly more than anybody olso, brought about this system, which was for a long tlmo looked upon with suspicion and distrust nnd has not yet found universal acceptance, though to n degree de-gree Its principles have been accopted by nearly every one of our lnrger Institutions In-stitutions of lenrnlng. Tho system differs fundamentally from tho old ' rigid curriculum of prescribed studies In allowing a student to choose tho greater part of the studies ho must take to cam a degree. According to President Eliot's views on the system It promotes concentration and Individuality, Indi-viduality, oqulpplng each student to make tho largest contribution to the betterment of the race nnd combining practical with theoretical culture. It has been said of President Eliot that ho Is "first, last and only a university uni-versity administrator." instead of being first a great teacher or author or scholar and secondly n great administrator. adminis-trator. He has tho faculty, highly developed, de-veloped, of co-ordinating tho work of many mon toward n harmonious and effective end, and ho has a vigorous and Impresslvo personality that has enabled him to carry out his Ideas without exciting opposition. His kindliness kind-liness of Bplrlt anil desire to put students stu-dents on their honor as much as possible pos-sible havo mado him popular with undergraduates to an extraordinary degree. Ono of his great achievements as an administrator hns been tho steady bettering of the Harvard professional school. Tho Lawrence Scientific school, tho medical . school and tho dental sohool have boen greatly Ini--prpit'l tind.-Hi- -rf'At -l'Jg'"'- standard has been raised. |