ELECTIVE COURSES 487 ELECTORAL REFORM States require either property qualifica- tion or ability to read and write. ELECTIVE COURSES. Those sub- jects in the colleges and preparatory schools which a student chooses to take, but which are not required for the com- pletion of his school or college course. Prior to 1880 the number of electives in the standard colleges of the United States was small, the students' course consisting of one largely mapped out for him hy the college authorities. The only exceptions to this were found in the Western colleges and State universities which allowed a wide latitude of choice to the student. Yale, Harvard, Prince- ton, Columbia, and the University of Pennsylvania all required Greek, Latin, and higher mathematics for the Bache- lor of Arts degree. In a few of the Eastern colleges a course leading to the degree of Bachelor of Science was of- fered, but for the Arts degree, the above work was required for at least the first two years of college work. Greek was the first to be taken from the required list, and by 1920 the study of that language was no longer obligatory for those aim- ing for the Bachelor of Arts degree. Mathematics is required only as far as plane and solid geometry and plane trigonometry. Latin still is required for the Arts degree, but not anything
like the amount of time needs to be spent
upon it in college as formerly. In fact, in all but one or two colleges a four years' course in the preparatory school Latin will enable the student to be a candidate for the Arts degree. This dropping of required subjects automati- cally increased the number of elective ones so that in 1920 the college student has virtually a free field. This situation, of course, is not duplicated in the tech- nical schools where the work must of necessity be prescribed. The latitude of choice given students in the Arts course varies with the different universities. At Harvard, after the student has entered, his course is entirely elective. At Prince- ton there still remain a few subjects which are required. Quite a few of the universities have adopted the "group system," that is, allowing the students to choose among groups of related sub- jects. The fears expressed by many of the conservative schoolmen that with the elective system the students would choose all the easy courses and avoid the diffi- cult ones has caused "advisors" from among the faculty to be appointed, with- out whose consent his roster is not com- plete. Because of the "groups" and the faculty "advisors" this evil has not been a serious one, or at least is not so re- garded by most schoolmen. The increase of elective courses in col- lege and the variety of degrees offered by the universities led to an increase in elective students in the secondary schools. Those students who showed a disposition to prefer scientific studies to the ancient languages were allowed to drop the lat- ter. As we have seen, such students can always secure the Bachelor of Science degree, and not a few can obtain the Arts degree upon the completion of their college course. This elective, then, is of- fered by nearly all the high schools and private academies, with the exception of the New England private schools where the ancient languages still retain their traditional place. By reason of the fact that the colleges as yet prescribe closely the work which is necessary for en- trance, the secondary schools have not been able to increase the number of their elective studies. The public high schools are now doing so more and more, but that is largely because less than one- third of their students ever enter college. ELECTORAL COLLEGE, in the United States, the body of men elected in each State to cast the vote of the people of the State for presidential can- didates. The State conventions of the various parties nominate the electors, one for each Representative, and one for each Senator in Congress. These per- sons are voted for on the general elec- tion day. The 12th amendment to the Federal Constitution orders the electors to meet in their respective States and vote by ballot for President and Vice- President separately. They are to make distinct lists of all persons voted for by themselves for the two offices, and send those lists, sealed, to the president of the Senate at Washington. Sections 131 to 151 of the Federal Revised Statutes pre- scribe generally the proceedings of the electors. They are to meet on the last Wednesday in December in the year in which they are elected, in such place as the Legislature of each State may direct. The governor is to give them three certi- fied lists of those chosen to be electors; the electors are to make three lists of the persons balloted for by them for the presidency and vice-presidency, and to the certified lists annex the certificates furnished by the governor. They are to appoint one of their number to carry one of the certificates to the president of the Senate before the first Wednesday in January, and to send to the president of the Senate, by mail, another copy of the certificates; and the third they are to give to the judge of the district wherein they assemble. ELECTORAL REFORM, the measures taken in the United States to safeguard
