Description of Early Course Structure and changes in 1888

From the College Days, Vol VII, no. 6, March 1888, p.72 (second column--editorial space, continuing on top of p. 73)

"Ripon College has now a very thorough and complete elective course. It is needless to discuss the value of having elective studies in the course. Aside from being useful and better adapted for all students, it makes the course attractive. The courses of study have been thoroughly remodelled, as a glance at the new catalogue will show. At present three years of Latin is required in order to enter college in any course, and two years of Greek is required in order to enter on the classical course, for this French, Zoology, etc, are substituted in the scientific and select courses. The electives come in college and mostly in the later years. To sum it in brief, the practical result of the new courses is to break down the old partitions and give the student wider option in selecting his studies, while requiring the same aggregate amount. Thus a student may take less Greek or Latin and more Science or Mathematics than before, or 'vice versa;' and yet a sufficient amount of the characteristic studies of a course must be taken, so as to make it distinctively classic or scientific as the case may be. The select course is very like the old course and is made up of studies selected from the other courses."