TABLE 55.-Ratio of college attendance to the white population in 29 States in 1857.

CHAPTER X.

PROFESSIONAL INSTRUCTION.

The chief particulars of the current record of the professional schools of the United States, as reported from the several States and Territories, are presented in the summaries of the tables.

Considering the country by geographical sections, the totals appear as follows:

TABLE 56.-Summary of statistics of schools of theology and law, by geographical sections, for 1886-87.

TABLE 57.—Summary of statistics of schools of medicine, by geographical sections, for

In the Report of the Bureau for 1885-86 attention was called to the fact that the faculty of Harvard had laid before the Academic Council a plan for the abridgment of the college course by those students who go from college directly into one of the professional schools of the university. The subject was made a special order for the December meeting of the Academic Council; and, in consequence of the discussion which then took place, a committee of nine persons was appointed to consider the whole question of the relation of the degree of A. B. to the other degrees conferred by the university. That committee made their report to the Academic Council at the close of the year 1886-87; and the Academic Council have now recommended to the college faculty that, in the interest both of the professional schools and of the graduate department, some reduction be made in the requirements for the degree of A. B.

I.-SCHOOLS OF THEOLOGY.

The following is a comparative statement of the number of schools of theology (including theological departments) reporting to this Bureau each year from 1877 to 1887 inclusive (1883 omitted), with the number of professors and number of students:

Number of institutions..
Number of instructors..
Number of students..

1877. 1878. 1879. 1880. 1881. 1882. 1884. 1885. 1886. 1887.

TABLE 58.-Summary of statistics of schools of theology for 1886-87.