reached home June 6, 1819, after an absence of four years, during
which time he had seen many "cities and manners," had accomplished
himself in the modern languages and literatures, and become well
fitted for the position which was awaiting him--that of professor of
the French and Spanish languages and of the belles-lettres at Harvard
College. These chairs were held by Mr. Ticknor until 1835, during the
most active years of his mature life, and the record of what he did is
not without importance in the history of education in this country. He
had himself profited by the liberal system of the German universities,
and he was naturally anxious to introduce such changes into the rather
narrow curriculum of Harvard College as should give its students real
zeal in their work and greater opportunities for improvement. At
the beginning he found himself much hampered by old traditions and
a general lack of sympathy with new methods; but he devoted himself
earnestly to the task of introducing a course of instruction which
should take the place of the dull routine of recitation. To accomplish
this he set the example of giving a series of lectures on the
literatures and literary histories of France and Spain, and he
struggled hard to drive away the old routine from the rest of the
college. He wrote a pamphlet containing most urgent and powerful
arguments in defence of these amendments, which he proved to be
possible by the example of his own success; but he was opposed by the
most stubborn conservatism, and his efforts remained almost without
apparent result. What he wanted was the abolition of the system of
classes; the division of the college into _departments_; the election
of studies by the students; the separation of the students into
divisions according to their proficiency; and the opening of the
college to those who cared to follow only certain courses without
applying for a degree. The first of these changes he forebore
to press, but all the others he urged most warmly. He was so far
successful that the experiment was tried, but it was considered
impracticable for the classes to be divided into sections, and by
a vote of the faculty it was determined that the law requiring
such division should be repealed: permission was given Mr. Ticknor,
however, to continue in the new method if he cared so to do.
Naturally, he persisted in his plan, and in his own department he was
perfectly successful. When he left the college, althoug