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was so confidently looked for a year since, has not been
realized, but on the contrary, the stringency has been greater
during the last twelve months than at any time before.
This fact has made it exceedingly difficult for many of our
students to maintain themselves at college.
Some of those who had been in attendance have been
obliged, from lack of means to withdraw, and others who
desired to attend, and in ordinary times would have been able
to do so, have been for the same cause presented from coming.
Nor have we alone suffered. According to the last report
of the State Commissioner of Common Schools, twenty-three
colleges of Ohio in 1875 had 5402 students, in 1876 twenty-
five colleges had but 4533 - a decrease of about twenty-three
per cent. Judging from the catalogues that I have
examined, and from what I have learned through those
connected with other colleges, there has been a still larger
decrease during the past year. Our own loss in 1875-6
was six per cent, in 1876-7 it was nothing, the number of
students on our last catalogue, being exactly the same
as that of the preceding year. Our income for the year
as will be seen from the report of the acting committee
has been $6728, showing a decrease of $72.
The expenditures have exceeded the income by $496.
This deficit is partly covered, however, by taxes on the college
lands now held in fee simple. There woll be due from the
State by the first of September, about two hundred dollars
on this account. The work of the year has been done
with steady and faithful application on the part of both
faculty and students, and the results will, upon the
whole compare favorably with those of former years.
An estimate of the value of our work as seen from
another point of view, will be submitted to you in the
form of report from the examiners appointed at your last
meeting. These examiners have all been in attendance
on a part of the final examinations of the year
Our requirements for admission to the college
courses, have recently been increased, and it is expected
that by having students more thoroughly prepared at
the beginning, we shall be able to accomplish more
during their subsequent progress. We have also created
a definite standard of attainment for admission to the
preparatory department. Formerly our lowest classes
were almost invariably encumbered with a few dull
or ignorant students who were incapable of doing the
work and were a dead weight on both the class
and the teacher. The entrance examinations