ABSTRACT
The character of Reed became firmly fixed in a particular combination of values and organizational structures. The curriculum increasingly expressed the academic ideals of the early years. When compared with the trustee dominance and presidential power usually found in colleges of below-average quality, the structure of authority at Reed was like the other side of the moon. The academic ideals of the first fifteen years required, for their fulfillment, close attention to the curriculum. In curriculum, Reed became the liberal arts dream fulfilled. The student culture moved steadily toward highly individual use of the time not devoted to study. Reed acquired an early high mortality rate, one greatly in excess of that found in the selective colleges and universities to which Reed was increasingly compared and with which it increasingly competed. The resulting pervading sense of strain between the college and the community had contributed to the social isolation of the campus.
