Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1857-08-01
For the Muscatine Journal.


just dues.
| ----s->s . A-------~
For the Muscatine Journal.
! Iowa City, July %, 1857.
MIR. EDITOR In your paper of the 18tl
inst, is a communication apparently from al
Anonymous correspondent, inrelation to tn
State University, which contains many falls
statements, besides many other statement.
made in a manner calculated to convey falls
and erroneous impressions. know no
whether these false statements are mad,
through malice Or ignorance, but not dcsir
ing that they should go before the people q
the State through the medium Of your wide.
y circulated and valuable paper, ask the
| indulgence Of correcting them through tht
same medium in which they were made:
The letter of your correspondent contains
an indirect charge, that heretofore f'the
business Of the University he's been traiisac-
ted in slip-shod manner" If by s'slip-
shcd,' he means "a careless, negligent or il:
legal manner, his charge is wholly without
foundation: The Legislature, the only body
to whom the Board of Trustees arc amenable;
hare never censurcd the Trustees for any act
done, or for anything left undone; and while
this is the ease, your correspondent has no
right to complain; but if in his Judgment
they have been guilty Of dcrclietioh, Of duty
Why does he not specify the instances where
in they Had been at fault, and not make q
general sweeping charge against them.
lie says ':if it vas a private institution it
would be il a fourisking condition" There
have been no less tlian ,fce ''priyate iristitu-
tions" chartered in this city, but they never
aourished for any great length Of time, and
have long since ceased to exist, while every
movement Of q public character made to
build mp in our city institutions Of learning,
have been crowned with abundant success
There is not an institution of learning in the
State, that has been in existence longer than
the State Univcrsitys that sustains as high u
character as it does, has a more talented;
competent and Industrious corps ofteachers,
Or promises as much for the future prosper
ity Of the cduca ional interests Of the State
as it does.
Speaking of the settlement made by the
Atty. General and certain trustees, relating
to lands purchased, he says by it ''thc Uiii-
ycrsity Fund will probably be increased
from $4,000 to 100000" The facts and
figures show that by this settlement the fund
will be eincreased less than 81 200:
Again, lie says, ''to consume the accdmu-
latins interest, the University was started
at Il time when there was no call for it, and
with corps Of teachers, some of whom
were not fit to teach a public SCHOOL, p
These statements are untrue. The Code
made it the imperative aNty Of the Trustees
to put the University into operation, as
sccn as the interest of the Fund amounted
to $4,000, per annum to met this require
mcnt, and no5 ''to consume the eaccumulating
Interest," the Trustees started the Universi-
ty when they did, and they started it not
''with a corps Of teachers" &C., but with
teachers who had the reputation Of being
thorough, skillful and competent.
lie says Of the University, cit has been
struggling for an existence for the last two
years, at an expense Of over $40, ,0OO." This,
t,o, is untrue, instead Of struggling for an
esistehte, it has been receiving constant and
increased acccssiBns Of students, and those
Of higher order Of talents and attainthents:
Neither has its existence been sat an expense
tf over $50 on,' but at i; much less sum
than that;
1t is not true that ssthe Professor Of Mod
sfh Languages reported three iii his Depart
rent for the last half year." or that ''except
for the last few weeks of the term, he had no
recitations,'' neither is it true that s'the
Professors complain that the morals Of the
place prevent students from at
tending.' This correspondent finds fault
with the Trustees because they do not maize
the State University stch an institution It's
it ought to be, and yet, he himself says ''it
is utterly impossible to sustain an institution
of that kind at present." will leave the
readers of his communication the task of
correcting him Of Inconsistency:
might show in this ccfnectioh; to refute
the Infamous charges made by this letter
writer Of the ireompetency; as he alleges.
of the teachers in the University, that all
! the members Of the Faculty have previous to
his connection with the Uni4crsitys been
corrected with institutions Of learning in
| other places, where they have gained envia-
| bic regulations as thorough, competent and
practical educators, but fear that / have
| trespassed to- much on your columns, and
| will forbear: Yours &c.,
YERITAS.
DEArrr OF FISH THE QUEsTioN SErTLED::-