Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1883-10-19
TRB UNIVERSITY OF VERMONT.


To the Z liter Of the Clipuer:
Your last number ,ntains some S atemcnt
respecting the Unive sity which | am sur
you will he gla | to know are not warrane
by the facts ia the case.
The librarian is charged with hiding avn,
and selling The college catalogues ca
find no other foundation for this than Tia
the librarian Is obliged to deny requests 70
1875, which is out OF print, AMI OF which b,
has only few copies, reserved for making
exchanges and completing sets. A larg,
edition Of the college catalogue" is annually
published and distributed gratuitously.
| Attention is called to the increased rent Of
students rooms. In refitting the building il
was thought best to follow the style Of al
new college edi1ces and to arrange the rooms
in suites OF three, containing one large study
and two bedrooms. 1t was also thought ad.
| visabe to discourage the old slovenly and
demoralizing barrack system, and provide
Tor proper care OF the rooms, for which Y
moderate charge is made. The rent of a
| suite, with care, was placed, after cousulla-
lion with students, at about the price paid for
single room in private families. This
makes the cost OF room-rent and care to each
student to be from $3.50 to S37 so per
year, according to the location Of room and
the number Of occupants. This will
hardly be thought an eytravagant rate,
and Is certainly less than half the aver
age price paid for such rooms in other
colleges. The plan contemplates the fitting
up OF the attic story into single rooms, which
will be let at a still lower rate. But so far
from ''specu lating" on the new building, we
shall derive smaller revenue from the
rooms at the new price when all
the rooms are occupied than we had
from the old rooms at old prices.
The true reason why the dormitOries are not
fully occupied-why they were not in the old
building OF late years-are the want of y
boarding house on the hill, the lack of suit
able convcniences on the college premises,
and the preference OF home life to living in
dormitories. When we have good gymna-
SUM near the college, supplied with bath
rooms and water closets, and a large dining
or common hall, now one Of our greatest
needs, the present rooms will be filled up,
and those in the attic will De called for.
And yet in place which offers 80 many
pleasant homes to students as Burlington
does, the dormitory system will never be as
popular as 1t is in some other institutions.
And l think you will admit that on the
Whole, the distinction Is in our favor.
The small size OF the Freshman class
naturally occasions surprise and comment.
The explanation is in the exceptional con-
dition OF our feeding-schools in the past
year. College students cannot be extern
porzed like those entering professional
schools. They must have had for several
years special preparation. When for any
reason the feeding schools fail to furnish the
men, the college classes must suffer. The
schools from which our students naturally
come gave in large class last year they
promise almost with certainty a large class
next year; but from causes that 1t would
take long time to explain, md that may
not occur again in u generation, it happens
that with them all this was barren year.
Such schools, for instance, as those a, ST.
Adams, Rutland, johnson, Essex, Bakers
field, and many Others did not send this
year single student TO any college. The
number from our own high school was
small 1t is our hope and expect
alton that recent gifts and improvements,
and others in near prospect, will enable us
to compete more effectually with other New
England colleges for larger and mole gen.
eral patronage. We need especially to be
able 80 offer more OF those ''iniuccments'
which attract poor and sclf-dependent stu
dents. II, for instance, our legislature
would emulate the wise literally of that of
New Hampshire, which has recently vote
to Dartmouth college IN appropriation of
$4,000 annually for the aid of INDECENT
the Vermont boys who now go
TO Dartmouth would perhaps come by
preference to the University Of their
own State. We are naturally dsap-
pointed that the splendid gifts of the past
year have not at once brought in great
crop of students. BY adding to the repute
and the general facilities and attractions OF
the institutions, they will do this in time,
if they are followed up by those
measures and efforts which are more imme.
diately decisive with young men canvassing
the advantages Of this or that college. But
to build up literary institution in the
presence of so many rivals is necessarily
slow work. Let us stand by the institution
which is, or which certainly by our united
efforts may become, the pride of our city and
our state.
N'ry respectfully,
NJ. H. BroknAM.