The weekly intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1891-1901, 1896-12-19
American History at Raptlst Colleen.

To a person, at all inclined to be
patriotic, it would seem that no subject
usually taught in our educational insti-
tutions ought to excite more enthusiasm
than the history of Il country. OF
course the opposite is usually the case.
The dryness of United State history is
the bane and bore of the ordinary school
boy or girl, as well as the proverb of
those who are older and better educated.
We say this is usually the case. The
teachers at Baptist college have quite a
different. idea from this, and they are
putting their ideas into practice.
Hearing that they had something new
along this line an INTELLIGENCER man
visited the college to see what they were
doing. He was ushered into the room
occupied by the history department. AS
he found the young ladies at different
tables pouring over books of historic
lore, and 81 busily engaged hat the
entrance of himself and his conductor
seemed hardly to attract their attention
from their work.
The most surprising thing is the well
selected library of some four hundred
volumes in history and econonomics
which the college possesses, many new
books having been added during the
present session. 1t contains a number
of the latest writings of the great Ger
man, English and French economists,
besides a multitude of volumes in gen
eral history, English history and history
of the Nineteenth Century. In American
history the collection is unusually COM
plete. In this alcove is to be found all
the more noted American statesmen
and generals from Washington and
Franklin to the statesmen of the present
day. The college also possesses a large
collection of government publications,
such as the Congressional Record, ETC.,
which are invaluable aids to historical
study. The most valuable portion of
the American history library, however,
has been added during the present ses-
sion. This addition consists of Macmas-
ters' history of the United States, 4 vol
umes; Schouler'S history of the United
States, 5 volumes; Adams history of the
United States, 8 volumes; Appletons'
cyclopedia of American biography, 6
Volumes; Lalors' cyclopedia of politics
and American history, 3 volumes; Fed
eralist papers, l volume; MadisOn'S
journal of the constitutional convention,
| volume; biographical series of Amer
lean statesmen, 81 volumes; and Epochs
In American history, 3 volumes. This
ia a fine collection of the latest and best
authorities on this subject, and this
ears addition of over fifty volumes
renders this departmental library one of
the most complete of its kind in the
state not excluding similar collections
of larger institutions.
This library forms the basis of the
work of a class of seniors and graduate
students who III seeking an intimate
knowledge of the facts of American
history. Prof. Beauchamp, the instruc-
tor in this department, divides the sub
ject of American history into two
courses. The first course embraces the
colonial and revolutionary periods, the
second, the constitutional era. Each
course covers one years work. The
young ladies do not use a textbook,
but are taught the use of the library,
and as they dig from this mine the
truths of the past, they present them in
reports to their instructor and the class.
They are enthusiastic and spend much
of their spare time in company OF these
excellent books.
President Buck is o university man,
having spent several years at Harvard,
and we would naturally expect his adj
ministration to be characterized by the
encouragement of just such modern
methods as we find used in the teaching
of American history. 1t is a pity that
all the young people of America of both
sexes cannot have just such a course as
this in the history of our country.