The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-12-29
Do COLLEGE MEN Do THIS.
Dean Ratchelder Says They Main
Each Other Deliberately.

When President L.. H. Batchelder
called the college section Of the Mime
sofa State Educational association to
order yesterday afternoon in Room 10
Of the Central high school building.
there was present a large number of
eminent educators from all parts of the
state, besides number of the faculty
of the state university, Hamline and
Manchester colleges. The programme
was opened with an address by the
president, Dean L. H. Batchelder, Of
Hamline university. Dean Batchelder
said he thought the last year had pass
ed without developing any very salient
features in the progress Of higher edu-
cation in the state or nation. Some
institutions had increased their en-
doWments and improved their material
appliances and others had strengthened
their course of study, which he con-
sidered indications of healthy growth.
The football season, which had just
passed, had not gone without it's usual
fatalities, and, the injuries received In
the game were in many instances, only
by courtesy, called accidents. This ele-
ment of the game of football was the
only Indictment against the increasing
popular and manly game. Mr.. .Batchel-
der did not propose to discuss the sub
ject, but so long as there was ground
for suspicion in the public mind that
members Of college teams, presumably
gentlemen, were capable Of basely COM
bining to infict injuries upon individ-
ual members of the opposing team,
whose skill or prowess they especially
feared, Just so long would be heard
the annual outcry against the barbara
ties of football.
Nh. Batchelder thought some of the
more sensational journals of the East
were inclined during the summer to
magnify the action of the trustees OF
Brown university into a test case as
to the freedom in teaching which a
college or university instructor should
enjoy. But the matter being settled
apparently to the satisfaction of the
trustees and president, the burning
question as to freedom in teaching,
which, as a matter of fact, he thought,
was never the real issue. had disap-
peared, as least for the time being.
After Mr.. Batchelder had touched
upon two or three minor questions his
paper was confined to a plea that q
larger place in the college curriculum
be given to the science of legislation.
He said in part: rs there a science Of
legislation? That there should be is be-
yond question. That there may be such
a science, recognized and observed by
jill our lSS ISidllNS UCotCo ID q NOlio OAAiiiAe"
ton devoutly to be wished. That sucn
a science Is unknown and practically
undreamed of by our municipal and
state legislatures is very evident from
a perusal of the statute books. l read
YOU extracts from table which l have
prepared which will be convincing. The
entire number of bills introduced by
the solons Of twenty-one states last
year were 30,507. In these states the
number actually passed were 6,544, or
SO per cent of those introduced. Of
these 676 were vetoed by the governors
Of three states, and the total vetoes in
the remainder of the twenty-one states
was only 113. One reason for this
volume of legislation is as we have
seen, the easy, even eager, confidence
with which the legislators turn each
others crude notions into statutes. The
average legislator entertains the idea
that any enactment is good law, so
long as it is not positively forbidden by
the constitution, state or national; even
this plain barrier across his legislative
path often makes no impression upon
his mental vision"
The remainder of Mr.. Batchelder's
paper was an argument for the college
man as q lawmaker, saying If the col
lege men went into seivic life politics
would be elevated.
Prof w. w. fFolWell, of the state
university, followed with a paper on
the place and Value of Examinations
in College Life.''r Mr.. Folwell thought
the purpose OF the examinations was to
test the qualities ofVthe student. He
thought that vagietysfn form was en-
couraging to the student. The chief
value was to the, student. The discus
sion which ensued was decidedly inter
esting and was participated in by DR..
Innis, of Hamline; Prof. Haynes, of the
state university, D. L. Kiehle. of the
state board of education; DR.. G. H.
Bridgman, president sof Hamline uni
versity; DR.. Eddy, ofothe state univer-
sity. II