Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1897-12-10


The attendance here from the
prairie is small this year. While
usually we can count at least from
IL to Is students from different
parts Of the prairie, this fall there
are not more than half a dozen.
The outlook in general, however,
is more promising. On November
13 the President told me that there
were in attendance two graduates,
seven seniors, twelve Juniors, nine
teen sophomores and forty-three
freshmen. The total enrolment is
about 900. Two years ago the
first year preparatory class made
up one half of the entire enroll
ment; now that class is less than
one-fifth of it. The number Of col
lege students in attendance is an
increase over last year of one
third or more. There are more
students than usual from the
southern part of the state. They
are all well advanced, as result
of the southern schools increasing
their requirements so. as to fit their
students for the university. We
understand that the Grangeville
school is going to follow their ex-
ample. 1t will be the more neces-
sary to all the schools to take up
the movement, because the first
year of the preparatory school will
probably be dropped at the annual
meeting of the Regents in June
next.
We are still in an unfinished
building. The necessity for the
completion is as urgent now as it
ever has been. All the depart
ments are crowded. The library
outgrew its quarters last year and
had to be moved to larger room
and even that room seems to be
full now. Though large amount
of additional shelving has been put
up, it is nearly all filed. Thirty
or forty new files for papers have
been added to the library; most of
the papers are agricultural. The
school is much indebted to Mr..
A. +. Parker for his donations of
historical pamphlets and publica-
tons which are now very rare.
The agricultural department is To-
Gated mainly in the annex this
year, since there are better accom-
modations there. The rooms in
the university building thus va
Gated have been given to other de-
partments, botany, mining, etc.
The engineering, mining, and agri-
cultural courses have been
strengthened. A course of photog-
raphy is being given by Mr.. Hunt
ley, to the agricultural students.
A number of changes have been
made in the faculty, and, in the
opinion of the students, the new
instructors are "all right
A series of lectures has been ar
ranged for this year, one of which
has been given already. This first
lecture was by Miss Bowman, on
"Some Masterpieces of Painting
and Sculpture" The magic Ian
tern views of the subjects treated
greatly increased the value of the
lecture. The next lecture is to be
by Lieutenant Chrisman. on the
subject "Recollections of Cadet
Days" The title promises that
the lecture will be good and in
teresting. A recital was recently
given by the Philharmonic club in
honor of Mr. and Mrs. William
Kaufman, who are going to San
Francisco. Mr.. and Mrs. Kauf-
mann, by the way have done much
for the university, and everybody
regrets their departure. He has
decided to make a gift of $3.50 a
year to the university, to be divid-
ed among the three most deserving
students. This year a list of fif-
teen boys and five girls was select
ed, to each of whom was given
$3.50.
All the societies are doing good
work this year. The Amphictyons
and Websterians have good-sized
audiences at their regular meet
ings on Friday afternoons.
A new debating society, for boys
only, is being organized. Their
object is to have debates with the
various literary societies in the
university and in town. The Ora
torical Association is preparing for
the Intercollegiate contest, which
is to be held in Moscow next April.
Whitman College, the Washington
Agricultural College and the Uni
versity of Idaho are the members
of the Intercollegiate Association,
and take part in the contest. Mr..
John A. Coffee, who graduated
from the university last spring,
won the prize in the Intercollegiate
contest last year, and every effort
will be made to maintain the good
reputation he has gained for US.
There is probably a little diseou-
ragement among the members OF
the Athletic Association, on ac-
count of the loss of the game OF
football on Thanksgiving day at
Spokane. The boys say they did
not get fair treatment, and that
that is the reason why Spokane
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