The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-02-11
PRESIDENT PARSONS
Explains Recent Remarks which, He
Says, Have Been misunderstood.

To the Editor of the Indianapolis Journal:
Some remarks made by me few days ago
before the students of the State Normal
School seem to have been misquoted and
misunderstood by some persons. The facts
and circumstances, as nearly as / can re-
call them. were as follows: On Tuesday
morning, Feb. /, / received two letters, each
telling me that in a county convention held
on the preceding Saturday resolution was
introduced and debated but finally with
drawn, which proposed to abolish the three
higher state educational institutions. The
grounds of opposition as stated in these
letters were: First, the small attendance at
the state institutions; second, their great
cost to the people; third, that they are Of
little benefit to the State.
Without any generalization, and without
note before me, l called the attention of
the students to the action of this conven-
ton, and on that and the following two
mornings spoke briefly on these
three objections In discussing the ques-
ton of attendance, l spoke of the
large and rapidly-increasing numbers
at the state institutions in Indiana
as compared with the nonstate colleges In
the academic year ending June, 1897, the
eight nonstate colleges enrolled in all de-
year the three state institutions enrolled
over 5000 students. Attention was called to
the fact that this disparity is not confined
70 indiana. The interesting statistics given
by Prof. Kelsey, in an article on state
universities and Church Colleges in the
december number of the Atlantic Monthly
were quoted. In this article it is shown
lnat IN eight representative Western
state universities the attendance in
while in eight representative denomi-
national colleges the increase during the
same period was less than u per cent. 1t
was further pointed out that in sixteen
state universities the attendance during the
academic year ending June, 1886, was IA 697,
Whlle IN the thirty-seven schools of ad-
Eanced learning controlled by one leading
denomination in the United States there
were 1878 students. These figures, with
others referred to, were mentioned as
showing an unmistakable drift toward state
institutions. and away from UNCONVENTIONAL
institutions. The figures were quoted sole
ly as reply to the first objection to the
state schools. The opinion was expressed
that this resulted from two things: First
the superior equipment which more liberal
appropriations in recent years had enabled
the state institutions to prOVide; and second.
a strong disposition ON the part of young
people TO free themselves from sectaran
NO EFFORT was made. and there was no de-
sire, to disparage the work of denomina-
COnal schools. Neither was it asserted or
implied that the UNCONVENTIONAL schools
were primarily responsible for any existing
opposition to state schools The simple eff
fort was made to refute the objection to
state schools on the ground of small attend
ance, by showing, from carefully collected
STATISTICS, that the attendance at such
schools is far greater than at other insti-
luIohs, and that 1T is rapidly increasing.
IT, w. W. PARSONS.
S Terre Haute, Ind. Feb. TO-