The Norfolk Virginian. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 186?-189?, 1898-02-15
President Tyler Comes to ihs Defense Of
This Famous Old Institution.
LETTER TO THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY
Recommendation of Legislative Conn
mittco 10 Cnt Down tho Appropria
tion Criticized-The College NOT
Subject TO ConTsicaiion in the In>
tcrest OF Kotrenchment.

dressed an open letter to the members
OF the General Assembly of Virginia
IN reference to the report of the com
mittce recommending that the appro-
priatlons to William and Mary be re-
duced from $4,000 to $780, and sug-
costing the sale of the property so
mat no further appropriations could be
demanded, for the reason that under
the report made the committee they
were unable to see that the work
uohe at the institution justines any
appropra ton at ALL
President Tyler states that in writ
ing his letter he has no intention of
crltlcislng the committee in any I'M
lrlehaiy manner, Or saying word ex-
Cept III reference to their recommen-
datlon regarding the State Normal
ochool at William and Mary. Had this
recommendation been based upon the
condition of the States finances. how
ever much he might have regretted
,hc action Of the committee, he would
nave had nothing to say, but when
the report Ignores the question of
economic expenditure of the States
money and places it's recommendation
Soleiy upon his report of the work
done at the institution, the matter
assumes a very different aspect Presi-
ueht iyler goes on to say, ''as can be
seen by reference to the public news
paper at the time, the questions pro-
pounded to the heads of the institu-
ions had nothing to do with the eS-
pendlture of the States money, I ad-
dressed myself to the question of nv
report, and l will challenge any one
to say that there was anything in that
report to Justify the recommendations
or the joint committee on retrench-
ment and reform that, in view Of the
work done at the institution of which
= am Inc president the appropriation
10 william and Mary should be re-
uuced one-half, or absolutely discon-
tinued. In direct response to the
printed inquiries Of the committee I
showed that the States appropriation
was taken up almost entirely in the
pay OF the professors and emploves and
mat these professors received less than
Ihose OF any other literary institution
Tor males which obtains aid from the
State treasury, being only $1,000 a wear
without any perquisltcs
All the other expenses, with the en-
ception or S553, the balance of the State
appropriation, came out Of the interest
on the small endowment fund NV re-
port shows fully what these expenses
are, and 1 have a right to say {and
the written report submitted by me is
IN the hands of several members of tho
lteEisiature) that the expenses of the
board OF Visitors of TIE institution, the
expenses for fuel, etc. are remark a bIv
light, and can bear comparison with
the expenses of any other institution
In the State.
But the work of the Normal School
at william and Mary is impeached,
ana mat work is pronounced by q COM
mlttee, who submitted no enquiries re-
garding 1t, to be totally unsatisfactory.
Being called before the committee al
II o'clock at night to say something
about the finances of the Institution. I
No., .,
teachers last year in over forty-seven
uliierent counties of the State one
third OF them at the head OF high and
graded schools. Eighty teachers ac-
tually reported, and there were. of
course. others not directly heard from
running the number certainly beyond
one hundred. | may add that this
year the statistics, as far as received
show over one-half the total number
reporting teaching high and gluded
schools. 1t must he remembered that
'he students are only pledged by law
OF the State to teach two years In the
pubic schools, and we have not deemed
II our putty TO follow them beyond the
ai!"itch period after leaving college,:
put feel | am safe in saying that
therr are to-day upwards OF two hun
ured trained teachers of the Normal
School of William ana Mary teaching
III the public schools of Virginia.
vi the total number of students last
session AT William and Mary. one hun
dred and forty-fOur were Virginians.
ana only seven from outside the stain,
Inc cost per capita for the Virginians
was but SOB 10 the State. | will not
institute invtdious comparisons, but |
think can say that this COMPARES
iaNcrably with the other institutions.
CONSIDER, also. that for this expense
the State gets the service for two years
Il ,Fl
trained teachers in the public schools.
Nlne-tenths of the students at the in
Stitution would never have obtained
the advantage Of the higher education
but for the Normal School at VILLA n,
and Mary. which. by its very low rates
mas gwen opportunities during the last
ten years to hundreds of y1ung mcn
sons OF farmers and old Confederate
veterans III straitcncd circumstances
rms much as 10 the results of our
WORK, ana as to the quality of the same
let me say that. though we have been
visited repeatedly by committees Of the
Legislature, this is the first time in ten
years mat anything but commendu-
iion has been bestowed
AS to the course marked ont for
Student-tcachcrs. including practice
ana observation in the model school
! mink II compares favorably with the
best normal work in the South. The
professors are thoroughly a;ivs. to the
demands of the times. ana most of
them have been repeatedly entrusted
with the management of summer il -
mai Institutes
rs Tor the recommend i:iniS Of the
committee that 1t would lie wiS,. on
the part Of the State to ,;sposa Of :hc
property am sure my report ar;rIds
not the slightest ground for the as
sumption that the State owns 4 dollar
I.,,i1