The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-02-04
THE STATE NORMAL.
President Parsons Shows the Inaccu-
racy of Mr.. Rays Figures.

To the Editor of the indianapolis Journal
Your issue of to-day contains a short edi-
| toral on the relative cost of education in
the state and UNCONVENTIONAL schools of In
diana. to which 1 wish to make a brief re-
ply. / have paid no attention to this sub
ject in it's relation to Indiana University and
Purdue University but 1 am able to speak
with exact knowledge so far as it concerns
the State Normal School.
/ assume that your figures are taken from
a published circular entitled ''Nonstate and
State Schools" dated Jan. 90 1899, and
signed by John w. Ray Mr. Ray will be
remembered for many years the treas
urer of De PAW University, and in this
capacity he had much to do with the man.
agement of the finances of that institution
1t would seem fair to assume that he would
know how to acquire a knowledge of the
facts in case like this, and he might rea-
sonably be expected to state them correctly
! Let us see how fully he has done this.
First-Mr. Ray gives the attendance at the
eight denominational colleges in the year
1881 q presume he means the school year
ending June, 1870 as z,lIS, ana at the three
state institutions Tor the year ending Oct.
81, 1898, as shown by the reports, as 2506.
The published report of the State Normal
School page 10, from which Mr.. Ray takes
his figures shows that that institution alone
had 1874 inherent students, not 723, as Mr.
Ray says. In its catalogues ana reports the
Normal School shows it's enrolment for each
term of the year, its average term attend
ance and the total number of different stu
dents. Everybody knows that the total en-
rollment in any school is much larger than
the average attendance. why does Mr.. Ray
use the total attendance in the case of the
UNCONVENTIONAL schools and the average
term attendance in the case of the State
Normal School? The simple truth is that in
the year ending Oct. 81, 1898, the State Nor
mai School enrolled 1874 different students,
while in the academic year ending June.
1885, the eight UNCONVENTIONAL institutions
enrolled 2, 145 students, only 1,2Ol OF whom
We're doing college work proper. These fig
ufeS count Tor nothing, one way OF the olher,
so far as excellence of work Is concerned,
but the relative attendance should be shown
correctly II at all.
Second-As to the cost per capita per year
at the State Normal School. In the year
ending Oct. 81, 1898, this institution cost the
State $69,33S "a. This amount was paid out
of the general fund-the proceeds of the
educational tax. IL we divide this amount
by 1874, the total number of different stu
dents for the year, the per capita cost to
the State is seen to be less than $50 per
year, not $l29s0. But if to this amount we
add the cost of maintaining the library for
by the students themselves, and take no ac-
count of the six weeks summer school,
which was attended by els teachers and
which cost in round numbers s. COO the case
would stand thus: Total expenditures for
the year ending Oct. 81 1898. $74.411.4l; total
NUMBER OF dlfIerent students not counting
summer school attendance) 16O6: per capita
cost less than d7, not $129.S0 as Mr.. Ray
says.
There are other statements in Mr. Rays
circular which are as incorrect and mislead-
ing as are his figures in relation to relative
attendance and cost. but l do not care to
notice them NJ this time
| have corresponded fully with the one
hundred and eight or ten state normal
schools in the United States and have been
at great pains and labor to ascertain the
cost per capita per year of educating teach
eTs In state normal schools. Reports from.
these institutions show that IN only three
of the larger and more prominent Of these
schools Is the, cost less than in the Indiana
State Normal School while in the great
majority of them ii is much greater
These three things are true namely IN
the cost per capita per year of educating
students Oeachers) in the State Normal
School is considerably less than one-half the
amount given by Mr. Ray: CO.. il is much
less than he gives Il even if his unfair
method of estimating is employed: CD il Is
much less. according TO Mr. Rays figures,
than in the denominatonal schools: % Il is
lower than in most similar inst tuti ms in the
United Stales. w w. PARSONS
President State Normal School
Terre Halte, Ind. Feb. 3.