Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1905-02-03
Editor of Midland Schools Con
tributes an Interesting Chap
ter to the Discussion
SECRET CONFERENCES HELD
Feeling Growing Among the Denomn-
atonaI Schools That the University
Has Taking Advantage of Its Posi-
ton to Secure Graduates of High
Schools.

Des Moincs, Feb. 3. - Professor w
S. Athern. who publishes the Midland
Schools, believes that he has inside in
formation with respect to the differ
colleges OF the state respecting the ex
animation and classification of high
schools as to competency OF their grad
yates to enter the university and 9TH
er colleges without examination.
He declares that the colleges have
been in controversy over the matter
for long time, that the colleges aside
from the university have been impa-
tlent for more than a year because of
the methods used by the university in
its inspection of the high schools, and
that secret meetings and other confer
cnccs have been frequent in the hope
of curtailng the power and province of
the university in this work. Mr.. Ath-
ern says:
For a number of years the work of
preparing the list of accredited schools
has been left entirely to the state uni
NcISlly, ana IL lH.lS DceIl lOl
the other colleges to accept the list
without question.
For some years the feeling has been
growing among the denominatonal
colleges that the state university was
taking advantage OF her position in
many ways and thus securing more
than her share of the high school grad
yates. Uniform application blanks
We're finally prepared containing the
names of all the institutions to which
the applicant would be admitted with
out examination. When these blanks
We're printed it was discovered that
the name of the state university was
printed in bold black-faced type while
the names of the other colleges We're
printed In light faced type. And this
was not all, 1t is alleged that the uni
versity, besides sending out these uni
form blanks to the high schools. also
sent out q separate blank on which the
name of the state university was print
ed in letters that ran entirely across
the top of the page. This was too
much for the colleges to bear, the type
was too large by far, suggesting that
the relation of the state university to
difference in the type in which the
names of the institutions were print
ed. 1t was evident that something
must be done to make the type uni
form.
A secret conference was held in the
Bible room of Drake University at the
time for the first conference of second
airy schools and colleges. in the fall OF
1903. At this conference it was evil
dent that there was much bad blood"
and it was determined that something
must be done to protect the interests
of the colleges At the recent meeting
at Iowa City another conference Of the
disgruntled colleges was held and 1t
was finally decided to recommend to
the general committee the placing of
the whole matter Of accrediting nigh
schools in the hands of the state SUI
perintendent, as 1T was found that the
law gave him the power to do this
work. A committee was appointed to
interview Superintendent Riggs to
learn whether or not he would be will
ing to undertake this new work.
Lack Of Funds.
Now this committee, Mr.. Athern
says. achieved nothing in its confer
ence with the state superintendent, for
he had no funds with which to under
take the work 1t sought to have the
university shift from itself to his office
This decision was pleasing to the uni
versity, which has been engaged in the
business for thirty years and reserves
the right to inspect the high schools
for itself and for the other colleges In
cidentally. The committee which called
on the state superintendent did not
mention the black face and light face
types, however, putting its request for
the assumption Of the work of inspect
ing high schools by the state depart
ment on other grounds.
Following this conference the classi-
fication committee of the college sec
ton of the teachers department did
nothing but later circulated a petition
agreeing to inspect the high schools Of
the state for themselves, and to take
each others reports on the subject.
The state university did not contribute
to this agreement, and will not do so,
its inspection being an established in
stitution, built up by a large expendi-
ture of money and which has not been
used for the upbuilding of the attend
ance at the university to the exent
which friends of the institution think
it ought to have been used.
The nubbin of the controversy was
that the university was using it's in