The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-02-11
William and Mary.

Editor of The Times-Dispatch:
Sir-In reply TO the letter which APP
peared in Fridays Issue of The Times
Dispatch questioning the ACCESSIBILITY OF
placing the College OF William and Mary
under State control. with continuance
of the collegiate department. 1t seems to
the writer tina; the arguments of "Citl-
zen'' were both specious and unspecific.
Citizen appears TO be misinformed or
strangely ignorant as to the conditions
existing at that venerable institution, or
lie would know that the feasibility OF
conducting the two Northumberland
and collegiate-nnd at the same time
| maintaining the interest OF the State,
which he questions has already been
proved. 1t may be stated without fear
of contradiction that at least so per cent.
OF the students who attend William and
Mary take up the normal work and after
wards become teachers In the schools of
the State. These teachers are given the
most responsible positions. many OF them
easily securing principalships. Many OF
them are county superintendent: few
are school inspectors. Has their eff
cheney been impaired by having been
trained In n college which also conducted
a collegiate department? Further, be 1t
known, the majority of these teachers
have also taken the collegiate course, OF,
a part of It. Are they any the less capa-
BILE of teaching by reason OF the fact
that they have an education higher than
that acquired in the normal department
alone? In an absurd analogy. in which
he gravely states that oil will not mix
with water, Citizen" would have US
believe that 1t would be unwise to run
the collegiate department co-ordinately
with the normal department-that is.
those taking the licentiate's course must
be content with that alone. must not
aspire to acquire a deeper and broader
learning. Such men would be inspiring
teachers!
Again, Citizen" claims that the faculty
of the college would bend their best effort
toward the collegiate department, letting
the normal work manage as best 1t could.
Another exhibition of his profound igno-
rance The able and highly efficient
members of this faculty are fully aware
of the duty and effort they owe the
State in the direction of the normal de-
partment of the college. They are gen
t!emen OF honor, and the writer, who
happens to know most Of them personality
feels that they will deport themselves
with the same high regard for duty which
| they have exhibited in the past
Citizen maintaiss. too. that the col
legiate department will have the best
corps OF professors. For MS enighten-
mcnt, 1t may be stated that there is but
one faculty. and that both departments
arc under It's control. And It may be
stated further that those professors whose
work is more specifically in line with
normal training are as highly educated
and as efficient as those whose work is
more varied. Two new chairs. both,
of them established particularly for the
normal work. have just been created.
Does that look as though the faculty were
paying more attention to the collegiate
feature?
"Citizen's" line of~reasoning is falla-
cious. Let him inqdire further, that he
may speak and judge more comprehcn-
sively. a. r. w. MACKRETH.
st Richmond Va