Decorah-posten og ved arnen., 1909-02-02
R., B. ANDERSON AGAIN.

TClBuS rams Nllhi', Jdh. 80 W.
To the Editor
In your issue of December 18th last
| published a reply to a vicious at
tack in "Amerika" on Prof. ID. G.,
Ristad, OF Fergus Falls. In my ar
ticle / spoke of Prof. Ristad's ex-
| cellent work as principal of Park Re-
gion Luther College, saying in this
connection that graduates of the
school are admitted as students by
the University of Minnesota, without
examination. In a recent issue of his
paper, Prof. Anderson designated this
statement as untrue-"en usand Paa-
| Standard shot air.. In other
words, he accused me of u%ntruthful-
ness and reckless use of, language
or what else does he mean by his
picturesque slang?
Prof. Anderson tries to prove the
falsity of my statement by saying
that Park Region Luther College is
not mentioned in the University cata-
logue as an accredited school. That
does not prove his contention, and a
careful, considerable man would not
base a charge of untruthfulness upon
such evidence. He would have made
an investigation and made sure that
he was right before going ahead-be-
fore accusing an old friend as he did.
My statement is true, and when
Prof. Anderson says that ! did not
tell the truth, he himself is guilty OF
f~alsehood. | can prove by documen-
tary evidence that the University adj
mits the graduates of Park Region
Luther College without examination,
and two of the graduates OF 1908
were last fall admitted on that
basis. In the issue of my paper, the
Fergus Falls Free Press, for October
II, 1908, Prof. Ristad published two
letters addressed to him by Prof.
George +. James, dean of the Univer-
sity school of education, in which
these facts are plainly set forth. In
one of these letters Dean James says:
"Our arrangement was that your re-
commentator should, for the present,
be sufficient to admit properly quail
! fed students to the University with
out examinations" and he authorized
Prof. Ristad to make this public, as
was done in the Free Press. Since
then this arrangement has net been
changed; and Dean James specific
pledge is still in force. Let me add,
in this connection, that no student is
permitted 10 graduate from the aca-
dcmic department of Park Region
Luther College, whose scholarship
or ability is not such as to entitle him
to a recommendation from the prin-
cipal, for presentation to the Univer-
sity registrar; so that my statement
in the Decorah-Postcn was true in
the fullest sense of the term, Prof.
Anderson and the University cata-
logue TO the contrary notwithstand-
ing. Prof. James letters are on file at
the college and may be read by any
body interested, and ] would suggest
TO Prof. Anderson that, If he Is still
in doubt as to the truthfulness or
accuracy of my statement, he had
better communicate with Prof, James.
So much for Prof. AnderSon's
charge OF untruthfulncss against me.
Now let us devote some attention to
his own veracity. Here is a sample:
) In "Amerika" for Jan. 18th last he
states that n reason why he refused
to publish my reply t his attack on
Prot. Ristad-thc reply published in
% Observation-Disclosures that he had
, already received communications on
the same subject from the faculty and
the board Of trustees of Park Region
IIu.hcr College. To use his own
Language: at vi allcrede havde en-
I Erklvring ira Board of Trustees og
p IN Ditto fra Park Region Luther
. College, Fakultet.'
That statement is absolutely un,
4 ;~uc. My letter was mailed TO Prof
Anderson December 5th and on De
ccmhrr 9TH he wrote me a persona
letter, stating that he would not
publish il. because ] had a paper o.
my own to reply in and because my
letter was in English. He did no
II say a word about any communication
: irow the faculty and the board, fo'
the plain and simple reason that h
i had received none and did not know
that any were forthcoming. Tit
. facts in the case are, that the com
munications Of the faculty and TIL
II board were not written before Decem
, Der 9TH and were not mailed befor,
December 9TH or Sth, and could no
have been received by Prof. Ander
70 son before one or two days after h,
:. sent his letter to me, refusing &
oe publish my article. These are stub
born facts and Prof. Anderson can
not refute them. Consequently h
" told a falsehood, either deliberatel
r. or thoughtlessly,
This is a small matter, and | Shout
y have paid no attention to it, but TO
Iet Prof. Anderson's alacrity in a~ccusin
on others OF falsehood. 1t would be cas-
10 convict him of other untruthfr
~ u~tteranees, made either consciousl
or unconsciously, and it would seer
hest for him TO remember the parabl
; of the glass houses. For instanc,
% his articles against Prof. Ristad col