Polk County observer. (Monmouth, Polk County, Or.) 1888-1927, 1909-03-30
WHAT MONMOUTH HAS DONE
Letter By Student Body Outlines Work
Accomplished By Normal Against
Big Odds.
Monmouth, Ore, March 26. 19O'

Editor Polk County Observer:
Dear Sir:-The Student Body of the
Oregon State Normal School at Mon
mouth requests the courtesy of hear
ing, through your paper, in regard TO
the Normal School controversy. we
feel that our school and its faculty
and students have been grossly
wronged not only in the failure OF the
Legislature to provide support but In
the unjust and untrue statements
published in many papers.
The Monmouth school has been
operated since January l, 1907, with
out state funds. In addition, great
publicity was given the fact that the
Board of Regents had closed the insti-
tuition in 1907 for lack of funds and
little notice taken of the fact that the
same Board accepted large donations
from friends of the Normal and
re-opened it in August, 1907. These
facts coupled with the natural fear OF
students and their parents that the
school might be unable to complete
the year, combined to shake confidence
and make a handicap almost
insuperable.
In spite of all these reverses, the old
Monmouth Spirit" rose to the
occasion and alumni and friends
raised and paid into the State treasury
six thousand dollars to enable the.
regents to carry on the school during
the year 19O7-s. The local school
district doubled its special tax and
added five thousand dollars. Tuition
receipts amounted to more than three
thousand dollars. The faculty donated
in salary reductions five thousand
dollars, making a total provision OF
nineteen thousand dollars for the
years budget, not one cent of which
was supplied by the state.
A similar plan was followed for the
present year l9OS-9, only OF necessity
the resources we're more limited. Ihe
local school district paid the salaries
of the principal of the Training
; Department and of the four critics,
and other expenses to the amount OF
!, five thousand dollars. Seven addi-
tional instructors were employed, five
|, accepting the mere pittance of fifty
dollars month, and two, President
|. RessIer and Mr.. Butler, donating
their services. The teachers salary
sacrifice this year amounts to nearly
six thousand dollars. Tuition receipts
=, will be above twenty-five hundred
~ dollars. The cash donations viii
u amount to over three thousand dollars
making a total for the year of abou
= seventeen thousand dollars, with no
\ penny from the state.
\ Last year, Monmouth students paiC
twenty-five dollars tuition, double tn
charges made at the other State Nor
NAL Schools and at the State Univers
ity and Agricultural College. Thi
year, the students have cheerful
paid the same fee and when the regu
lar session of the Legislature ad
iourned without making an approprI
alton, a student mass meeting wa
1 called, where one hundred and te
students subscribed over fourtee
hundred dollars in order that th
school should not be closed. Prect
cally all of US are self supporting an
yet we gladly put up our hard-earne
money both because we want Normi
training and because we mean
stand by our school to the very last.
We are also self-respecting az
resent bitterly the unfair and untrl
charges against our school. We kno
and every fair-minded person me
know by the least investigation tn
Monmouth is and has been bona ii'
Normal School. Under the adver
conditions, forty-eight graduates we
sent out last year and there will
over forty the coming June. OF la
Years Senior class, forty-five are nc
teaching, two are students 10 collie
and one is married. Ninety-three
last years one hundred and sevent
four students are known 10 De eac
ing. Most Of the remaining ha
returned to school this year. Ninet
one and eight-tenths per cent OF
graduates during the past five yea
are still teaching and the percenta
for the whole twenty-seven years
over sixty.
These and other reliable a
authentic statistics have been pI
lished from year TO year and
available to all. Our school and
good name and reputation are
capital Of graduates and stsder
and the loss OF the capital throu
abuse and misrepresentation mot
bankruptcy. Monmouth cannot
crushed. Like Truth, though crusl
10 earth. she will rise again.
Very truly yours,
THE STUDENT BODY,
By p. NJ. Stroud, Pre-