Omaha daily bee., 1910-06-10
Our Letter Box
Contributions on Timely Subjects
Not Exceeding Two Hundred words
Are invited from Our Readers.



Bee: am enclosing a clipping from to-
days Bee attached to the circular letter
recently sent out by Mr.. Reed which as
sumo inspired the comment. This letter
was sent to all the accredited schools and
applies to Lincoln, Friend. and all others
quite as much as to Omaha.
The intention Of the circular letter is as
follows: Some of the weaker schools have
been teaching agriculture from purely
text book point of view-ln some cases not
the slightest effort has been made to pre-
sent the subject in a practical way. We
feel that the time has come when the
schools can teach agriculture as fairly and
as honestly as they can teach the older
subjects
AS far as Omaha is concerned, since It's
high school provides for graduating pupils
with thirty-two points, and since we re-
quire only thirty for admission to any of
the colleges of the university, 1t will not
make a particle of difference to its grad
yates whether they are credited with one
point in agriculture for admission to the
university, or not.
The letter is a circular letter and there is
nothing in 1t to imply that in our opinion
the provision made for the teaching Of
adequate In every respect. AS a matter of
fact it has been exceptionally fine.
fear that some of the readers of The
Bee will interpret the editorial to mean
that students will not be permitted to enter
our course In agriculture unless laboratory
work is done in agriculture in the High
school. The circular letter simply means
that they will not be given points in en-
fra ifu In a..
work is properly done. Thus. for example,
If student should enter from a certain
high school with thirty points to his credit
OF which one was found to be agriculture
of such character that we could not rec
ognize it, the student could enter any course
in the university with twenty-nine points
to his credit. He would have to do a little
extra work in the university and have a
college credit set back as we use the
term, for entrance credit but he would be
in no way embarrassed, as agriculture is
not required high school subject for ad-
mission to any university course
Let us suppose that a particular high
school requires thirty points for gradua-
ton and we are obliged to notify the school
that one point offered in agriculture cannot
be accepted. If the school is offering any
take this instead of agriculture, and hence
be in a position to present thirty points
for entrance In word, all we are trying
to get at this time: The agriculture which
we recognize as worthy of entrance credits
must be the real thing and not a sham.
The requirements in this subject under the
new rule will be no more severe than tbev
have long been for botany, chemistry.
physics, and physical geography.
The growth of agricultural education in
the country has been such that we find
one Of the most embarrassing things that
we have to contend with is to secure and
retain young men to give instruction in our
own school OF agriculture. They are taken
away at larger Salaries than we can az
ford to pay before we consider them ade-
quately trained. The calls usually come
from schools In other states. and coma 40
us largely because we are making a good
record in agricultural education. To in
crease arbitrarily the demand for teachers
properly trained in agriculture is slmnIv
to increase our embarrassment. Further
than this. Mr.. Reed is not connected u,itb
the agricultural college except indirectly
and has no personal motive whatever IN
pushing this side OF the work.
should be very glad II the papers. which
IN the main have been very friendly to the
university during my administration. would
give me an opportunity to explain any,
thing that may strike them as peculiar or
likely to be misunderstood, before thew
publish things which tend to discredit us in
the eyes of the community. Further. I
should be glad to answer any questions in
regard to the matter under consideration.
S. AVERY,