The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-08-04
ATTACK ON HILL.
President of EmpOria Normal
Draws a Heavy Fire.
Alumni Address Open Letter De-
manding His Succession.
WANT HISRESIGN ALTON
Favoritism and Unfairness Are
Weakening Institution.
Prof. Rhodes of New Hampshire
Suggested for His Place.
WANT HISRESIGNATION

A fight to force the resignation of
President Hill of the state normal
school at Emporia has progressed to
the stage where a circular letter is
being sent to students, alumni and
friends Of the institution. This letter
is signed by FIVE graduates of the nor
nal now engaged in educational work
in the state and by one student Of
the school
Alleging that lin every element of
greatness that the president of such
a school should possess, President Hill
IS a weakling,' the letter urges that
.,r.sssure We urc ght upon the board
teruusn Governor Stubbs
and otherwise to obtain the appoint
5lIent of a new executive at Enlporia
in time for the opening of the coming
term OF school.
It is intended to make an endless
chain correspondence do the work of
forcing the regents of the normal into
the removal of the president lead of
the states training school for teachers.
The writer's protest that Sha us fitness
of the school is disintegrating under
tne unfortunate influence OF the preSl-
dent and urge friends to address let
terS to the governor and regents. The
name of former member OF the ror-
NAL faculty Prof. jeremiah NJ. Rhodes,
now of the New Hampshire State nor
NAL, is suggested as a desirable sue
cessor to Hill.
TO the Students Alumni. nd Friends
of the State Normal School, Located
at Emporia, Kan
we. the undersigned students of the
Kansas State Normal school, at En-
poria, Kan, thii that the time mas
come when it is necessary for the
| friends of the normal to do some plain
talking The schaol, as it is now man
aged, is failing to measure up to the
tnat such a sch, oil should
attain, owing to the fact that Presl-
dent j. H. Fill is not large enough
for the work he is expected to do II
every eleme o: gTe1 tness that a
president of such a school should pos
r,. 81 4el.t IL is ing
First The entire work simply drifts
| to and fro, without concerted control
Second. Some departments are pet
ted and others are hampered by every
handicap that the management can
place upon them
Favoritism Charged.
Thir F'avoritism is rampant The
members of the faculty that happen to
be in favor with the management and
| his advisors get everything they want,
! While the persons too Independent to
| truckle are driven out of the school,
| Fourth. There is no supervision OF
the work of the school, In some of the
departments President Hill has never
visited a class to hear a recitation since
he has been at the head of the school,
yet he goes before the board of regents
and asks that the teachers be dis
| charged.
Fifth. The president does not deal
with the students and the faculty in
broad and open manner, but on the
| contrary, shows narrowness and small
ness in manifold ways.
| Sixth We firmly believe that Presi-
| dent Hill has lost out with the people
of the state, as shown by the contest in
| the legislature last winter. He has lost
/ out with so per cent of the students.
| faculty, and the people of the city Oh
Emporia.
Seventh. Many of the strongest mem
| bers of the faculty have been driven
from the school by the presidents lit
| tleness. There is absolutely no justifi-
cation for driving from the school
strong teachers. There is absolutely no
objection to these teachers by students
/ of the school, and the president, not
having inspected the work of these
! teachers, is not competent to judge OF
| their merits.
Faculty Members Leaving.
Eighth Many of the faculty are
this regime continues any longer thel .
| will soon be little left of a great school,
with a prestige all over this country.
We would suggest and urge you TO
| write letters to Governor W. R. Stubs,
| Topeka, and to Hon. John e. Boyer,
secretary of the board of regents.
Kingman, urging upon them the absu-
| lutte necessity of having a new presl-
dent selected at once, to enter upon his
duties September 1. Also write to your
friends. asking them to write letters to
the above named persons.
Professor jeremiah NJ. Rhodes, of tn ?
Keene, New Hampshire, State Normal
school, was a member of the faculty
of this school for many years and
would make a splendid president of the
Kansas State Normal schools. He is n
graduate of the Indiana State univer-
sity, Harvard university, and State
Normal school, and has made a great
success where he is.
In your letters to the above named
parties, if you would care to urge the
election of Mr.. Rhodes to the presi-
dency Of the Kansas Normal schools,
we would be pleased to have you do
so. We hope you Will act promptly in
this matter, as we believe. the affairs
of this school are in p-ecarious con-
dition.
Respectfully yours,
S W. MERCER. teacher of History
and Economics, Greenlecf, Kan.
J. HUGHES, Teacher, Latimer. Kan
WILLIAM WATSON Superintend-
ent of Schools, Geneseo, Kan
J. T. HOLLAND, Principal OF
Schools, Robinson, Kan.
F. D. HENDERSON. Student. En-
poria, Kan.
r. f KERSEY. superintendent OF
Schools, Paxico, Kan
That all is not harmony around the
Emporia Normal has been common
information for several months. The
publicity attached to the attempts tc
separate the Pittsburg Normal from
! the Emporia institution served to at
tract public attention from the row
that was said to be or in Emporia
The dismissal of Principal Russ by
the regents was another event thai
! caused public attention to leave EN-
] poria and center in Pittsburg. But
taT ..-1,;Io President Hill boS bof