The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-07-30
Normal; Miss Jennie Howard. of Stuart
Hail. and Miss Martha Riddle. of Mary


Hail. and Miss Martha Riddle of Mary
Baldwin. constitute this committee.
One entire session of the associa ton
10 always given to English. and when,
on Thursday evening. DR.. Jarman in
troduced Miss NJ, NJ Williamson. OF
Hollins. the audience knew that 1t
would hear something invigoratinG.
Her topic was Freshman English"
Miss Williamson believes that, though
not popular. grammar and rhetoric.
those Spartan sponsors of compost
tfon' are of mighty Importance. that
no writer can escape slovenly style
except by old-fashioned work in these.
though the tap-root of composition
teaching is correlation with literature.
Miss Williamson herself has secured
good results this year from using the
current numbers of the Atlantic
Monthly as a text in connection with
good rhetoric In this way the stu
dents could see that the makers of
literature are not all dead-that these
living creators are obedient to the laws
of rhetoric even TO those observed
and recorded by Dr. Charles Baldwin
The teacher at this stage would do
we'll to mass her attack in theme
work, requiring of freshmen many
short themes at regular intervals. The
instructor In freshman English needs
lii a peculiar sense to keep n cle.r
vision of her distant ideals. not losing
sight, however of the lesser, nearer,
ideals of every day." in order that
to-morrow's work may contain
smaller per cent, of error than that of
yesterday. She needs large faith to
send out the little ships into untried
waters. She must initiate her pupils
into the great laboratory of English
the library. She must find a way to
help them gather together and unity
all their ragged notes on the parallel
readings. She must be practical even
TO sternness sometimes, and must in
sist upon 1t that every recitation shall
have direct results in better English.
Whatever leisure and literary seclusion
other teachers may have. "she that
is responsible for securing English as
tool must live in a house beside the
road and be friend OF man."
Miss Williamson gave a very humor
Gus account of the average freshman's
Ignorance OF the phraseology of gram
mar and rhetoric in this day of ten
cr-hearted preparatory teachers. who
shield them from all that is not easy.
harder age used without com
FUNCTION, to expose children to nouns
and verbs and propositions; and no
great mortality followed as a result
Now only the stern presence OF the
teacher keeps the freshman from open
ly flouting the veritics of syntax. and
he regards common grammatical terms
as the unfair nomenclature of higher
criticism
In the discussion that ensued Miss
Higgins. of Mary Baldwin. and Miss
Andrews. of Farmville. took a leading
part. 1t was agreed that freshmen are
usually better prepared in subject
matter and appreciation than in
writing and spelling and other me-
chanical details.
ing. however. as agreed upon last
year. was that some definite step might
be taken towards the classification OF
the schools belonging to the assocta
ton. Hence, the main interest was
concentrated on the business meetings.
The executive committee was in
structed last June to cooperate with
a special committee to collect data, by
means of a QUESTIONABLE and other
wise. looking to classifying the schools
within the association. But, In view
of the fact that the State Board of
Education took up the work in the
meantime and published Its decisions
In February. the committee recon-
mended that the association socept
their definition of a college: AN in
stitution to be registered as a college
must have a t least six professors CIV
ing their full time to college or uni
versity work. a course of four full
years in the liberal arts and sciences,
and must require for admission the
completion of the curriculum of
standard high school with a four
years course, or, in other terms, the
completion of course equivalent to
at least fourteen five-hour units. In
addition to- the usual pre-academic or
grammar school studies"
1t Is significant fact that this as
ISOLATION, which had felt three years
ago that ten-unit entrance require
ment was all it could attempt. now
unanimously and without hesitation
decided for the fourteen unit standard
The committee recommended fur
Their that the schools OF the associa ton
be classified in three divisions, as col
leges, secondary schools and institu-
tions doing not only college prepara-
tory work, but also at least two years
work OF college grade. This classic
cation was adopted.
Mr. Davis then offered a resolution
that the association commend to the
Education Commission of Virginia the
recognition of a class of institutions
to be known as junior colleges. and to
be defined as follows: AN Institution
to he registered as a Junior college
must offer a standard high school or
college preparatory course. and also
at least two years of college work
based upon the fourteen point entrance
requirement for a college"
This motion was earnestly discussed
All were agreed that schools of this
type have long done, and are still do
ing excellent educationa work In our
State. In fact. Virginia Is exceptional
in the number and quality of her in
stitutions of this kind These deserve
at the hands of the State recognition
and a specific name and place The
only question was one of nomenclature
The association could not at once
come to an agreement as to what their
name should be. the term .junior
college" seemed not to be a familiar
one to many of the members. except in
connection with Chicago University,
which calls the first two years of its
b,,t y. to