Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1914-05-08
COLLEGE SECURES $4,000.
Starts Endow m ent Fund for
keep Of Gymnssium


President Thomas announced that ax
Governor John G. Mccullough had SEN
his check for $4,000 to be held as a
permanent fund, the income to be useC
for the support of the gymnasium
which bears his name, or other pur
poses in the discretion Of the trustees
He said that he hoped that this woulc
be the beginning of large addition tc
the endowment of the institution.
In a letter to the alumni President
Thomas says
"I propose that we make this period
of forward movement, not of merely
holding our own. am not in the tenn
per of winning for the life of Middle
bury college, but rather of striking a
resolute march ahead. And just now
comes a word of cheer and summons
to confidence and effort A friend who
knows all about present conditions and
who does not believe in remaining in a
defensive attitude sends us check for
$40, 900 for the further endowment of
the college. This is an item which
should stir our gratitude and increase
our courage. One who has not before
been listed among the benefactors of
Middlebury tells me to put him Jwn
for 81. 900 on the next fund. Why not
start it right away?"
AS to the recent suggestion that the
State should reduce Its appropriations
to Middlebury, President Thomas says:
propose to appeal to the people of
Vermont to continue their support of
Middlebury college in not less than the
present amount. l shall put it on the
ground of the worth of the college to
the State ard the right of Vermont
boys and girls to some form of scholar
ship assistance. l shall strive to press
my appeal in the spirit of my statement
to the commission, asking only for what
is fair and reasonable, and with en-
deavor to further at the same time the
interests of Vermont's public schools. l
undertake this task from high sense of
my duty to the college and to the State.
just as the President of Dartmouth or
Johns Hopkins would do in like circum-
stances. and l ask the loyal support of
every alumnus and friend of Vermont
in the endeavor.
Replying to some of the comments
upon Middlebury the letter to the
alumni remarks as follows:
LAS to the criticisms of our college, |
believe we have a just defense in every
instance. 1t is not true that we have
announced courses which we were not
ready to give. In rapidly growing COL
lege NATURALLY some courses are de-
scribed which students are not yet pre-
pared to take, and changes are made
which result in the withdrawal of some
couI ses and the substitution of others.
Every college also lists courses which
are given in alternate years, and it is
hardly fair to imply that these are ''of-
fered' and not given. A college whose
faculty has increased from IL to so in
six years car. not have failed to furnish
students more than it has promised them
AS "a matter of fact, when the class of
1912 were freshmen we had 80 courses,
when they were seniors we had l43.
The class of 1918 entered with prom
ise of los courses, and when they grad
uated they had their choice among TO-
Our promise to the entering class of
1914 was III, but they are graduating
from a college which gives them 1872.
There has been go per cent gain in facil-
tiles during the college course of every
graduate of the past four years, and no
student has left Middlebury in recent
years without the testimony that the
college has given him much more than
it promised
As to undue expansion, that de-
pends upon ones idea of college. My
idea is to make this college useful to
Vermont, and do not believe we have
yet expended unduly for that purpose.
We have never pretended to fit men for
law or medicine or agriculture, and no
fair reading of our catalogue could
charge that we did. AS to admission
standards, the fact that we were cor
daily welcomed to the New England
College Entrance Certificate Board,
and that we have been recently included
by the Associatian of American Uni
versities among ll6 institutions recon-
mended to the Prussian government for
recognition of baccalaureate degrees, is
sufficient proof that the structures of
the Carnegie report do not describe
present conditions.
The letter closes with an urgent ap-
peal to the alumni to rally for the Hath
"And now for the Hath commence
manff II onohf 70 ko N .oII.. g.