Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1914-03-26
M|DDLEbURY AND
NORWICH BEFORE
Commission
Presidents Spooner and Thomas
Present Claims of Colleges
to State Educational
Board.

| University and Middlcbury College on
the report of these institutions made by
| the Carnegie Foundation. The forenoon
session was devoted to Norwich Univer-
sty and the afternoon session to Middle
bury College, the main arguments being
made by President g. IL. Spooner and
DR. John NJ. Thomas
The commission was represented by
Justice John 10 Watson. chairman.
| Horace f. Graham, Eli II. Porter and
James u. Estec, and Clerk G. L. Hunt
At the morning hearing President
| Spooner produced and explained statistical
tables and comparisons with other higher
institutions of learning, the University
Of Vermont and Middlebury College, as
well as many in New England. to prove
| that Norwich University was doing its
share. He disagreed with many parts Of
the report, parts of which he considered
I to he unfair. lie denied the imputation
! that his institution was "a place of COR
rccuon 1t was no refOrmatory, ne said
Such a statement was an Insult to tho
young mon attending the university. If
it was not proper to mention it, he said.
1t ought to have been omitted. He ex-
planned the various courses of instruc-
ton, engineering. military training and
some others which had been criticised.
President Spooner was asked 10y the
chairman as to scholarships. replying
that he believed in them. and had no
fault to find with the present method of
distribution. He said that only one case
of supposed abuse had come to his at
tention He had been told by a mem
Der Of the House from Addison county
that on one occasion an individual had
demanded of q senator a scholarship for
his son as the price OF his support
Asked in relation to the practice of
loaning money to students, he cited n
case where it proved benefit. The re-
cipient became a governor of one of the
western States. Without that aid he
would never have been able to finish his
education. State aid had assisted mater
laiiy, he said in arousing interest among
former students and friends, in obtaining
endowments and In securing funds to con-
struct new buildings. On the other hand.
since the publishing of tine Carnegie re-
port he had found the opposite effect, and
one man who had promised $1,000 was
now lukewarm. He mentioned his per-
sohal acquaintance with two of the ex-
pcrts who made the Vermont Investigation.
the first of the kind they had ever done.
PRESIDENT Spooner was followed by Col
Fred b. Thomas, a member of the board
of trustees, who called attention to tn
fact that the foundation report did not
deny that good work had been performed
and was now being performed: the criti-
cism 1t made was against the equipment
AT the afternoon session President
Thomas delivered long and interesting
address in defense of Middleburv College
and in urging reforms which he believed
should be carried out. He did NOT believe
that State subsidy should now be With
drawn when the educational system of
the State was being extended and adj
Vanced along progressive lines He
thought it would be n step backward %
do this He said his proposition was ono
of business, that the State should give
to the college Il stipulated sum for a GER
tain number of scholarships which slould
go to needy and worthy Young men and
women who otherwise would not have
the advantage Of this additional training
without assistance. He had no fault 10
find with the report. 1t contained many
good suggestions and good could he work.
ed ont with decided advantage to tho
commonwealth he thought.
judge watson appeared to be
anxious to get Dr. Thomas opinion Of
the teacher training courses in the high
school. 81 believe they have come 70
stay" was DIR. Thomas reply. The
chairman asked If they were doing
good work. Dr. Thomas said that his
Impressions had been favorable al
though the courses had not been in
operation long enough to form a def |
mite opinion. He went on to explain
that the teachers graduated from the
high school training courses had at
the most a high school education and
some fell short a year or two. They |
were trained for the elementary school !
while the graduates in pedagogy at
were trained with special
reference to secondary schools and UNI !
ion superintendencies, new course |
established TO meet the demands in
this state, and the first of its kind in |
the country.
The speaker said that while his i'm
pressions We're favorable he could not
get away from the conviction he had
mat good normal school course was
better than one years teachers train
ms. He said that if we would only
let the normal schools alone long
enough to prosper, we would get bet
ter work from them. lie had never
heard any comparison made between
the teachers Administrations union
were glad to get all.
lhe difference existed between the
trained and the unframed. In num-
lers they were able to furnish all the
eachers needed, but the quality had
% be considered as well as the desires
IF the teachers to follow financial in
lucemonts.
He thought that the withdrawal Of ,
support and n decided reversal of the
policy would make Vermont in TINA
/ dumping ground for teachers unable {
o meet the requirements of other {
states, In view of great and radical
in the process of formulation |
he thought this was no time to de-
troy the agency that was doing SO
much for northern New England. You
annot reform the high schools by leg
said the speaker, the work
must be done by the teachers"
He thought the charge OF duplication
ould be overcome by board of control.
lie said that Mddlebury College viii. IT'S
million dollars of assets was not pleading |
or Its existence, but they were pleading
or 1t as college Of Vermont, for the
'outh Of Vermont, and filed with love and
Welfare OF Vermont in their hearts they s
sked that 1t be not torn from them by 7
he formula of an outsider.
r. &. Partridge of Proctor followed DR..
Thomas.
g |