The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1915-09-13

awhy he should be chosen to the task.
In his senior year, he was president
of his class. class orator, first lieu
Tenant of the corps of cadets and
editor of the college monthly. He was
lelected to the first board of alumni
trustees in 1889, he organized and is
president of the Boston Alumni AS
ISOLATION of Norwich University, has
been president of the General Alumni
Association, has served on all i'm
;portant committees, is acting presi-
dent by virtue of holding the office of
Vice president, and for some time
has been chairman of the executive
committee of the board OF trustees.
The resignation Of the latest pres
ident of Norwich took effect August
of this year, and Mr.. Sheldon took
hold. The first thing he did, so he
says, was to advertise and adyertis-
ing was his second, third, fourth and
fifth undertaking. He ordered fifty
slx-line double-column advertise
ments in every sizeable newspaper in
the Green Mountain state, and an
entering class of 63 students. as
against 40 last year, shows some re-
suit at any rate 1t looks as If Nor
wich may be getting on the map.
Il What President Sheldon will do
next remains to be seen, for he is
somewhat non-commttal; but this
much the alumni are backing him to
do-reduce the board of trustees
from 81 members TO Fifteen or few
err" which was suggested by vote Of
the alumni three years ago, but new
err adopted. The alumni, in fact, look
upon the present board as so large
as to be "unwieldly," and they be-
lieve that its reduction numerically
viii so long way toward the Iocat-
ion on the map which they so much
desire.
L The Carnegie Foundation reported,
more than year ago, to commits
sion appointed by Governor Fletcher,
that the board of trustees of Nor
witch was composed too much Of local
men and that the membership should
be drawn from all the eastern states.
incidentally the Carnegie Foundation
raised the question why in these
days of peace" military instruction
should be given; but the Vermont
legislature, 'in the spirit of the
| spirit of the Green Mountain Boys of
DID, as Mr.. Sheldon puts it, voted
| the appropriation just the same.
When Mr. Sheldon was a student
at Norwich it was so soon after the
Civil War, comparatively, that mill.
tary instruction was down at the
| heel. There were about 70 students
in the university then, and last year
the total number was las. With an
excellent and well-seasoned plant
| however, with trained teachers, no.
tably Lieut.. Ralph N, Parker of the
/ United States army. who has just
returned from Plattsburg. command
ant and instructor OF military science
and tactics, and Lieut. Cor Herbert
X. Roberts, dean, in charge of AGA
demic work, with the present demand
for preparednessLAwly" asks Mr.
Sheldon, should not the university
be well patronized? 1t will accom-
modate 225 students, and If the de
mand should be greater, he feels that
steps would be taken to meet il. Al
least the acting president remarks:
I'VE should have a 'Plattsburg' al
Norwich next summer for we have
every facility for it, 7p. tfi 81.
Norwich apparently shoGlda repre-
sent not only Vermont but all New
England as a center for preparedness
Beside West Point and Norwich. the
only other similar schools are in Vir
ginia and South Carolina, respective
| ~, and General Wood considers Nor.
witch next to West Point in efficien.
| cy.
| If preparedness means peace. and
many people nowadays are becoming
convinced of it, here is foundation
for preparedness, established many
years and capable of enlargement as
may be necessary
| If Norwich is ever going to be nut
"on the map now seems to be the
accepted time, and Nelson Sheldon
the proper man to do the placing Mr.
| Sheldon, by reason of his acting
presidency, by the way, is entitled to
be called colonel" N. C. NJ.