New Mexico state record. (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1914-19??, 1917-02-23
ENLOE CHALLENGES
JAMES STATEMENT
REGARDING NORMA!S
PEOPLE OF SILVER CITY
AND ALL FRIENDS OF EDU.
CATIONAL INSTITUTIONS
IN STATE RESENT INSIN.
UATIONS

M exlco taxpayers League in an IN
terview in the A buquerque Herald
of Tuesday February IS, is quote d
in substance to the effect that the
record of attendance in the State
Normal schools is padded
The statement attributed to Mr.
James has aroused considerable in
dignation among the people of this
section where is located one of the
State Normals in questionable Silvar
City Normal. They feel that an in
justice has been done the institution
in giving out statement
of the schools actual attendance
They know of the many hundreds
of students, over four hundred last
summer, who annually journey to
Normal. They also know of the
greatly increased attendance during
the regular sessions of the Normal
and of the careful and earnest work
that is being done at the school.
Their indignation has been voiced
to some extent by an open letter
written by President Enloe of the
State Normal in refutation Of some
of Mr.. James apparently not well
founded statements. The 70 lowing
is the letter which has been address
sed to the Albuquerque Herald:
Silver City, New Mexico,
February Is, 1917
The Evening Herald,
Albuquerque, N, M.
Gentlemen:
have read with particular inter
est the article in your paper by
Mr.. A. +. James, director of the
Tax Payers Association, under the
date Of Feb 18th. note that Mr.
James takes occasion to criticize the
Normal Schools of the state recon-
mending the adjustment OF the
Spanish American Normal School at
Ell Rito and criticizing the manage
ment and attendance OF the Normal
Schools in general.
| beg to state that in my opinion
the Normal School at Las Vegas and
the one at Silver City are standard
Normal Schools according to the def
inition set out by the National Com
missioner of Education in that they
maintain at least two years stand
ard normal course above standard
high school course.
do not agree with Mr.. James in
thinking that there is any duplica-
ton in the state to amount to any.
thing, not so much in this state
as in the states around u.s. 1t is i'm
possible to avoid all duplication and
little competition ar.ong the insti
tutions is in in my opinion not harm
full
| beg to state that Mr.. James was
never at the Normal School of New
Mexico, that he has had no oppor
tunity to examine the class room
attendance and that his insinuation
hat the catalog of this institution
is misleading as to attendance is
abso utely false. Anyone who cares
to investigate can find that the facts
are as the catalog represents.
Considering Mr. James remark
upon the matter of economy in the
management OF the institutions of
this state ! am willing to go on
record as Saying.tha no other state
III lIN 0Ul)l SDCllHS 50 IllIC upon
its educational institutions in pro-
portion to their attendance as does
the State of New Mexico. am
not criticizinG the State of New
McSico for this fact because it is
poor state but | do say that the
state institutions of New Mexico
make a very excellent showing in
point Of attendance in proportion to
the amount of money spent.
The Normal Schools have had
much to do in developing education
al sentiment in the state during
the last five years. Their presidents
and members of their facu ties have
travelled in all parts of the state
and talked not only for their own
schools but for the other institutions
as WELL and | feel that the publica-
tion of such a sentiment as express
sed in this article by one yet
scarcely warm in New Mexico and
who knows nothing of the internal
management of these institutions is
a gross Misrepresentation and in
justice.
VIII you do me the kindness to
publish the above?
Very respectfully yours,
E. L. Enloe