The weekly times-record. (Valley City, N.D.) 1912-1922, 1919-05-15
Normal School Budget)


The Budget has had on file for some
time a long letter from Prof. L. B
McMullen in which he quite vividly
describes his impressions of Column
bia University in New York City:
Prof. McMullen has years leave OF
absence and appears to be enjoying
his year Of study to the fullest extent
The amount of space we have to de:
vote to communications of this kind
will not permit the printing of every
word but we give those portions which
ure of general interest.
zones first impression is one in
regard to the vastness of Columbia S
setting as we'll as in regard to the
vastness of the institution itself.
Coming in as I did on the Pennsyl-
vania railroad one drops into the tun-
mel, under the Hudson, changes to
the subway after several blocks walk
under ground and energies blinking
at 10th street five or six miles north.
If this ride on the subway happens to
be at a rush hour the impression is
made, as it was in the case Of DR..
Finney and myself, that there are
really too many people in New York.
Express train after express train
each as large as No. on the North
ern Pacific, crowded to the point so
that closing the side doors become
almost an impossibility whirl the peo-
pie home at breakneck sped. On the
street level constant string Of au-
tomobiles speed along at pace that
we attempt only on the open road in
North Dakota. On 10th street one
easily finds the library building of
Columbia University bearing on it's
front the rather strange inscription
showing it to have descended from
Kings College; a strange inscription
for an institution where more of de-
mocracy is taught than in most places
in America. Of course one might have
in finding this landmark if
he were imbued with the idea that a
university should be set off by itself
and should have a campus and open
spaces. All about are eight, ten and
twelve story buildings that are learn
ed later to be Barnard college, dornli-
tories, etc. Finally on 120th street
Teachers College is discovered.
"a sucond impression Of possible
interest to Valley City students is that
( found myself required to take the
line Of work that they are re-
uuired to master-psychology, phil
osophy of education, history of educa-
ton, and administration. Teacher
training requirements seem to be much
The same everywhere.
"Also it is true here as in Valley
City, that the people one meets form
4 great part of the advantages to be
gained from going to school.
II was pleased to find in E. L..
Thorndike, with whom l have my
work in psychology, a real scientist.
In fact much of the work of Teachers
College seems to be based upon his
His three ponderous
tones must be mastered before one
can pass the preliminary examinations
for the doctors degree. Another in
teresting figure is that of DR.. Kill
patrick who is little heard Of in the
west because he is pretty we'll filled
with the idea of letting his students
work out their own philosophy of edu-
cation under his careful guidance. He
does not print his work because he
wants his students to think for them
selves and not to think after him. He
combines very beautifully the psy-
chology of Thorndike, the philosophy
of Dewey and the sociology of Gid
dings in his work. He has the repu-
tation of being the most skillful
teacher here. In general, however,
one is impressed with the fact that
cot Of fhocn orr 4ho1y.
tive lines pay little attention to the
art of teaching. Dean Monroe, in his
tory Of education, comes to class with
a sheaf Of original matter collected
by him or his students from the origi-
nal records. He, possibly, is the in
spirer Of original research. In adj
ministration we have DR.. Strayer,
president this year of the N. E. A. and
author of Senate Bill 1887 which pro-
vides for seat in the Cabinet for a
Commissioner Of Education. This bill
carries an appropriation of one hum
dred million dollars to be combined
with like sum from the states to
help with the illiteracy problem, the
health problem, the teacher training
problem and to increase tachers' sal
aries. DR.. Strayer is giving at least
half his time to this work. HELP
ALL YOU CAN. In spite of all this
work, however, he finds time about
once a month to invite the Admins
tration Club (of which l have the
honor to be vice-president) to come
20 his beautiful home for social eve
ming. His associate, DR.. Engelhardt,
carries the course in school survey
which am taking. Next term we
shall visit some nearby town and sur
vey it. can foresee now that my
Job will be to measure the intensity
of the light on the darkest desk in