The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-01-26
A LETTER FROM KANSAS.

NA/ r. nave Deen nonOred by the receipt OF lettcr
w from the head of the department of Eng
lish in Kansas institution who writes:
Il hope that the mails lost for your college pro-
fessors of English subscribers their copies of Books
and the Book World for December % and JAN
uary 5.
college professors of English do not like to be
disturbed-and most of us cannot be- for that mat
ter. Those issues dsqueting, to say the least.
| am they shocked many teachers of litera-
ture, and as / am equally sure you do not edit
Books and the Book World to shock any one, hope
the mails lost many copies
II refer to page in both issues, the editorial
pages. The INT in those pages was not meant
for u.s. perhaps, but it should have been.
when | read Book Reporting December 29)
/ dictated three pages of protest, but did not send
it on-thanks to my better Judgment. The next
week after reading page | hunted up the preced-
ing weeks issue and reread Book Reporting.
''Then ! decided, since you had added so much to
my perturbation to ask you to help me.
An Appeal for Help.
I'VE need it out here-literary help only, of
course. This is the only State college on what was
once known as the Great Plains w. F. Cody
won his sobriquet on Government land which is
now our campus. Our students are the sons and
daughters of pioneers who grasshoppers,
droughtS hot winds and one crop farms. They are
so to real life that the teaching of literature
must be real as the literature-rather, it ought
TO be. That s where | want you to help me.
81 am not teaching literature here now as was
taught geology back in Missouri. That near
as shall tell you how teach--it is bad enough and
you might not help me if did. perhaps, in fair
ness to you, | should say that for several years
never less than onethird of those to whom We gave
degrees have majored in English, and always as
many the next two departments combncd)
Heres what / am tired of and want to get
away from:
Il. Testing students reading book by ask
ing fact questions about what is in the book
memory work. you
80. Demanding of students scholarship in the
study of literature that is so academic that it is
Prussan.
'3 Demanding that students serve time in
literature classes of measuring their adj
vance in the study of literature %.
Here s what want you TO help me within some
definite concrete way: Sounds like. college pro-
fessOr making an assignment-beg pardon.)
81. Could you suggest scheme of book
porting for college students in literature classes?
Gan old book to new person is news isn t it4)
"2. Give me list of books published during
the last ten years that should be included in college
English laboratory classes in literature. | want
your list. have my own, but fear it is too
academic.
"3 What some Of the things which should
into the training of teachers of high school
Englishf Part of our work, especially in the sum-
mer is to give such training TO men and women
who will teach composition and literature in Kan
sas high schools.
"Your help will not only be appreciated, but it
will be used"
Things to Get Away From.
To answer adequately these requests would take
about six months work and the answers would make
a slender book And then they would exhibit the
defects inseparabe from one man response. None
of which excuses failure to attempt TO answer,
though it must extenuate failures in the attempt.
We shall try to answer, in this place, though
necessarily not all at time. If nothing better
than few suggestions is the result why-sugges-
tons may be all that is really needed. 49,
And first respecting the things our friend is
tired of and wants to get away from: ....
II, = al IL