102 STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



That five so widely divergent subjects as literature, composition, pub- 

 lic speaking, German, and French should be brought together under one 

 department is an anomaly in an institution of his size. This no doubt 

 was warranted in the early days of the college Avhen its number of 

 students was small and its number of instructors in proportion. In many 

 institutions of this size each of these subjects is a department in itself. 

 Such a division in this institution would perhaps be unwise. I feel, 

 however, that the time has come for the modern languages to be made 

 a separate department. The number of students studying German and 

 French is such as to warrant this, and I am satisfied that the work in 

 English, as well as the work in modem language, would be done better 

 if each were entirely separate. Let me urge upon you the advisability 

 of giving this matter careful attention and of inaugurating a new de- 

 partment of modern languages at an early date. 



In view of the fact that the college is to be without an adequate 

 auditorium for another four years, and in view of the further fact 

 that the sentiment among the older alumni is such as to make improb- 

 able the tearing down of College Hall, I feel that this building should 

 without delay receive the careful attention of yourself and of the State 

 Board. In some way the southwest corner of the building should be 

 repaired or should be rebuilt. We cannot afford to risk the lives of 

 students, as perhaps we have been doing in holding classes in the build- 

 ing in its ijresent condition. Perhaps it is perfectly safe, but at times 

 this seems very doubtful. A new roof should be put on the building 

 and its interior should be largely renewed. The putty in the window 

 frames has been there so long that panes of glass are constantly falling 

 out. The sinking of the building at the comer above mentioned has 

 caused the window frames to be very loose, and in some instances not 

 to fit in any way. The steam heating equipment Avas probably the first 

 installed in the college. It was crude in the beginning, and with the 

 passing of the years the pipes have become so rusty that it is almost 

 a weekly occurrence in cold weather for the plumbers to drive out 

 classes in order to install new pipes. The class rooms should be replas- 

 tered, new blackboards should be installed, and modern class room 

 furniture should take the place of the benches, some of which must date 

 back almost to the beginning of the college. The stairways are very 

 steep and should be replaced by easier stairways if the building is to 

 continue to be used for recitation purposes. The treads are all but 

 worn through in places, and new treads are an absolute necessity un- 

 less a new stairway is built. The chapel is in every way unattractive. 

 I feel that it should be remodeled inside and should be fitted up with 

 permanent opera chairs. Too much space is given to the platform. 

 It would be easily possible to arrange it so that with semi-circular rows 

 of seats it could seat fifty or sixty more than it now seats. The sani- 

 tary conveniences in the building are entirely inadequate and unsatis- 

 factory and should be replaced by full modern equipment. In like 

 manner the electric wiring of the Ijuilding should be made to conform 

 to modern standai«ds. 



Further, some arrangement should be made for cliairs to be left 

 constantly at the armory for use there. This department struggles con- 

 tinually against the lack of intercut in public speaking and the vari- 



