DEPARTMENT REPORTS 73 



DEPAKTMEXT OF ENdLII^H AND MODERN LANGUAGES, 

 ^riCHIGAN A(;i{ICULTrRAL COLLEGE. 



Agricultural College P. O., Mich. 

 President J. L. Snyder: 



Sir — The work in this Department for the year 1900-1901 has not 

 varied greatly from that reported for the previous year (see report for 

 1899-1900). The plan for the work has remained the same, and the 

 number of students has not varied sensiblv; hence the number of class- 

 sections and the daily program for the Dejiartment has not been 

 materially changed. Mr. King has emjihasized the elocutionary work 

 of the Department with good effect and has aroused considerable 

 enthusiasm among the students for that much-needed kind of training. 

 In the spring term the annual inter-collegiate oratorical contest was 

 lipld at this college, and the comparative excellence of our methods of 

 training in literature, logic, history and rhetoric, as well as in elocu- 

 tion, was demonstrated by the fact that our representative, Mr. George 



D. White, in competition with the representatives of the purelj' literary 

 colleges and theological seminaries of the State, won second place on the 

 thought and style of his oration and third place in the general result. 



^^'ith regard to the other members of the Department, I do not need 

 to mention to you the continued excellence of Miss Blunt's work; nor 

 is the earnestness and success of the new member, Miss Wellman, un- 

 known to you. 



By an arrangement sanctioned by you and the Board of Agriculture 

 formally, I took over, as a part of my personal work, the editorship 

 of the "M. A. C. Record," in addition to the editing of the College 

 catalogue and the arranging of the college daily programs. As this 

 was not possible without the relin<]uishment of some of my own class- 

 work, one-half of the time of your advertising assistant, Mr. Victor 



E. ]>ro\vn, was placed at my disposal. I have taught three of the 

 Dei»artment classes each term and have given Mr. Brown i)artial 

 charge of two. I have given much time and labor to the preparation 

 of the weekly issues of the ''Record," requiring of Mr. Brown only a 

 weekly round of the departments to collect such news as they had 

 to give. Jf the oitinions. voluntarily expressed to me, both in writing and 

 l»y wf»rd of mouth, are any criterion for judgment, the usefulness and 

 I)opularity of the College organ have been greatly enhanced. ^ly idea 

 had been to make tlie "Record" not an advertising folder, nor indeed a 

 dirvct advertising njedium at all, but to establish and maintain a 

 journal that should be newsy, bright and suggestive, that should 

 contain the best and most advanced thought at the College, and 

 that for the sake of the scdid value of its contents should be 

 sr)ught after and read; thus, it seemed to me. the influence 

 of the College would be w ideneil, its area of usefulness would be 

 enlarged, and the College itself would be advertised in a way, indirect 

 indeed, but most lasting and effective. How far I have succeeded you and 



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