DEPARTMENT REPORTS. 93 



Study in effect when I took np my work here in September was wisely 

 planned and well adapted to the needs of onr students. The changes 

 which will be put into effect next year, while important, are not radical. 

 It is my belief that tlie proper time to consider im])rovemeiits in a given 

 subject or in an entire course of study is when the successes and failures 

 of that subject or of that conrse of study are vividly present in the 

 mind. That time is the end of each term rather than at its beginning, 

 and the closing weeks of the college year rather than September. Ac- 

 cordingly, groups of instructors teaching sections of the same class were 

 called together near the close of the fall and the winter term, and a 

 series of departmental meetings was held in May and June. In these 

 meetings the course for next year was planned, the text-books chosen 

 and the general methods of teaching agreed upon. These changes were 

 discussed and understood by all, and were made matters of record. Con- 

 sequently, not only has the course been carefully considered with the 

 year's experience in mind, but each instructor knows what to expect and 

 for what to prepare. I believe that this will do much toward giving to 

 the department stability and certainty and that the work will be very 

 materially improved. 



The Debates. — This year, as last, the department supervised two inter- 

 collegiate debates, one with Alma College, the other with the State 

 Normal College at Ypsilanti. In our debate against Alma College the 

 students representing us were Messrs. Robert Snyder, '14, Samuel 

 Rabinowitz, '16, and N. E. March, '16. They showed excellent ability 

 and careful preparation, received the unanimous decision of the judges 

 and clearly deserved it. In the debate with the State Noraial College 

 we were represented by Messrs. Ernest Hart, '14, S. A. Jessop, '16, and 

 G. T. Hayes, '15. It was a good debate, resulting in a victory for Ypsi- 

 lanti by a two-to-one vote. 



The Oratorical Contests. — The regular oratorical contest was won by 

 ]Mr. A. I. Margolis, who accordingly represented this college in the 

 state contest. Mr. Margolis won also our local peace contest, thus be- 

 coming our representative in the State Peace Oratorical Contest held 

 at Ypsilanti. In this he won third place. It is worth recording that 

 two of the five judges gave him first place and that the man who won 

 over him was also successful in the inter-state contest. 



A Tri-State Debate Next Year.— I am very glad indeed to report 

 that preliminary arrangements have beeu made for a tri-state debate next 

 year with the Iowa State College and the University of Minnesota. 

 While in the past the success of our debating teams has been fairlj' 

 good, the great majority'' of our most promising speakers have failed to 

 work for places on the teams, and the general student interest in these 

 intellectual contests has been very small. Other land-grant colleges, 

 the most progressive in the United States, have developed debating to a 

 high degree of excellence. The}' are using it to interest students in 

 studying carefully important questions of the day and to train them 

 in vigorous, practical power to Avrite and to speak. Such men are 

 needed not only in our general national life, but to carry forward the 

 very principles for which the laud-grant colleges stand. 



Perhaps I should explain the tri-state system of debating: Each of 

 the three colleges rej)resented will choose two teams, one on the negative 

 and one on the affirmative side of the question. Although arrangements 



