94 STATE BOARD OF AGKICULT[tRE. 



have not been completed, I can illustrate the method as follows: Each 

 of I he airirmative teams will debate away from home, while the nejjative 

 teanis debate at home. 'S\. A. C. will send its adlii-inative team to Minne- 

 sota. Minnesota will send its aflirmative team to Iowa, and Iowa will 

 send to Michigan. Each colleire will thus hold two debates on tlie 

 same evenini?, sujiportlnp: the aflirmative at home and the negative away 

 from homo, and the series will bo won by the college receiving the 

 greatest nnmber of votes of the judges of the three debates. The num- 

 ber and character of the schools represented, the fact that some of the 

 students will get an interesting trip to a great institution of a neighbor- 

 ing state, the fact that at the same hour when our men are contesting 

 against Iowa on our local ])latform another of our teams is meeting 

 a Minnesota team in St. Paul, while at Iowa State College ^linnesota 

 and Iowa fight for victory on the same question — all of these considera- 

 tions should help materially to arouse our students to the fact that de- 

 bating is not a mere departmental matter, but an important activity of 

 the college as a whole. Alreadv many students who showed no interest 

 in this year's debates have said that they will work to win a place on 

 one of our tri-state teams. 



One circumstance hostile to debating will be removed when the col- 

 lege has an auditorium in which contests of the kind may be held. Some 

 other adverse conditions peculiar to our college can be removed in time, 

 and others perha]is cannot, but it is our hope that debating here may 

 be brought to a standard of excellence which will comi)nre with that 

 of other institutions. The hearty sympathy and sui)]K)rt of the Pres- 

 ident of the College, the Secretary of the Board and the heads of sev- 

 eral deiiartments, as shown Avhen the tri-state debate was under con- 

 sideration, will work strongly toward that end. 



The Spirit of the Department. — The members of my department have 

 shown throughout the year a most praiseworthy spirit. Their interest 

 in ]>reparing themselves to carry out the ])lans of next year is shown 

 by the fact that five of them are now in summer school — one in the 

 University of Chicago, and four in the University of Michigan. One 

 has gone to Euroi)e for ihe summer. Other members of the depart- 

 ment are spending their time in ways of which T thoroughly ap])rove. 

 At the date of this report, no instructors have resigned. The increases 

 of salary granted. A\Iiile not large, have tended strongly toward creat- 

 ing a feeling that a i)olicy of i-ecognizing and rewarding faithfulness 

 and efticiency has l)een begun. If such a ])olicy has l>een ado]»ted by 

 the adiuinisl ration, then a teacln'ng force of training and exjierience, 

 of growing l()yall\ and increasing elticiency, can be held togetlier. As 

 it is necessary tli;it nearly all teacheis of English be drawn from in- 

 stitutions whose ideals are much dilTerent from those of a land-grant 

 college, changes in the stall" of the JOnglish <lepai-lnient are of serious 

 consequence. When new teachers are emjdoyed, they must l)e assimilated 

 to the ])uri)ose, the method and the ideals ot this institution. This takes 

 thought ami energy and time. To lose a teacher of English who has 

 gi'own into real eilliciency in a college of this kind is more serious than 

 to lo.se such a teacher in any oilier kind of college. It is my earnest 

 ytur])Ose to make this de|»artinent stand for something detinitely worth 

 while, and T am sincerely grateful lo ymi for (he increases in salai-y 



