650 
EDITORIAL. 
persisted in its instructions largely through patriotic motives, 
and in the hope that its efforts would finally receive sufficient 
appreciation to be financially successful. 
After the above was in type we wrote to Director Lyman, 
asking fuller particulars of the announcement, as it had been 
widely published, and the following reply was received, which 
we are more than pleased to print in full, since a strong hope is 
held out that the school may yet go forward even upon a 
stronger basis than ever : 
Harvard University, School of Veterinary Medicine, 
50 Village St., Boston, Nov. 30, 1900. 
Dear Doctor Bell: 
******* 
It is true that on the 12th of this month the Corporation of Harvard 
College voted that notice should be given that no new students in vet¬ 
erinary medicine will be received by the University until further order of 
the President and Fellows ; but that the instruction to students now in the 
school should be completed, so far as any of them may desire, until the 
entire course has been given—that is, until June 30th, 1903. You will 
see that this vote does not necessarily contemplate the closing of the 
school even in 1903, and therefore differs materially from the statement 
which you have copied from the New York Times. 
The facts are, shortly stated, as follows : This school has never re¬ 
ceived any endowment whatever ; as a result of this it has, of course, 
been impossible to give the quality of instruction, which is deemed de¬ 
sirable, within its income ; the annual deficits have therefore, until now 
and for the last 18 years, been paid by the University, and we feel that 
unless endowment can be raised, from which the school may be placed 
upon something nearer a self-sustaining basis, it will be better for us 
to give up the further teaching of Veterinary Medicine ; but I am far 
from being without hope that this desired endowment will not be raised 
before our organization will have been given up in 1903. 
When first organized the school had a definite plan of procedure 
mapped out, which has been followed, up to this time, by good results : 
its further development will necessitate, by probably lessening the num¬ 
ber of students for a time, a still larger annual deficit. Under these 
circumstances, the school feels it prefers to stop, if it must, where it is. 
rather than to go forward upon an insecure foundation. 
Yours very truly, 
Charles P. Lyman, Dean. 
If the approaching session of Congress does not pass the Vet¬ 
erinary Section of the Army Reorganization Bill, it will not be 
the fault of the Army Committee of the American Veterinary 
Medical Association, for it has inaugurated a campaign of edu- 
