State
Vol. V, No 10
PENNSYLVANIA DAY
Fitting • Exercises Mark the Cele
bration in Honor of the State.
The presence of many distin
guished visitors, prominent in the
political life of the state, ideal
weather conditions : and a general
spirit of optimism as to the future
of The Pennsylvania State College
characterized the annual celebration
on last Friday of Pennsylvania Day.
Beginning with the arrival of the
Pittsburg visitors on Thursday aft
ernoon, and ending with the depart
ure of the last guests on Monday,
it was the aim of trustees, faculty,
and students to show to the visitors
the actual workings of the institu
tion, and to convey if possible some
idea of the needs of the college if
it is to measure up to its greatest
degree of efficiency and usefulness
in the coming years.
After the arrival of the Pittsburg
guests on Thursday, they were in
vited to dinner by President Sparks,
and later in the evening were ten
dered a reception by the engineer
ing clubs. Music was furnished by
the mandolin club and the quartet,
and refreshments were set ved.
Following this most of the guests
attended the various fraternity house
dances.
The . arrival of the reviewing of
ficer, Gen. Wiley, was announced
on Friday morning by the firing of
a salute by the college cannons.
The military precision with which
this was carried out was remarked
upon by a number of visitors.
The exercises proper began at
10:30 a. m. on Friday in the audi
torium, and included talks, mostly
Cell
STATE COLLEGE, PA., NOVEMBER 26, 1908
impromptu, by President Sparks,
General Beaver, Mayor Reyburn, of
Philadelphia, Major General John
A. Wiley, W. W. Atterbury, gen
eral manager of the Pennsylvania
railroad, W. P. Wilson, head of the
Philadelphia Commercial Museums,
Senator Blewitt of Lackawanna
county, and Representatives Cox, of
Allegheny county, Morrison, of Bea
ver, and "Farmer" Creasy, of Col
umbia county.
In his opening remarks intro
ducing General Beaver as presiding
officer, President Sparks empha
sized the fact that the college is the
only institution in the state which
offers, tuition free, instruction in en
gineering, mining, chemistry, and
agriculture.
General Beaver explained that
most educational institutions owe
their birth to some individual and
consequently celebrate a founder's
day, but that this college celebrates
Pennsylvania day, in honor of her
good old mother, the commonwealth
of Pennsylvania. He also spoke of
Governor Stuart's statement made a
year ago, "You need $20,000,000
here to carry on your work, and I
am afraid you are going to get it,
too." His reply was that we do
need that amount, but only a suffi
cient part of it each year to educate
properly the young men and women
of the state.
Judge Harry Hall, of Ridgway,
was expected to make the principal
address of the day, but on account
of the death of his brother was un
able to be present. The remainder
of the program therefore took the
form of short impromptu speeches
by a number of the prominent
guests.
egian.
Continued on page 2
Price Five Cents
PREPARATORY DEPART
MENT ABOLISHED
No Sub-Freshman Work to be Car
ried on After This Year.
At the meeting of the trustees of
of the college held on Friday it was
decided that at the end of the pres
ent college year the preparatory de
partment of the college be abolished.
Candidates for the freshman class
who are deficient only a fixed num
ber of hours, to be determined here
after, may be coached in the defi
ciencies without cost.
In the early days of the college,
before the high schools and the fit
ting schools of the state had enlarged
their courses of study, it was neces
sary to maintain a preparatory de
partment of two years at the college.
About ten years ago it was found
that the high schools of the state
could do the work and one of these
years was cut from the college at no
small saving of money. It would
seem that the time has come for the
cutting off of the second year and
raising the dignity of The Pennsyl
vania State College by making it a
full college without a preparatory
department attached. The college
will thus gain the good will of the
preparatory schools of the state,
since it will no longer compete with
them by taking their students.
A very considerable saving of both
space and money will be effected.
The instruction for the sub-freshman
class at present costs far more per
capita than that of the regular stud
ents. With the present large num
bers of regular college students it is
a serious problem to provide space
and facilities for work. The fact
that fourteen rooms of the col
lege are used one hour per day to
provide for the preparatory class
renders the problem even more dif
ficult.