The Valve world Volume 11-12

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1914 Excerpt: ...It is our policy here at Columbia to always present both sides of any controversial matter and not to take sides. The instructor, however, may, if he desires, express a personal opinion, and frequently does, but as such only and never as an arbitrary statement that his view is right and everybody else wrong. We believe that this attitude is quite characteristic of the teachings of Columbia and which distinguishes it from the teachings of similar schools, and feel, therefore, that the public should be informed of that fact. We do not even urge that this is the right view, but we like to be properly understood. We, of course, believe that it is right or we would not do it. Some time ago we read in your magazine with considerable interest a lot of material about teaching in colleges, and we agree with you on some points that the teaching in some colleges does not properly fit men for the affairs of practical life. However, we feel that while this condition may exist in some colleges that it does not exist in all and there are good colleges and bad colleges. Realizing your interest in this matter of college education, we would be very pleased to have you correctly informed on what is being done in the college of engineering at Columbia University, and I am sure that after you have made a careful inquiry into the kind of teaching and the kind of men that are doing the work here, you will not want to classify us with those who may not be properly fitting men for the practical affairs of life. This is an age of co-operation, in which more than at any other time it is recognized that most differences disappear when two parties really and fully understand each other, whereas if they do not disappear, mutual respect at least takes the place of the unreasoning condemn...