A Letter By 'alumnus" To President L. R. Fiske

I ask your piirdon. sir, for this tardy reply to your communlcation which appeared in this paper March 26th, but n truth, my Coürier bas of late goneeever;il times astray, and it was only through another rhannel that I leained or your letter. The triith of every proposition. sir, in the ciltlcism of Alumnus was estublished by personal contact with students and professors at Albion, by examination of successive caleudars, by correspondence witli variotis collejre presidents and refen-nce to Methodist church authorities, and but Hule need be saidat the present time in defense thereof. The writer was perfectly aware that, ostensibly, the couservatory was self-supporting, i, e., its receipts weresufflcient to pay a music professor's salary, and to provMe hia necessary assistants. He was also aware that uve professors of the literary department were enaged in teachinjr these couseivatory udents. Will President Fiske say that the salaries (or ai.y portion) of these üve professors are paid by recelas of the music departmen t ? It is askod, "Should the institution he denouuced beoause it has so successfully mauaged these interest that tho conservatory is attracting large nuuibers of student?, at the same time makiiig no demands upon the ti easury ? " Put "Albion School of Music " for "Albion College," divorce the thing, a vinculo, from the college proper, so that atteudance upon a siuging class may not be constmed as so long a resldence at collopre.so that co'.lege professors may not be eompelled to devote a large, perhaps the larger, share of tlieirenergieR to the instruction of conseivatory students (who seldom reach the freshman year), do these thins and there will be not only no denunciatlon but niuch acclaiuiin-r. Io you recall, sir, the íact that but lately your most distinguished associate, a man of marvellous industry and learnine, succumbed to the burdens whlch had doubled upou his shoulders sloce the iuflocking of your conservatory preparatoriesí1 Was hè not a part of Allnon's "treasury," and did yourmnsic pupils make no demanda upotí him ? But, I must plead guilty to inaptitudc of expression in one instance. I am inforraed that of about 130 students in the conservatory but 67 were "studying piano music." I had, indeed, supposed at tirst thought, thut all members of the music department were students of the piano, making no allowance for singinj: schools in the college, (there were none in my time) which mightenroll a considerable number (for they are much the fashion of great popularity in some loealitie o' winter times), and in this partieulai must stand corrected. tbough I conceive tbat most peoule muf be able to see no greatharmin my cla&sifylng persons attending singing classes wltii those studying tbe piano. You say "if he bas been at tbe institu. lion he eould not have failed to learn that a very large "majority of persons win gradúate and are cat.ilogued as residiiij; at Albion," reside here because theii 1 1...__ ubyx: iuuh-u 10 AiDion, expresslj t give tliein a coliche education." This islheesserce of ingenuity in statement worthy a place in Andover creed. Agains ui inlimation Alumnus puts tliese fhCtí : He ha been at the institutum, he ha"failed to learti tliat a very large majority of koofa penan reside liere becaue tlieii liarents have moved lo Albion, expressly to give them a college education," he has. 'n the contrary, learned that "a very large majority of sueh persons" permanent?}reside at Albion, and that gome student calalojfued as residing iu distant place, ri-ally have their residence at Albion Cali the roll, Mr. President, as { hav. Ueard yon do, of those eleven members ol your two upper classes for '83, (tliere ere 17 in all) and see wbat a very smal minority, if indeed, any, ever carne to Albion toget a college education. 1 quote ag.iin : "That the Professor of Astronomy is an outspoken Prohibitionist, it is a fact that everybody in Michigan iinderstands." Exactly, nnd if tliev understood as well that he was a Professor { Astronomy it tuiglit be better for the intereats of that department. Nobodx will question the propriety of a college professor holding the view that the sale of intoxicants ought to bedisallowed, b'it one might be juslitied in doubting the zest for istronomy of that professor who lectured s!x nighta in the week ou a subject other than the scienceof th stars. A parallel is drawn between Michigan Univcrsity wlien it had been in existence ten years, and the Albion of to-day. Bul Albion, alas! Is ncarly two and a half times ten years old, and your predecessoi taught me the incorrectness of conclusions educed l'rom intimated similars which are, in fact, dissimilai. As to your reasons for considerable encouragement 1 know not what they are, yet rejoice that you have them. You will remember that you have had such reasons at each sesslon of our annual conferences for the last live vear8. Might It not be a part of good policy to give expressiou to soine of them that others may be encouraged as well? An Aixmncs of Albion. A monument to Wendell Phlllipi is alrcady talked of in Boston. Lucky that he won't bc alive to criticise it when it is ertcted. - Hartford Post. Now that Tenny8on is a real British peer, the aristocratie circlesof this country will not receive bis name wltb such a