256
FREE ACADEMY.
NORWICH, CONN, 1-6-90.
PROFESSOR C. C. BESSEY,
DEAR SIR,
A COPY OF YOUR ESSENTIALS OF BOTANY HAS FALLEN INTO MY HANDS AND I HAVE BEEN MUCH INTERESTED IN EXAMINING IT AS I AM TO TEACH BOTANY DURING THE COMING SPRING TERM.
IT OCCURRED TO ME, THAT YOU MIGHT BE WILLING TO GIVE ME A FEW WORDS OF ADVICE IN REGARD TO THE WOK I SHOULD DO, IF I WERE TO USE YOUR BOOK.
I TOOK UP BOTANY FOR TWO SUMMERS, FOR MY OWN AMUSEMENT AND INSTRUCTION, AND A CHANGE IN OUR FACULTY MADE IT NECESSARY FOR ME TO UNDERTAKE THE CHARGE OF THE BOTANY DEPARTMENT. I TRIED TO TEACH THE SUBJECT LAST SPRING UNDER VERY UNFAVORABLE CONDITIONS, WITH RESULTS THAT WERE VERY UNSATISFACTORY TO ME, THIS YEAR I AM TO TEACH A CLASS OF NORMAL SCHOLARS, AND THEY IN TURN ARE TO TEACH THE PUPILS OF THE ACADEMY. I MIGHT MENTION INCIDENTALLY THAT I TEACH PHYSICS AND CHEMISTRY IN WHAT I HOPE IS THE RIGHT WAY AND AGREE WITH YOU IN THINKING THAT THE COMMITTING OF WORDS TO MEMORY FROM A BOOK IS A PRETTY POOR WAY TO TEACH ANY SCIENCE EITHER PHYSICAL OR NATURAL. THAT BY THE WAY WAS ABOUT ALL I WAS ABLE TO DO LAST YEAR AND I DID THAT POORLY ENOUGH.
BUT TO COME TO THE POINT, THE CLASS WHICH IS TO BE TAUGHT BY THE NORMALITIES WILL BE ABLE TO DEVOTE TWO HOURS OF 40 MINUTES EACH - I DON'T KNOW WHY WE CALL THEM HOURS BUT WE DO - FOR 5 DAYS PER WEEK TO THEIR WORK IN BOTANY AND WILL BE DIVIDED INTO SMALL CLASSES FOR THEIR PRACTICE AND RECITATIONS.
THE TERM DURING WHICH WE TEACH BOTANY IS NOMINALLY 11 WEEKS LONG, BUT WEHN WE THROW OUT COMMENCENT WEEK, EXAMINATION WEEK AND OUR CUSTOMARY, BUT TO ME POORLY SPENT TWO WEEKS FOR REVIEW, THER REMAIN BUT SEVEN WEEKS.
257
I SUPPOSE HOWEVER THAT MAY FOLLOW MY OWN NOTIONS AND COUNT ON NINE WEEKS OF WORK. IF I MAKE THE REVIEW WORK A PART OF EACH [?] WORK>
SO MUCH FOR THE TIME I HAVE. OUR SITUATION IS GRAND FOR THE STUDY OF BOTANY THE WOODS FULL OF NUMEROUS SPECIES OF FLOWERING PLANTS [?] WITHIN A STONE THRONE FUR SCHOOL. THERE IS NO [?] AT PRESENT BY WHICH SCHOLARS ARE ALLOWED TO BOTANIZE SPRING SCHOOL HOURS [?] THERE IS NO TIME TO SPARE. AFTERNOON AND SATURDAY EXCURSIONS HAVE TO BE INSTITUTED, AND THIS CALLS OUT. AND FEW OF THE SCHOLARS OF WHICH THE PRESENT CLASS CONTAINS ABOUT 50 [?] SHOULD [?].
WE HAVE THE GOOD COMPOUND MICROSCOPES AND 24 SIMPLE ONES. [?] HAVE A GOOD HERBARING.
NOW THAT YOU KNOW SOME OF THE CONDITIONS WILL YOU BE KIND ENOUGH TO TELL MLE WHAT I OUGHT TO UNDERTAKE TO DO IN THE LIMIT OF TIME? ANY [?] [?] YOU MAY FIND TIME TO MAKE ON THE VALUE OF BOTANIZED OR MORE TIME [?] WILL BE VERY GRATEFULLY RECEIVED BY YOURS TRULY,
M. F. JENSEN.
258
This page is not transcribed, please Help Transcribe this page
259
PRESIDENT'S ROOM, COLUMBIA COLLEGE.
New York, April 17th, 1890.
Mr. Charles E. Bessey, LL. D. Acting Chancellor, University of Nebraska. Lincoln, Neb.
Dear Sir:
Please accept my thanks for your cordial invitation to deliever the university oration on next commencement day for the University of Nebraska. Unhappily the date which you name is also our own commencement day, and you can readily perceive that it would not be possible for me to be away from New York at that time. Again thanking you for the compliment, I am,
Yours sincerely, [signature]
260
Botanical Department, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis.
{?????} 30h7590
Dear Professor Bessey: