Letter from Thayer to President Monroe, October 10, 1828. This letter is very valuable because it describes the Thayer Method in his own words.
TO James Monroe*1
Military Academy
West Point Oct. 10th 1828
Dear Sir
In acknowledging the receipt of your communication it is proper that I state the circumstances which have prevented an earlier reply. The last and the present month is the season which strangers usually take to visit West Point, especially those from the South who are there returning from their Northern excursions. This summer the number of visitors has been greater than in any former year. Public characters, foreigners of distinction, and respectable citizens bringing letters of introduction have continued to arrive without the interruption of a single day so that I have been compelled to devote to them every moment of my time which could be spared from official duties. The crowd has not yet much abated, but I have concluded to wait no longer altho' I am sensible that what I shall be able to say at this time will not, in any respect, suit your wishes and expectations. To do anything like justice to the subject even if I felt myself competent to the task would require more leisure than is not at my command.
What ever changes may take place in the organization of your University, I suppose 1st That the control over the supplies, disbursements & fiscal concerns generally will continue to be exercised by the Visitors & that in these respects little discretionary powers must be delegated to others 2d That all the officers of the Institution are appointed by the Visitors & are removable by them at pleasure 3d That the general Regulations for the Government of the University are framed by the visitors or must receive their approbation. 4th That the Visitors exercise a vigilant supervision over the University in order that all abuses may be corrected.
I entirely concur in opinion with those who think that a President or a single efficient responsible head is indispensably necessary to the permanent prosperity of the University. -- That the president should not be a professor -- that he should be vested with extensive power -- be entitled to the advice of the professors, but not shackled by them or controlled by their votes, except in a few specified cases such, for instance, as the infliction of the highest penalties, but even in these cases the decisions of the faculty should be subject to the absolute acts of the President who alone should be held responsible.
I cannot but think it unwise that the infliction of punishment in any case should be made to depend on the Board of visitors. If injustice be done in any instance, the removal of those who committed it would, as it seems to me, be the lesser evil.
With respect to the means which should be placed in the hands of the executive, the organization of these means, and the minor details of the system, permit me to suggest whether it is not advisable to leave them undetermined until after the appointment of a President. If the appointment be a fortunate one his opinions after some experience would be of the greatest assistance in drawing up a system of Regulations embracing the internal economy, discipline and policies of the Institution.
I presume the funds of the University would not admit of the appointment of officers to perform merely executive duties. It must be very desirable, for the reasons mentioned in your letters, to relieve the professors from these duties. This may be done 1t. by employing a number of young graduates who would not only act as assistant professors but also under the Instruction of the President would perform the more active executive duties. This class of persons would as teachers be eminently useful even now but will be found indispensable whenever the number of students shall amount to several hundreds. A professor can deliver lectures to many more than he can thoroughly teach. I will illustrate the idea I would convey by supposing a case. A class of 80 students is to be taught Mathematics or Natural Philosophy devoting three hours of each day to the study of the subject at their rooms and three other hours with the Professor. One hour is to be taken up in the Lecture but this alone is not sufficient. Each student should demonstrate a proposition or explain an investigation at the Black-board and also be interrogated to see that he thoroughly understands the principles. This will require, as experience proves, not less that 15 minutes on an average for each student. Now it is evident that only eight students can be examined in the remaining few hours so that each can be examined only about once a fortnight with in effect is merely equivalent to no examination at all. What is to be done? Let the class be divided into at least four parts or sections and let each section attend 3 hours daily with an assistant professor to be examined upon the subject of the Lecture or lessons given on the preceding day. The Professor besides lecturing may either have the recitations of one Section himself or what would be the better practice, he might without taking the immediate charge, be present at the recitations, visiting each section in turn and only occasionally putting questions and giving explanations. You know that this is the system of instruction which has been practiced at West Point during the last ten years with what success I leave it for others to say. These assistant professors might doubtless be engaged for small salaries say $500 per annum or such other sum as would barely support them; their principal inducement to accept of those situations being the opportunity of prosecuting their studies under able professors. 2d. Whether assistant professors be employed or not the appointment of a suitable person as military instructor would do much to give efficiency to the executive government. Under the direction of the President or, if there be no President, under that of the Rector he would be charged with the details of police and discipline, would watch over the conduct of the students, inspect the public rooms, dormitories and boarding houses or Hotels etc. It would of course be the duty of the professors to report the students who might be absent from their lectures. The presence of the students at all other times might be ascertained by the Military Instructor whether by calling the rolls or by visits to their rooms His duties as instructor may embrace military exercises in the field, lectures on military science, civil architecture & engineering & drawing any or all of these branches according to his qualifications. These would probably
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* See Index
1 Original not available for proofing
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Copy breaks off in mid sentence.
There is a typescript of this letter in The West Point Thayer Papers
1808-1872, edited by Cindy Adams, 1965.
Page created January 2001.
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