Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1852-1859, 1855-10-17
College Education.

We have lebeIl with much pleasure, the effort
Of common school education witch has for some
years past been in progress, and while we have
often had occasion to nd fault with the details OF
the system in many States. yet we must bear les
timony 10 its general benefits. But we have been
surprised to end that the education advocates, al
most without exception, have condnsd their Efforts
and their arguments to common schools and to them
alone, Now we hsve been unable to see why
this should be, and especially in Virginia. Why
is it that while we hare ''LiteraTy fund.- de-
voted to common schools, and "Universily
fund" for single College, we have no other State
endowed College in Virginial The other Colleges
excepting William and Mary. endowed i'll Collo
NAL days. have had to struggle along unsided,
and while they have supported themselves and
sent forth their sons in all the departments of life,
and while they have by public appeal secured par
,i4LenIowmeniS, as yet they stand unailed by
Virginia, unsupported by the State. Is il just
that single College in single locality should
he the sole recipient Of the States nurture? Why
isn that the other Colleges are less entitled to
State aid than the University or other localities
less to be favored than Charlottesvil!e7. We wish
to be distinctly understood, We would not now
touch one dollar Of the University fund. We do
not think it receives one dollar too much. 1t is
an Institution of which the State and the Union
may we'll be proud, and one which they should
prefer to Yale and Cambridge, but we complain
that other Colleges are not also nurtured by pa
Tent able to maintain all.
Why is ii that other Colleges cannot be aided
also, and the University sustained as it is, ut the
same time. All know the Importance of our COL
leRes. While they cannot attain, for various
causes, the extreme accomplishment of the Uni
versity. yet all know that they can anil do alT1rJ
excellent educatiOns to those who attend, aml
class Of young men attend them who would be
unable, owing 10 the expense, &C., to attend the
University. They fill the grade between acade
mics and the University, and the greater portion
OF the young men seek that grade and Take their
course. Why should THIS, the larger class, be cut
OF by the State2
AT an early period in the history of the Univer-
si;y the Legislature OF Virginia, while making un
appropriation for it, pledged the excess of the Lit
ersry Fund above that appropriation, and under
$4,000 per aunun, II the Colleges, &C. Thus
was bid for college ND, and the pledge was ac-
eepted. How has it been redeemed? When did
the Colleges receive what wOs implicitly dedicated
to them3 And should they not have add
Proper applications will be made to the Legs.
IH1uEe at its coming session for aid to the colleges
May We not hope for the cooperation of the Uni
versity and its friends, and thus aiding the cause
of college education in Virginia. We want teach
ers; these Colleges will supply them; and when a
good and perfect system of Common Schools is
organized in Virginia, instead Of having to import
teachers from the North we will have them cmOng
us and of us. Our sous will then be educated at
home, as they should be. We hope tina: the next
session will do something in this matter, aud i'm
moraize itself by providing good college sys-
TEN in and for Virginia. We shall propose some
GetsiIs hereafter.