The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1869-05-15

Oar readers NAV be aware that this institution
is now in It's first wear. having been opened IN
October last. 1t Is located at Ithaca, New YORK,
where its founder, EZRA CORNELL, resides, who
having conceived the idea of establishing the
largest and most complete institution of learning
in America. gave towards the project five hundred
thousand dollars. the State Of New York voting a
like amount. and Congress appropriating in adj
dition a quantity of public lands which may be
come in time worth one million more. From
this it Will be seen that it starts with an endow-
meut which few colleges have.
At the opening of the institution in 1868 there
We're over four hundred students enrolled, and 1t
is the design TO furnish accommodations for one
thousand at least. y peculiar feature of 1t is
that poor students can go there, and by their
manual labor pay their way, and acquire rs
good an education Us the more favored veal
thy. This was one of the chief motives which
induced the founder to originate the institution,
he himself having been a poor boy, and unable
to furnish himself with the liberal education
which he longed for.
Under this system, during the first term, the
sum of over three thousand dollars was paid out for
manual labor performed by the students. This
is ut the rate of nine thousand dollars a year-a
sum much larger than that which any other in
%stitution in America deyotes to the aid of its
poorer pupils.
Its library, for which a separate building is
being erected, now numbers over n hundred
thousand volumes, and IN the departments of
philology, classical literature, and agriculture,
it is unexcelled IN the United States. Ex-
tensive additions will be made to its other de
partments during the present year.
The Newcomb Cabinet of Conchology, which
was purchased last year from DR.. Wesley New
comb. formerly of this city, is now in process of
arrangement under his immediate direction. 1t
contains over five millions of shells, and will take
him two years at least to arrange. 1t is so large
that there is no room in the University building
which can contain it. 1t will therefore be set up
in apartments rented in the Cornell Library,
where it will probably remain until the Museum
of Natural History shall be commenced and fin
ishcd.
The lectures of Professor Goodwin Smith form
a leading and attractive feature of the University.
lie will be remembered as the author of several
standard works. In response to n liberal offer
from the University, he transferred his residence
from England to America, and for the present
will remain at Ithaca.
We refer to this new institution, to show our
readers what extraordinary efforts arc being made
in America to help educate the rising generation,
not excepting the poorer classes, many of whom,
like Mr.. Cornell, have to begin life without the
advantages of such an education as they crave;
and also to keep before our readers the fact that we
ought to do more than is being done to build up
literary institutions among Us, where all, rich or
poor, black or white, may acquire such an educa-
ton as they desire. Without such institutions
here, suited TO our wants, the rising generation
will seek other fields for acquiring knowledge;
and our schools will lose not only the support of
such as 90 abroad, but even in numbers we shall
suffer, as the majority of those who leave do not
return 10 locate.