New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1872-02-18
The Louisiana University.


The Louisiana University.
We make room for the following ex-
tracts from the report Of Professor u. F.
Boyd, superintendent of the State Univer-
sity:
A university must grow, with plenty of
means of ever growing, else it can not keep
step with human thought and be the expo
nent of progressive civilization. unlVer-
sitv can not be selfsustaining. Like court
of Justice. it must be independent OF all fees
and all patronage, to do its work honestly,
faithfully, we'll; and its professors must be
placed above all want, or doubt as to pro-
Der and respectable maintenance. Those
institutions OF society, which are necessary
to its well-being, society must have, wheth-
er the people are prosperous or not, lew or
many; and it would be about as reasonable
to say that the governOrsnip,or Judgeship, OF
pulpit should be self-sustaining as that a
university should be; and strange to say
those very people in the United States who
are most noted tor their enterprise, industry
and thrift, whose private and pubic wealth
is the result Ut most superior Judgment ana
economy, are our Northern brethren, who
are SO thoroughly convinced that their
higher institutions of learning, so far from
being selfsustaining, ought TO be sustained
BY the private citizen; that during the last
few years they have contributed, says
recent writer, to colleges ana universities
as follows:
amherst College, Massachusetts,, $780,
O00: Bethlehem College, Pennsylvania,
$500, 0Oo; Princeton College, New Jersey,
$500, 600; Cornell University, New York,
s870,O00; Harvard College, Massachusetts,.
SiS3000; Hamilton College, New York,
s2O2 800: Rochester University, New York,
5000 OOo; Lafayette College, Pennsylvania,
a,,cO ana. n MotbOliSt GoIlpUa New York.
$25OOO0; Rutgers College, New Jersey,
s255,OOo; Tufts College, Massachusetts,
s5O0,OO0; Chicago University 1888 900; Yale
College, Connecticut, $4,000, with others,
making an aggregate of nearly s9oOo,00
Whether this institution is to have any
norton. or all of the Agricultural and Me
chanical College fund WILL no doubt, be
determined by the Legislature at the coming
session The sum is so small that 1 think
it would be unwise to divide IT. Louisiana
has already too many little sickly colleges
and universities and not q single good one
The resources of all her so-called higher IN
stitutlons of learning put together would
| not give her one good. efficient, respectable
| college. Why not then concentrate on
| some one of them-and 1t matters very little
| which One-give it all the States means,
| public and private, for higher education,
| and try to make 1t serve tie real purposes
of "a university in tact.
| The small agricultural and mechanical
college fund ought not, in the true inter
ests Of the State, to be divided and rather
| than have it so our university should prefer
| SEEING it given wholly to some other lnstltu-
| ton. The experience of the educational
world now is: Concentrate your means Tor
| higher education; scatter your means 1oI
elementary education. The State Is bound
to see that every child within her limits has
an opportunity to know enough to compre
bend the duties of citizen; and she is
| equally bound to see that every youth
| whose circumstances admit of 1t shall have
an opportunity of receiving the highest
mental and moral culture possible: .
| Common schools or fountains OF learning
should, ike fountains of water, be every
where over the face of the earth, to MIN
lister 10 the common purposes and to reliev'
the necessities Of man; but as the spring
| and riyulets are the offspring OF tie sea
| and their waters must return TO IL lof puIl
tcation, so the university of a State shoult
be its grand reservoir of thought, and learn
ing. and knowledge-the fount OF Its mum
berless primary schools, to teach them VIVA
| they shall teach, and to be responsible 10
how they teach. As well say that you Cal
have pure fresh water without the salty sea
AS that primary schools can lmpart whole
| some knowledge without the elevated an,
refining influence of the real college or UNI
yersiey in fact. But how many colleges
universities can Louisiana maintain ina
is, indeed, grave question. respectfuil
submit that she has not sufficient popula
ton to support more than one properly.
Generally. over the United States. ther
, is but one student at college Tor university
for every $500 white inhabitants. Now
g louisiana it is true, has about one studen
to every 1900 of her people, but she has NO
400. 900 whites, and less than S0O,OOO white
and blacks: and twO-thlrds OF her students
or about 400, she always will, it woul
seem. send out of the State to be educated
Where, then, are the students for so man
| colleges-some eight or ten-even II 20
could command all the Louisiana patron
age, to come from! Ii key depend IL
their support on the tuition fees, whence
to come their daily bread Nowher
Therefore, we are not surprised that son
1 colleges have actually persisted and til;
others are actually now starving.
: Let the Legislature consider the wlsdol
S of such future policy as viii tend to con
: bine, if possible, all the present so-calle
l. and misnamed colleges and unlversltlt
tours among the number) into one unlve
: sitv. to be worthy Of Louisiana and uset'
+ to her people.
. But Louisiana sends too many youths
E other States to be educated. The accomp
> nying list (C) will show the number to
+ not less than 400, and it may exceed 81
4 Each will spend, on an average, $500 yea
v and all of them together. take out of OF
+ poor State not less than 100000 annual
: No other people in the world do that-he
:. to build up the colleges of other States, al
;. suffer their own to perish for want OF mean
! Let all those students and all that none
). be kept here at home, and be given to son
n ore Louisiana college Tor twenty years, al
nothing but the most fragrant mismanag
ment could prevent its becoming one OF Il
best schools in America.
The best claim. perhaps, that this instit
ton has to the confidence and support
the public is the vitality and endurance
= has exhibited during this, another year
. no ordinary trials 1t is easy to float wi
a d the current; but when the current of evel
= is against you, your State poor and Poop
poorer still, with no settled policy abo
: education or about anything else; even S
y ciety itself in ferment, with nothing &C
, tain, but the doubt and distrust ever
/ where-then to stem such tide is a per
: GUS I'M dertaking. And not only to ket
Is from being borne down and Overwhelmt
. by such an ugly current. but actually
;, make Roadway against il, has been the hi
J, tory of this university almost from its i
Il Il cipiency. But reared in the midst of da
- gers, and having withstoOd nearly eve
- conceivable misfortune that could befall it
!, among the least of which have been wa
4 pestilence, fire, poverty-it should now
gin to have confidence in itself, and the pu
lie should pin its faith to it too, as strol
enough to prevent by its excellent disciple
l. any disorder within, and able, perhaps,
@ resist any shock from without, even t
g hidden and insdious attacks of few ma
Q cious and unprincipled enemies. The peol
IL Of Louisiana, without regard to class
If party, are friends of the University, al
t. with such moral capital, better far tn
It money, its success should be assured
is