Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1873-08-17
NATIoNAL EpuCATloN

The National Educational Association has
recently held convention in the city of e.
| mira, N. Y, in whose discussions Ex-Gov.
Seymour and the Presidents and Professors
of colleges and universities participated.
The President of Howard College, Prof.
Eliot, read report as member of COM
mittee against National University to be
founded by Congress. Prof. Atkinson, OF
the Boston Psychological Institute, sup
ported Prof Eliot's views. He referred to
the subsidy policy as exemplifed in the
case of railroad land grants, the result of
which has been to hasten the settlement of
our Western country by an unnatural pro-
cess, and scatter the population so widely
and spread it out so thin that bushel Of corn
was consumed in the cost of getting it to
market. No interest could be touched by
Government without corrup,ing it. He
hoped the time would come when higher,
purer type of government might advanis-
geously consider the best mode of promo
ting and fostering the higher education, but
great university was net q thing TO be
erected by Congressional enactment; it
could only come by natural growth. Prof.
Atkinson is right in saying that 8 great ma
tionsl university must CONS Ill ever seen
in this country, "by natural growth.D
But how can any desirable tree grow be-
fore its parent seed or root is planted?
A government that is able to give land by
the million acres to foster gigantic monopo
lies, and actually collects over three hundred
million dollars year from the people, might
find means, with little economy, to found
one institution for the thorough education
of educators in all State colleges and uni
versities Now our best professors are COM
pelled to spend years in Europe to obtain
scientific advantages not to be found in the
United States. All of our agricultural schools
are nearly failures, because We are unable 10
quslify teachers Ct rural science Ia its
most advanced developments. It is absurd |
to set a man TO teach an exact science |
WulCu HO las uofCA FlOPOAAJ ooUNAOO "a
learned. 1t is equally ridiculous for Con-
gressto employ man to guess at the number |
Of acres planted in corn and cotton in Ten |
nessee, in the year 1873, and then publish
that guess as official statistics on the sub
ject. No one knows, or can know how
many acres are planted in either crop; and
to pretenl to know is fraud, or something
very near It. Truth is what every honest
man wants, and what all schools AID gov
ernments should teach, but humbug takes
its place. Mr.. Read, of the Missouri State
University, pointed cut that number of
the Western State uniVerities had been
founded upon funds derived from national
land grants and from State appropriations,
aud the common schools Of those States
had had a similar origir, both having
proved highly useful. He did not think
there would be 50 much difficulty in regard
TO the professorships in a national univer-
sity as its opponents appear to believe, and
pointed to the cases of Henry, oftEe Smith
sonian Institution; Bache, of the Coast
Survey; and the professors at West Point,
whose tenure of Office had proved to be
perfectly secure from political influences.