The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1874-12-01
A NATIONAL UNIYERSITN.


scholarship. The argument Cor nation
al university really proceeds upon priu
ciple which has not yet been widely rec
ognized in this country, that of the right
aud duties Of the state as distiuguishe
from the individual citizens. The Ameri
can is educated in jealousy Of the state
The old Jefersonian maxim that that i
the best government which governs leas
implies that government is at best nee
cssary evil, and that the less there is o
it the better This is more distinct,
expressed in the "nonintorfereDce" view
which regards government as defense o
individual liberty by the whole society
and asserts that the sole function of gov
ernmcnt is to secure 20 every man thu
liberty Of doing what he will, so long ai
he does not infringe upon the equal liber
ty of every other man This is Jeffer
sonian theory, which absolutely restrict
the state. or government to a police func
ton, and regards systems of protection,
aud oil state" institutions Of religion OF
charity or enterprise or convenience, a.
monstrous. The Cincinnati Commercial
lately described them as the "maggots Of
national savings banks and national telc
graph poles, national railways and nation
al pumpkin.seed distribution" Jefferson
in his suspicion and jealousy Of tho
national government sought to belittlc il
10y describing it as the department o'
foreign affairs.
This is the view Of the state 10 which
wo in this country have been chiefly cdu
Gated, and which dominates American
public opinion. Yet, as what is called
the Anglo.Saxon element has pre-
vailed in our development thi.
principle Of non interference has not been
logically followed. The Anglo.Saxon
acts according to circumstances, and no,
according to theories This is said by
Mill to be so much the character Of the
Englishman that he instantly distrusts
any political measure which seems to him
peculiarly logical and symmetrical. His
politics consists in the reformation OF
proved abuses, not in the charge of the
system from which the abuses spiing, and
be reforms instead Of changing, because
there are also valuable uses of the system.
1t is to this habit that the survival of SO
many grotesque !orms of every kind in
England is due, The object of the Eng
lish mind is not well.proportioued pc.
litical home to the eye, but comfortable
home to live in. The English practice is
certainly not yet put in the wrong, while
the French, which is that Of theory logic.
ally carried out, has not yet, at least,
quite justified itself Jefferson was
French by nature and sympathy, and
cherished truly French hostility to
England. He was logical speculator
in politics, But many most important
results and agencies in the development
of this country are due to q total disre.
gard to the logic Of his theories.
Thus the public school system is logic.
ally but another form Of the national
pumpkin.seed distribution at which the
Commercial laughs. Mr.. Mill. indeed
does not deny it. While he is warm
advocate Of the nou.interference principle
no agrees that it may he violated in the
state support OF schools. This concession
shows how reasonable man aud excel.
lent an Englishman he is but the excep.
tion is Il pin-bole through which the
whole sea pours 10; for it makes the entire
question one of cxpediency only. If the
state whose sole function by the nOn.n.
reference theory is to defend individual
liberty may maintain schools, that is tc
say, may take iha money Of bachelor
not to secure his freedom OF innocent NC.
tiun bat to educate his neignbor's child
ren, upon the ground that it is genera
advantage, or that taxes will be reduced
by ii. or for whatever reason. then it is
only necessary to prove that II railroad oil
a telegraph or pumpkin.seed distribu
tiou will be general advantage to justify
the state in building roado and protecting
industries and distributing pumpkin
seeds
1t is therefore doubtful whether oppo
ston to national university is wisely
founded upon the hostility of such pro
ject to what is called the American prin
ciple Of government non.iHterference.- -
For. whatever may be the assertions o
those who may wish it were otherwise, il
the American principle is 10 be found il
American practice. it is not that OF non
interference. The state, or the govern.
ment, has established schools and tostered
industries, and subsidized railroads and
steamers. aud carried letters and news
papers, aud distributed pumpkin seeds
and it i, not easy to see why it may not
with entire consistency. establish uni
ser>iry The practical question would be
whether it is. upon the whole. desirable
to made another exception to the genera
rule of non.interference. There is,indeed
the other side of the question, the view
which considers the Jcffersonian theory
of government very Thin and false, and
which asserts that the state is not a sim.
pie police, but is rather a community
with life of its owu. and whose powers
ought 10 be directed to promote the great
est good Of the greatest number This i!
doubtless the opinion Of President White
and Of very many others.
But without vcxing these depths, il il
enough that the inevitable difficulties o.
managing university in this country by
the government are. as President Elm
showed last year, insuporable. There i,
no doubt that an ample appropria,ioI
would pay for noble buildings and ade
quate apparatus. But what kind of build
ings might we expect from a government
architect? In the answer to that ques
tion lies the conclusive reply TO the prop
osition. Government architects aud or
fists are not appointed for their ability
but upon very different considerations
Consider the government pictures in lh,
rotunda OF the Capitol at Washington
and the government equestrian statue o
jackson in Lafayette Square, and the ei
iiiy of Lincoln n the same city, aud thel
imagine corresponding results in the ap
pointments Of university! The Dau
] eDces that nre resnonsinln for such ner