New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1874-08-07
A NATIONAL UNIVERSITY.
NECESSITY OF A MORE ADVANCED EDUCA-
TIONAL SYSTEM

SMALL DENOMINATIONAL COLLEGES - mfsDf-
RECTED ENDowMESTs - RESULTS or 4 HAP
HAZARD SYSTEM PAPER READ BY PRESIDENT
WHITE AT TIE EDUCATIONAL ASSOCIATION.
The following are the principal points Of the
paper University Education read before the National
iucatopal Association at Detroit on "Wednesday by
President A. j. White OF Cornell University:
While the United States has pushed the roots OF it-
public school system down the needs and feeinesof
the whole people and these obtained deep rich son.
which sturdy growth 1t mas pushed the root,
OF advanced down into the multitude Of scat
tered and has obtained soil wretcheds thin, and
a growth mlserabiy scaDt. For the hrst result OF ths
policy as advanced education WAS thlt A. -ects
multiplied. the so-caed colleges AMI uINetsiss ",nll
piled. Now while the main condition or prlniy ellr
ton diffusion OF the man condition 81 Al
vanced education REORGANIZATION 81 resource T. n
sees inns anu mas Dnt t0lr unlHerSitieS' - , -,
IL and has eight; the United stat mas not -3"h
and the last report OF the Bureau of El1ratiOn sh""
that have 800 Institutions bearing the prpu1
name OF College ana " University" The most rNl-
dent result has been the impoverisment 81 the whole
system. With very few exceptions these coiegea and
universities are lthout anything approaching CON
present condition Of knowledge, without Illustrative
collections for study, without Laboratories Tor eKprr
ment, with next to no modern apparatus ami insiru-
ments. TINS is true Of the whole country bat It il
sadly true of those States outside the original thirteen
The next striking result has been lasting INJURY 20
those engaged IN the work OF advanced Instruction
Many noble men stand ia the facuues of these colleges
and universities men who would do hOnpf To any ha
tuition OF advanced learning N the world Aitrr much
with University professors OF various naph-
feel assured that have never seen sny who surpa,s
natural strength ana edrueSuesS very MANY III our
country and have heard tins reDarked more thtn
by thoughtful American feIlO"-stuleLt., Nhile
sitting foreign University lecturerOOms These men
OF ours would. under better system develop adhrs
bly, the Intellectual treasures or our people anu inc
material resources OF our country; but cranpd DY
want OF books want Of apparatus, Or every
needed IN advanced instruction, cramped above az ny
the spirit Of the sectaran college system. most VI them
have been paraiyzed.
AMERICAN COLLEGES MOSTLY POMPoUS LITTLE
sECTARIAN SCHOOLS.
Iknow whereof | speak. Within the last 20 years
have seen much OF these institutions, aud WITHIN
the last seven years have made 1t duty 10 wateh
them closely, and freely confess that my observations
have saddened me- Go from great state to another
in every one Won shall find that this unfortunate system
has produced the same miserable results IN thr NaH
majority Of our states not SINCE G1Sse OF ca
ran schools with pompous names and poor 'l.ipnen,,
Institution broader and better The Traveller arriving
In great cities generally lands IN railway station
costing more all the university edihces o. the - :
and he sleeps In a hotel IN which there T. embarked
more capital than in the entire university ehdoWm.n'
idi,ts dear dumb and blind nay. FOR the pAnper
and the criminal and he huds them palaces IL NI'lts
earnest purpose the dearest of the state aud
he generally finds them IN vile barracks He insp'cis
those asylums TOR men and women VINO are nrv ,
more to be useful, and hnds them provided WIN
perfect system OF beating aPa Sn aas
where live aud move the Young men wac
TO make or mar the state ana ne nds mem WIN
systems Of heating when Vtlte the ar ana WIN ~
ventilation Examining stlll iurther nc mus thlt the
the luIns nave gOOi lOO1 Wei ptfr15
he nds the inmates OF colleges generally supplied with
poor food badly prepared he finds young men Of sed
entary and scholarly pursuits living IN families where
vinegar and grease combined by the worst cookery
IN the world TO form "a diet which would destroy the
stomachs Of wOOdchoppers Insufficient a. intellectual
training at places Is the phy seal training
much worse for tends TO make the great Doly OK
students sIckly. aud weak. aud morbid rather than
strong pioneers OF good Thought ana sturdy Ou"aAA
against political folly.
crampug OF the intellectual development more unior-
tunate than that produced by poverty
Such is the main outline OF tue development OF tho
American system OF college instruction. aud lts result
is main unsatisfactory, its present condition
notifying.
OUR EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS COMPARED WITH
THOSE OF THE OLD WORLD
This system Of advanced education Is now an old one
The time has arrived when 1t may Dc fully AMI larry
Judged 1t not new or young plant as many iondy
suppose 1t has developing more than 200 years.
By this time If ever, we may expect great strong
growth a luxuriance in bloom and frutage. But what
do we Let sum up with few facts universally
aekno~!edsgn aed in 10 9S5 year 10 deySp one when
ranks with institutions bearing that name m the otner
great civilized nations some OF hem or Tar more rrceht
creation than our own. The University 0f Berlin D,
Younger than a multitude OF our American colleges Il
was brought up to its highest pinnacle by na'ion
crushed by national disaster and by financial ana mill
tary burdens, yet no one Will cain thit We nave an n'
sttution Of advanced instruction to be compared WIN
IA 10 schools OF mechanical and civil engineering, We
are developing some which are doing excellent "OEk,
the multitude Of such schools gu the continent lay
nothing of such institutions As the Frencn L,o.a
With creations at Stuttgart Carsruhe ana hdch
As laboratories all these years OF WORK III aet'a
mainly shaped by the prevailing system, have failed "a
give one to compare for a moment WIN seH,ih re-
and elsewhere by GOVERNMENT aid. As to museums OF
the arts. AL our collections combined would
he as a small dust to the plan when compared 10 the
Conseryaolre DIES Arts ct Meters" As 10 art cOlec
lions bearing the various industries, II we "ero u
add together all that our American system mas dccumn
lated and multiply the same by thousands we should
have nothing approach the schools recently created
by the English government al SOuth hrnsIuNtou hs
10 various branches VI Instruction We nave many u,Su
all departments equal TO the best III Europe Dut of
want OF a University system 10 give scope 10 telf in
bition, they nave almost entirely lacked opportunity
American students nave oe1h iPreeu 70 psuS h'eb
most advanced studies abroad Even as to tAa Mheh
"a nearest full proiessorship OF Aetoa an MS
ory has been operation III our land 10 stuiS this
history young men nave houo 70 go, ~ - Li,,,lev
IabOulsye at Paris. Nuemaun at beFlh anu hlhs''oJ
at English Cambridge.
THE NECESSITY OF NATIONAL UNIVERSITY.
Itis in view OF such a meager growth In over n
wears under the prevailing system that present tao
rolowing as the fundamental proposition Of this paper
The main provision for advanced education lh III"
United States be made by the people AZ large act
ing through their National and state Legs A'nre, ID
endow and MAINTAIN an institution tof Tue h'Snar
instruction. fully equipped aud free from srcl.h von
troll. Aud, first. argue mat the past h,tor! VIZ
emf condition OF higher education IN the ltel
States arOuses u strong presumption IN taNot o ulhH3
10 the prevailing system OF private srctaritn action
argue that careful public provision Dy me peo
nile for their system of advanced instructor Is t"o
only Republican, aud tho only Dtmoo!sto uioti. an,
Again thai public provision, that is the declson an
of each generation ds W -
pnc.tion alone worthy OF our dignity as cltilens.
hSain thar by public provision can private siiSs DO
best stimulated.
,uspREcrED AND FOOLISH ENDoWMtNIS
Next that by liberal public grants alone can our pr
mt. endovments be wisely directed OF e0o''''O'y
a,,ro,,teJ No one eonversant with tue history VI az
So, ,rstruction IN this country can have failed 10
0o,e tbe inefaoy absurd way IN which large eit' ION
ady,nced instruction have been frttered away uit'
tSe prevailing system. Take the facts a. ,,g
viii mentioa well known "cAh . friend A
ege m one OF our states has received from =. D ,bs
pnt tnle scnnn worthy VI the sreacst lh'lIl ,.