New-York tribune., 1878-03-30

yals ever since, all the while industriously
seconded BY gentlemen Of more strictly
local renown. Meanwhile some official
sympathy was elected. Mr.. Sawyer, the ami
able Senator from South Carolina, introduced
o bill of DR.. Hoyt's to set the University IN
motion. Senator Timothy o. Howe, OF WIS
consin, also introduced bill for the same
purpose, and since then other Senators and
Representatives have tried to force some
money and life into the concern by legislative
injection. Mr. Commissioner John Eaton, too,
has hurled himself into the movement from
time to time, and finally the benevolent dis
position of President Hayes has made him a
proselyte, and he was led to adopt the Univer-
sity as an integral part Of his policy in his
first message.
But In spite of this wealth of appreciation,
the projectors of the institution seem to feel
that it will continue to need great deal OF
energetic boosting before it looms up into its
prophesied grandeur as the " intellectual CEN
"tre of the nations" Just now those news
paDers whose relations with the departments
are more or less intimate, are exertlng them
selves to create sentiment. All the arguments
of the original reformers are brought out and
deodorizcd. We are told that culture begins
at the top and works downward, and there
fore tho General Government ought to fur-
nish the highest education, because no one
else can afford to take the contract. 1t Is
pointed out that the Smithsonian Institution
the Congressional Library, the National OD-
servatory and the various Government collec-
tions all stand waiting to be soliditied into an
established foundation which would need only
q little topping out and a starter of $2O,OOo,-
900 to furnish ready made university OF the
first magnitude. But the machine educators
bear down with the greatest stress upon the
recently patented patriotic argument. 1t seems
that the youth of our country have hitherto
been educated into q contempt for politics,
and therefore it is urged that each Congress
man should be allowed to transplant from his
district given number of promising young
Americans to the Washington University,
where under the genial influences OF that
political climate, they would be sure to develop
patriotic love and respect for our Govern
ment and its methods.
OF course it would be useless to squander
any effort of the reasoning faculty upon
gentlemen who seriously believe that an IN
sttution OF learning equipped, manned, ana
steered by the Congress of the United States
would increase the popular respect Tor our
poitics or our government. The so-called
argument is only stated to show the mental
condition of the eccentric theorists who arc
associated with Mr. Hayes as active partners
in this enterprise Fortunately there are now
n great many sober citizens who do not be-
lieve that this Government was founded for
the sole purpose of exercising n mothcrly care
over every interest which, in the opinion OF
the er-heartcd, needs to be nurscd. The
powers and responsibilities of the General
Government are accurately defined In the
Constitution. and as soon as the Government
steps outside of these limits To embark in the
general welfare business at venture, 1t Is
sure 10 make a mess of it. Il does not fol-
low that we are to be given over to unrlght-
eousness because Government does not as
assume control of our religion, nor that we
are to sink into dense ignorance because an
appropriation Is not voted for the Great
National University. Even If it were not
thoroughly demoralizing to the people to run
to the National Government for help In matters
which can DO administered by the voluntary
cooperation of private citizens, and II 1t were
granted that a Grand Central University is
CRYING National want il is hard to under
stand why Congress should be appealed to
for aid and action That body, as at present
constituted, could be relied upon to construct
and operate n clumser machine and manuiac-
ture a more discreditable article of higher
education than have yet been exhibited on
this planet.