Louisiana capitolian., 1880-01-31
ATTACKS ON THE STATE INT
VERSITY.
Shreygnorf QfanIakJ

nm a oVAo VN 1d6 6VAVE UNI
y" VERSITY.
Shreveport Standaid
- Our esteemed contemporary, tho Bato1
Rouge CAPlroLlAN, recently admitte,
u into its columns, without, however, en-
~ dorsing 1t, = communication condemnin,
"e the present mode of conducting the State
University, located in that city. The
to article is copied into tho N. O: Democrat,
so though it's appreciation il withheld for the
~ present.
We think there are better ways than q
~ newspaper controversy to correct abuses
Il ifany exist. Such discussion, no mat
~ ter which side may get the better of it,
cannot fail to operate injuriously to the
institution by lessening confidence in it
u and driving away patronage from it,
} But its friends do not decline enc when
: provoked to it.
The graramen ofthis writer's complaint
8 is that the University is military school
, and that there is too much of tho ono
mans authority about it. The two
things are inseparable. Ifit has to be a |
military school, then there must be q |
military head to it, with great deal of
authority, as every one who has been in
the army knows full we'll.
1t must be a military school to some
extent.
l. Owing to the puerility with which
the constitutional convention treated the
subject Of university education in frit-
tering away It's energies on two or three
institutions, and the parsimony in pro-
viding for them itentailed on subsequent j
Legislatures, the principal means for the
support of this institution are derived
from the old Seminary fund and the new
Agricultural aud Mechanical College =
fund, both of which are gifts of the Fed =
eral government. The act making do :,
nations for the establishment of tho agri- ~
cultural colleges requires military tac- :,
tics to be taught in them. The accept
ance Of the gift is contract to comply
with its requirements, and this cannot
be violated without breach of faith.
2 When the old seminary was first es- y y
its first board of supervisors,
such men as Gov. Wickliffe. 81
een. 6. Mason Graham, Chief Justice
Manning, Dr. S. A. Smith and other lead
ny citizens, after thorough discussion, "s
determined that the only way to govern
southern boys, were proverbially hard r
J" govern, was to make them govern w..
themselves by means of a military organ
zation. Its adoption in the seminary -
as realized the most sanguine expecta- t..
IONS of its advocates. Abolish it and &
'c school would instantly return to the cas-
azings, revelIings and disorders which \
naractcrse the Northern colleges. NJ ~,
The superintendent must govern it AZ \
military commander would govern his has
RPS. The present writer, who has held 1'o'
le superintendency as we'll as more than N
he profcssorship In the institution, once Isl,
'opted the Baton Rouge plan of calling wal,
mass messing of the faculty to hold "a
d Of justice" over every truant who II
opened to whistle loud on the corri- It
rs. 1t WAS impossible ever to get hn.t tmi
professors interested in such duties. myst
'o'' was
Is a great mistake to suppose that the t.
lolars would willing leave their books ra" mS' :
act as police officers over a set of mis-
evons boys. These duties any super
endent would gladly impose on some nc
else if it could be done without in. s"t, a"t :
to discipline. We happen to know and
t the present superintendent has more son '
II once asked to be relieved and to be an"' a
nitted to fall back on the more con- thms,
ial labors Of his class room. His re- ~,
st has Zen uniformly refused, be- ,;,;
oo =, ~ AVH
~ m,u ou ,at - ~ ' ''"'"' ~ purpt
institution so we'll, 20"
he CApIToLIAN correspondent thinks =.
the institution should work in sym- .:
~ with the people Of Baton Rouge. g
does not whose fault is itl How y"
y OF the prominent citizens of Baton - !,
90 have volunteered their advice. CO..
md encouragement to the officers. w..
'elr troubles, as the prominent citi- w.,
OF hapldes used to do' How many coo
en- avail themselves of the library. 1~..
museum, the reading room, and all
ther advantages of the school that l..
=, :. ~ - ''0 on'- lionair
" IS to be run according to the .n.o,
Rouge idea, then the Baton Rouge No nm,
~. .. o.. c.. '''" " '''"' '"'" IL the rc
'ro engaged in writing itnp. s.' H.,
those of us who have been familiar S,' ''''
'ehty years, with the selfdenial
eviction which have ever charac- m
d la''ors Of those against whom Ano
'ApiroLlAN article is directed, such ...,, .,, " ~
nhicatlons appearas fippant, even ,,c ~ W.
on the hest fr;ends of .hs u.s.: "'' Rouge,
alcnlated to impair its usefulness ""'''
retard tbe ,avanoo of,;h, dollars,
in Lou;s;,r. n s,o, ,, '' grand j.
ore thev .r. a., ,....,.. " S"'' one of t
polite. 'ulty' ID
also hel'
esteemed contemporary, the Web
n is IN favor of abolishlng