Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1881-06-13
UNIVERSITY MATTERS.

The Regents of the University are being
severely censured by several of our con-
temporaries on the strength of statement
that majority of them are pledged to
support Mr.. Reid, at present Principal of
the Boys High School of San Francisco,
for President of the University, in the
place of Professor LIE Conte. The charges
against Mr.. Reid are by no means of
definite character. 1t is alleged that he
has not the necessary reputation for SO
responsible an office. 1t is further stated
that he knows nothing of the University,
and that he has in fact done all he could to
send his pupils to Harvard instead of to
Berkeley. This last is paradoxical kind
of accusation. II Mr.. Reid was convinced
that the instruction at Harvard was better
than that at Berkeley, and if it be granted
that he was bound to give the best advice
to his scholars, it would have to be con-
ceded that he did no more than his duty in
recommending Harvard instead of Berkeley.
1t is preposterous to take the position that
simply because he was teaching California
school, therefore he was under obligations
to recommend the California University to
his scholars. The only question which
has any legitimate bearing upon the case
Is the question whether Harvard ia better
University than that of Berkeley and we
do not think that there can be much doubt
on that head. Indeed the recent action of
the Regents is of itself a clear admission
that the State University has not been well
managed hitherto, and that the instruction
has been in many respects inferior. AS
regards the assertion that Mr.. Reid Is
practically an unknown man, it is evil
IDENTIFY more germaine to the question. It
would certainly not be wise to select an
unknown man as President of the Uniyer-
sity, unless the Regents possessed very
positive evidence of his special fitness for
the position. The presumption naturally
would be that such evidence was in the
possession OF the Regents, but as they have
preferred to conduct all their proceedings
IN secrecy, and as they appear to think it
altogether unnecessary to inform the pub.
lie of their grounds of action, they must
not complain if their motives are miscon.
strned, or their judgment called in ques-
ton. Clearly they ought to make known
their reasons IN case Of this kind, if
they contemplate the selection of Mr..
Reid, for the discussion of his qualif.
cations has already created preiu.
dice against him, and unless this is
removed it must produce serious injury
to the University. It seems to us that
the Regents have yet to learn that the
success of the University depends, not
upon their policy, but upon the public
sentiment in regard to that policy and |
that the very surest way to produce an
adverse public sentiment is to affect mys- |
terry about matters which the public be.
lieve they ought to have fully explained |
to them. The recent action of the Re. |
gents has been unfortunate in many |
respects, and if they are determined to go |
on in the same general line, and to
proceed as though they owed no ac-
countability to the public, they will in.
fiict grave and perhaps even irreparable
danger upon the institution which they
are supposed to care SO greatly for. 1t
never was of more Importance than now
that the President should be man in
whose capacity the people can place fall |
and anything in the direc-
ton of real or even imagined deterio-
ration of that Office must work meal. |
culable mischief.