Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1883-08-13
THE STATE UNIVERSITY.
the Change I'm the Organtxation and
the Reason For It n Explained BY
the Late President, Hon. w. L. VIII.

the Change I'm the Organtxation and
the Reason For It n Explained BY
the Late President, Hon. w. L. VIII.
To he Editor Of the Register.
CHARLEsTowN,' August l0.-I avail
myself of the protferedgcourtesY of your
columns, for some statement IS to the
present organization and facilities Of
the University, 10 the hope Of correct
ing erroneous impressions now current
as TO that institution. have delayed
this statement in order that l might
address the sober second thought Of the
State, after the force Of the recent as
sault was partly spent. Many of the
unfriendly articles that have appeared
In the papers have not seen, but /
have carefully followed those In several
Journals that have been foremost in the
attack upon the University, and / think
all who have read them, will agree
with me, that while much censure has
be en- expressed In q general and sweep
ing and sometimes passionate way,
there has been q lack OF definite grounds
of assault, and that'it is not possible TO
gather from them bill Of particulars
TO be considered or answered in detail.
think it has been further disclosed
that the number of those who, from
partisan or sectional intolerance, would
wreck the chief seat of learning in the
State, is not large, and that they can.
not long infect any influential part OF
our eOple with their malignant spirit.
Prior to my election to its Presidency
had but slight acquaintance with the
University, and only the respect due
the unsolicited action Of the regents in
dueed me to make that careful examin-
alton which ended in my decision to
take, what was TO me personally, the
momentOus step OF change OF rest
dence and of vOeati, n, and to accept
the position of which at the first had
but little serious idea.
found the institution beautifully To-
Gated, with good buildings, reasOna.
oily liberal support from the State, aud
a faculty large enough for an extensive
and liberal college course. With the
exception ofrhe college of Bethany, it
was the only school for higher culture
i'm the State, and consequently the sole
hope and opportunity for most of our
young men TO acquire q liberal educa-
ton. Yet it was clear that in many
sections it was viewed with hostility,
and that in many populous and intelli-
gent counties, young men rejected even
its offer of free tuition, and went be-
yond our borders to expensive schools
or remained uneducated. 1t seemed to
me that this was as unnecessary as it WAS
unfortunate, and that it was possible to
place the University on basis accepta-
BILE to all sections, to gather to its halls
young men from every county, and to
Increase indefinitely its usefulness, by
u aking it so good that none, not even
the wealthiest, need 90 elsewhere for
college education, AMI keeping il so
cheap that none, not even the poorest,
need despair of enjoying its advant-
ages. To do all this was far more ditfi.
cult than to build up new institution,
an d a. a brief experience soon showed
T. z, much harder than / had at first
supposed, for the past history of the
:, hOOl had bequeathed its baleful legacy
~ StTifes, controversies and traditions,
with which it was possible to have no
-yn patby, but whose burden it was not
possible to escape. But 1T seemed to
me practicable TO overcome inveterate
prejudices By patiently showing that
lhele was no reason for them, and to
build up the institution from within, so
that it, patronage might rest not on the
favor of any party, sect or section, but
on the solid and unshifting basis of its
own merits, as understood and
appreciated by all our people.
| was the more influenced IN my action
because i'm early life | had been pro
fessOr in a college, where conflict Of
opinion in matters political or sectional,
had introduced no drop of bitterness,
and because / believed it practicable,
with the utmost good faith, to adopt the
sentiment of the great Francis Liebu,
~ belong to no par Y when teaching.
All acknowledge is PtfTjd cara, cnTiOr
HbcrtdS, rerfds cdrjS$iHu." The last
session of the University opened pros
perOusly. The number enrolled in the
fall term was near one hundred and
forty, IAN attendance not exceeded in the
history of the school. But the first days
of the session disclosed that the friction
of some recent changes in the Org9niZa-
ton of studies was working discomfort,
aQ1tAatI1beelSIey Tafsc6rtent in order t.
dispaTage the University and thwart
ITS success under the new system and
management. As those changes have
been made the occasion of mach crt-
cism and complaint, and seem to he
totally misunderstood by those who
most strongly condemn them, | will
endeavOr Ia give an explanation Of
them, such Is may easily be understood
10y those not familiar with college mat
tiers.
Abolition OF the Curriculum for the
Elective System.
The American college, as originally
organized, had a fixed and intleXiOle
course Of studies, called curriculum.
IL was distributed over four years, lead
ing by successive classes to graduation,
Is. A. and none could graduate but
the sc who completed this curriculum.
When this routine was established the
subjects of college study included little
more than the ancient languages, meth
ematicS, philosophy and logic, and it
WAS not only possible but easy to pre-
scribe the same course for all students,
as the foundation or rather the entire
scheme Of liberal education. But in
modern times, in the last two or three
decades, there has been such an i'm
mense multiplication Of the objects of
knowledge, worthy place in a scheme
OF liberal education, and such an iudefi-
mite increase in the range of occupa
tons for which college education is in
tended TO qualify, that the subjects Of
Instruction are limited only 10y the
ability OF institutions 10 employ instruc-
lois. Among these subjects | may
specify the modern languages and liter
atures, the scientific study of Our own
tongue; the new science of languages;
the study of history with reference to
its philosophy; the several social and
political sciences, and the constantly
increasing and splendid sisterhoOd OF
the physical sciences. All these now
demand recognition on footing of
equality with the formerly exclusive