The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1883-08-09

/ lie college, q ueottOu COllluHSS 10 CA
cite the deepest interest on all sides
and it would be strange, indeed, if an en-
terprise of so much magnitude as tbiG
did not. Il is rather > marvel, though
that the fund necessary to be raised Il
secure the institution has not already
been subscribed. The press has en-
de.yOred to make PLAN 10 the public
every detail touching the question, and
speeches and sermons have been listen
cd 10 time and again, aud yet there is a
surprising number of prominent busl-
ness men-men who should give and
who no doubt will when they under
| stand every feature oi the case-who APP
pear 90 be still in the dark ON many
points.
The soliciting committee, in their
rounds, find great many men who pro-
Tess their Willingness TO give and give
literally when they understand thor
oughly how they are to be benefited by
SO dong, the conditions of pas ment, etc.
Il has been remarked by some
of the. Jealous workers IN the
enterprise that It is selfish and un-
worthy view 10 take of the situation to
think of being personally benefited In
dollars and cents that ones patriotism,
philAnthrophy and public spiritedness
should prompt them to do the handsome
thing, and let the idea of personal re-
Enumeration sink entirely out of sight.
This disposition should obtain TO as
great a. degree ms possible, but it will
not do To depend upon this spirit alone
"a actuate even the best of men IN mat
ter OF this kind II is the almighty
dollar that the average American citizen
is struggling for in this last half of the
nineteenth century, and any scheme
which does not have in view the idea of
giving value received for every dollar
expended, is likely to be regarded with
stolid indifference by the great mass of
men of large and small means. With
nine-tenths of the people Of
EmporIa the first question
propOunded TO themselves or to another,
is: will it pay TO contribute 80 much ?
What per cent. of the amount 1 sub
scribe to this enterprise will get back
and when 90
One man is approached by member
Of the subscription committee, and about
the first question is: allow is this thing
gong to benefit me? If you will assure
me that will gain so much, will sub
scribe SO much" OF course it is impos-
sible for the solicitor to sit down and
compute in dollars and cents the exact
extent to which a mans real estate or
other business interests will be increas-
ed. He might make an estimate far
above the mark, and he would be also as
likely to greatly underestimate his
figures. It would be safe, however. for
him to hold out the inducement
of a fair compensation for the
help rendered. All business transactions
are simply speculations on greater or
less scale, and this college enterprise
may be looked upon in the same light so
far as the business interests of Emporia
are concerned.
In the light of pact history it is rea-
sonable to suppose that an institution OF
this kind in an already flourishing and
enterprislng city like Emporia, wall
substantial backing which We are as
sured it will have from one of the strong
est Christian denominations In the Unit
ed States. Men often borrow money
and pay big rate OF interest on it, to
speculate in much more uncertain ven-
lures than this. That a first-class edu-
cational institution like the College of
Emporia is certain to be will increase
the value of real estate, which now
commands very fair figure, and cause
it TO take an upward turn
and continue on the upward scale from
the very day that it is positively decided
that the Institution is TO be planted here
and here to remain. If other towns
much smaller than this can afford TO
make The offer of $50, 600 for the institu-
ton, why can't EmporIa see far enough
ahead IN stimulate her to give 5000
on the very liberal terms which will be
given? ANY amount over 500 can he
paid any time within two years and
half, and not all down, as many have
gotten the idea is the case.
The subscription committee held a
meeting last evening in the Office of
Holmes 81 Holden and compar ed notes
and had various experiences to relate.
some of which have been embodied in
the first part of this article. A great
many men put off the
solicitors with the promise that
they would give certain
sum if it was necessary
to secure the required amount, but from
what they knew and had heard about the
matter it was their impression that the
fund would be raised without their help
This is a very erroneous view to take of
the matter. Too many men already
share this idea to make the enterprise q
success, and they must change their
tactics and come to the front with their
subscriptions immediately ifthey do not
wish to allow the best investment they
ever made t. slip through their fingers.
We hope that everybody will
see the matter in this light and act ac-
cordingly. There is plenty of money in
the town to make good pledge for
double the amount asked if men will
only allow their inclinations TO run in
the right direction, and but little time
now lnteryenes in which to deliberate,
so from this on let there be a steady,
hard pull all together and 'our hopes and
wishes in connection herewith will be
duly realized.