Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1884-10-18
ENGINEERING AND OTHER col.
LEGES.
A Talk with Gen. Birney.

reporter of THE STAR hearing that Gen.
| Birney, the former president Of the board of
| public schools, had just returned from q tour
| to the north among the larger Institutions OF
| learning, called on him. The following con-
| tans the substance of the conversation It
| appeared that the general had visited only four
! institutions: the Lehigh university. Columbia
college. Stevens institute and the Johns Hop
kns university.
Q. Why did you select those colleges for
! Investigation?
4. Because there are more young men from
! Washington at Lehigh than at any other col
/ ie re at a distance. Columbia has the best
school of mines. Stevens institute the best
school of mechanical engineering. and Johns
! Hopkins the most advanced university system
| had not time to visit Cornell which in many
! respects j. in the front rank
Q. ls not Lehich comparatively young?
4. J es and so are the Stevens the Johns
/ Hopkins and Cornell. The value of college is
not in it's age A few OF the Old colleges are
progressive; Harvard for example; but the ten
deuCy in all of them is to the preservation of
the routine of the last generation. Many of
them depend for patronage upon the sons of
graduates and give the children the same
studies they gave the parents. They are moss
backs and proud OF being so. 1t is wrong to
a young man to send him to such an institu-
ton. The valne of a college lies i'm ample re-
sources. an able president. distinguished pro-
fessors. thorough methods and courses OF study
! so liberal that each student can find In them a
training Tor his working life. Lehi@h dates
| from 1869 Its prosperity began with the presi-
dency of Dr.. LanibertOn. who was distin-
guiSted lawyer and is "a judcious manager In
four years the number of students has increased
from about 80 to $50. 1t mas an endowment so
large that it is able to pay liberal salaries In
few years LChGh will he the richest college in
the United States. unless some other million
aires wish to rival the two Packers. Its present
endowment is about three millions and at the
. deceaSe Of the widow Of Judge Packer will rise
to something over tWenty-one millions or three
times the endowment of Harvard. 1t paws liberal
Salaries to professors and gets picked men
1t charges no tuition to students, demanding
nothing from them except good morals and
thorough scholarship. It's demands are too
high for many students; the present senior
class retains but IA out of - who began with it
three years ago. IazineSs is dangerous there
and brilliant men have to come down to hard
work. l4ehgh diploma means all it says. The
names OF 16 NaShingtOnianS are on the cata-
iogue. The qualifications for admission are
being gradually raised. Next wear the appli-
cants will be examined in physics The course
in Latin and Greek is as thorough as in any
college m the country. but the principal courses
are in chemistry. and in each branch of engi-
EeerinG, civil. mining. electrical and mechani-
cal. The chemical laboratory cost about a
quarter OF q million.
T. Is Lehgh any better as an engineering
StiiOol lUtil the Troy RenSSPIaer Institute!
a the Troy school is not endowed. Twenty
years ago, or even fifteen it was probably the
best one of the kind But it cannot coElpete
with largely endowed institutions. 1t has but
one course and that embraces all the different
branches of engineering. and it is of necessity
superficial Lehl@h requires FIVE years for it's
mining course alone. and four for each of
the others; Cornell. five for its civil engi-
neering course alone; and the Stevens teaches
nothing but mechanical engineering aud requires
1Our years OF close study for that. Unless the
Troy school can get an endowment it will have
TO live on its past reputation.
o. How does Lehi9h compare in its scientific
department with Columbia and the stevens?
A. The School OF Mines in Columbia college
is the best. as it is the oldest Most parents
object TO putting very young men into a large
civ 10 study; but postgraduate course at
Columbia IN mining il valuable. AS the
Stevens teaches but one thing, it is best in that
But the admissions to the Stevens are by COM
pettiye examination Fifty men only are adj
United. the best of from 80 to 200 applicants.
q Is not Columbia college progressive?
A In some important Respects yes. What
attracted me particularly was its course in his
tory and political science. In this it is abreast
with Cornell and follows close upon Johns Hop
kins. and it is drawing to itself large numbers
of students.
O. What have you to say about the Johns
Hopkins university
A; | ii" been for years familiar with its
ming It closely 1t is IN its infancy but in sew
eTa branches of learning. and in its methods of
instruction. it is already the recognized leader
among American universities. The shortest
proof to DE given of this is that 1862 graduates
Of other universities including Harvard. Cornell
Michigan university and Columbia COLLEGE
resort TO it to finish their education While
johns Hopkins does not compete with profess
slGnal engineering colleges, it stands before
them AL in original linguistic and scientific
ra- to tba
professions of medicine law and higher instrrc-
tlon, 1t Is fdcjle pJ-incepS. When the hospitals
endowed by its founder and intended to be used
by the medical faculty Of the university Shall
nave been finished. tie collegiate course pre-
paratory to medicine and the purely professional
course VIII probably give the best education in
the United States for the medical profession
Baltimore Will then become the head center of
medical instruction. and it will hardly be neces-
sary Tor young American doctors to seek
Euro pean schools.
Q. But is there college course for under
graiugtes2
4 Certainly. One of the best The general
impression in Washington on this subject il pr-
roheGus. 1t is true that tine requirements for
IlatrIculation are high; but an applicant may
study one year in the university before matricu-
lafion ana enjoy all the advantages OF the uni
Versity Tor his preparation. There are regular
recitaFIoHS. as at other colleges An applicant
may offer German and French Instead Of Greek.
The great number Of instructors fellows and
graduates make the standard of learning very
hi%h and the influences that fashion the Young
student ere unusually good 1t is q singular
Tact that there has never been case of dis
clpline in the university. or OF hazing or OF
cane-Tushing- Such things are unknown being
foreign to the genius of the place
ii IS to be- regretted that there are but five
Washington youths among the under graduates
There VI as only one last year; next year there
viii probably be dozen. For most purposes
outside OF professional engineering the univer-
sity Is the very best in the country and if our
boys must leave home for a liberal education.
most o! them can't do better than to 20 to Johns
Hopkins. That is enough for to-day
Eleanor in the Eoated Grange.