Wichita eagle., 1886-10-22
THE METHODIST COLLEGE.

When the editor of this paper appeared
before the locating committed of the South
west Methodist college at the Occidenta
hotel Of this city, in response to request
we said to the committee that as repreSen
tatives of the conference they could bettel
afford to locate said institution at Wichita
for nothing than at any other point in
Southwest Kansas for a bonus of fifty
thousand dollars, looking to the future OF
the college and as simple business pro-
position. TIL place te Go business is
where business is DONE schools and
churches forming no exceptions. The
foolishness Of locating or attempting to
found great institutions of learning, in the
absence Of au endowment, at any point
! where TIE local interest would fail to sup
port in times Of. emergency was men
toned and the effort to found colleges
by the Methodists at Manhattan
and Baldwin City cited That talk made
the locating committee mad Two minis
tiers have since stated that that talk lost
Wichita the college We don't believe
that, but we hold to the talk. Had the col
lege been located here it would have
proved an undoubted success,-a central
educational institution in a central city
where wealth and power would have
amply sustained it. The Christians, the
Presbyterans, and the Reform church,
have each acted upon the same line of con
victions or conclusions upon which we
then dwelt One of these denominations
have already q successful school estab-
lished The other two viii have. The
Methodist committee for 4 promised bonus
embracing an extravagant amount located
their institution at Winfield. Before
the building was up regularly
commissioned beggar was put into the
field But still, every once in while the
papers of Winfield are urging and making
appeals. Two papers OF that city only
this week contain articles which seem to
indicate Il purpose on the part of the church
authorities 70 abandon the work. The
Daily Courier of yesterday, in letter from
Presiding Elder Gates, under the caption
of "Our College Or Not-WhichE' con-
tains the following:
"Dut ten days remain to decide this
question. Only $4,000 of the SEC, 900 an
nnitv is subscribed Unless the balance is
ba b,ril 4
ing will cease and the NJ. 4. college Of the
be put on wheels.
This is critical hour. Every man, wO-
man and child is personally interested in
this subject The action of the board of
trustees at their meeting last week, though
perhaps somewhat hasty, is nothing but
business & = l believe they meant
business and our part is to act at once
s This is the last pull. the home
stretch effort Do not refuse TO do some
thing for this college There are scores of
reasons why we cannot afford to let this |
college, at this stage of the enterprise, be
moved from Winfield. Ten thousand
times better for it never to have been be-
gun, than for it to stop now. 1t will be
the worst dynamite explosion that has ever
been chronicled."
We have only to observe that this is pret
ty strong languagc--prcbably too strong,
but, taking the chances Of raising the ire
of the committee or the trustees for the
second time. we will now say that the con
ference having planted their college they
cannot now afford 10 remove it or to even
threaten to remove it. The institution
must stand Or fall at its present location.
If Winfield will not save il the conference
must do 50, rs no othor town Or city would |
take g failure off of their bands.