Wichita eagle., 1886-10-10

=
blossoms and bears fruit in few days; SO
the long and monotonous ages OF the past
show their full meaning in the rapid devel
opment of the present. Examples OF this
fact crowd upon us from every side: the
new states wheeling into line and the new
stars in our national sky; continents end
empires peopled and civilized in a single
generation; the most wonderful cities OF
ancient times made insignificant by com
parison with London, Paris, Berlin, st.
Petersburg, New York, Chicago and San
Francisco; four Pacific railroads and two
inter-oceanic canals, German nationality
consumated, France republicanized and
American slavery abolished; commerce
made worldwide and sequent over the ter
rors of war; science and art cosmopolitan;
and thought as free and diffusive as the
lightnings which flash from one end OF
heaven into the other. As the SHOWS OF
winter melt slowly at first, but more
and more rapidly as the sun
rises higher and tarries longer, so
as the sun of civilization mounts higher and
higher, old abuses and expressions, OH
superstitions and antiquated systems flee
away with the night shadows and banlsh
before the thick-coming splendors OF this
glorious age.
To this law OF rapid development great
educational institutions are no exception.
How feeble and slow of growth were the
universities of Europe, though founded by
monarchs and cndowded by nations! How
small the beginning of Harvard and Yale,
small in endowment, in students, in de-
partments of study, and how many scores
of years have been necessary to bring them
up where the world will see and admire
them. But in these days a single decade
will accomplish more than a century then.
State universities have no infancy, they are
strong and complete from the first. Cor
nell is not old, vet it has five millions OF
endowment, seventy professors, thousands
of students and magnificent appointments.
John Hopkins university is younger, but
equally vigorous and more renowned.
Time would fail me to tell of what the last
ten years have done. If Garfield Uni
versity shall be wisely planned and
amply endowed; if it shall rise like an eX-
ba1ation from the earth, if it shall gather
to its halls eminent professors and multi
tude of eager students; if it shall give prom
Use of permanence and great usefulness; if,
in short, it shall prove worthy of the name
it bears, this will only be a repetition OF
what has been done in a hundred instances
and what will be done in a hundred more.
Surely. standing in the light of recent edu-
cational history, feeling the strong i'm
pulses of modern life, and having around
us a country unsurpassed in present wealth
and future promise, We ought not to falter
in work so beneficent and so grand
ought not to falter though it makes such
large demands upon our fortunes and our
faith.
When in the course of human events it
becomes settled purpose to establish an
other college or university, a decent respect
to the opinions of mankind requires that
we should declare the reasons which impel
us to such action. These reasons axe of
two classes, general and special. The
general reasons are such as pertain to
all civilized nations and particularly to the
people of America-to the people of new
and rising state.
First of all, we cannot resist the strong
currents of scientific and religious thought
which are bearing all enlightened people
into wider and deeper seas of educational
endcavor That we must educate is an in
herited and cherished sentiment. We are
getting more and more hungry ourselves,
and more ambitious for our children. We
read and travel and keep abreast of the
Nineteenth century. We feel the uplift-
ing of religious thought The common
school system of all lands is becoming
broader and higher. The older colleges
are thronged with students and growing in
power New schools, general, profession
al and technical are multiplying on every
hand. How can we resist this onward
sweep of things? How can we commit the
objectionable sin of resisting the progress
sive spirit of this remarkable century?
In the second place, we have a desire to
lessen the waste of mind going on wherever
men are found The sun may waste on the
abysses of space all except the
one billionth part of its light and
heat aud life may be lavished in
vain as where only one blossom
of thousand comes to maturity, but I'M
mortal minds are too precious to be wasted
to precious to he left, like pebbles, along
the shores of life's sea, there to know only
the changing seasons and the tireless break
ers. Mind force is mightier than wind and
wave, than lightning or world-moving
gravitation, and yet how it sleeps, how it
tolls in darkness, how it labors in vain.
How many men Of power never have a
chance What myriads of souls in far
away times, what myrads now in heather
lands and even under the brightest skies of
our own country are still in the prison
house of superstition and ignorance, are
still pressed by the heavy hand of want or
the bloody hand of crime into unknown
and dishonored graves.
4 third reason is found in the method by
which all human progress is achieved The
masses must be elevated. The continents
must be lifted up and not merely the noun
tain peaks II you would heat and mingle
the whole mass of fluid, the fire must be
placed below and not above. That is, the
best educational advantages must be sup
piled to the many and the low est
and not to the few favorites of
fortune only. Besides our advancement
depends upon the number of workers
Where we have bat one telescope thous-
and should nightly sweep the sky; where
we have but one naturalist OBSERVE 2 plant
and animal life but one chemist at his ex-
perimcntS. one mechanist busy with his
models. one historian. one student Of social
economy, we should have as many armies
marshalled under the great captains of
science. But this law of progress cannot
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