San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1888-03-24
LOCATION OF THE UNIVERSITY.
A Gard From the Reverend Mr..
Giddings.

a caro- FROM the reverend MT.
GiddinRs.
am met on all sides with the query
"Where will the university be looated?"
And 1t lie, OF course, but natural that this
should be among the first questions to
confront us as we open our subscription
books. The Importance of the question
Ia paramount. A wise selection OF loca-
tion for buildings and campus of collie
age or university Is OF the utmost impOr-
lance. An unwise one has, In some in
stances, dwsrfed the growth and hence
weakened the stability and influence
Of what might otherwise have de-
veloped into great schools. Here
happily 80 situated that there is
hardly danger Of making any serious
mistake. The locations from which to
choose are numerous, some of them Of
fering exceptional Inducements In the
way OF natural advantages, as soil,
altitude and sightliness combined. And
vet while this Is true, it would not, IL
seems to me, be the part Of sound wis
dom to fix upon the exact location OF the
university Just now. My first objection
is: that the best interest OF the enter
prise cannot be subserved by undue
haste. The claims, not Of persons, but
OF localities, should alone be considered
and comparison Of the merits and ad-
vantages of the different points should
be very deliberately made, having the
best interests of the university, present
and future. solely In view.
But another objection presents itself,
having yet greater claims upon our at
tention, and that is, that the fixing upon
q location before We get the institution
to locate, will prove an obstacle in the
way of getting it at all, and so defeat
the enterprise in its very inception. In
stead of a general and united endeavOr
on the part OF all to raise the $4,000 re-
quired (which 10 the real and only issue
now), there would be an effort only on
the part of those mediately or immedi-
ately interested In the locality chosen.
And so, too. going q step farther, IL ia
evident that to take subscriptions con-
ditiOned upon the choice of location
would handicap US at the very Outstart.
Divisions, in the interests of one section
as against another, would prove fatal to
the main object. 1t is apparent that II
Mr.. A. offers $4,000 upon the condition of
the university being placed In aparticu-
lar locality, where his property values
would be enhanced, and Mr.. X, from an
opposite quarter, make a similar propO-
sition in his own interests; that, instead
Of $1O, 900 being offered by these gentle
men towards bringing the university to
San Antonio, $1,000 Ia prOffered to locate
1t In some particular part OF the city.
We have liberal offers OF land for build
ing site and campus for number of gen.
erOus citizens, as Mr.. Richard Woolley,
Mr.. Sam Maverick, Mrs. E. A. Stribling,
Mr.. Geo. w. Breckenridge and Mr.. Ben
Cable. Now. 1t is plain that II the plans
Indicated were to obtain, and the friends
OF each particular locality were to give
their subscriptions, conditioned upon
the university being located at
this, that, or the other point, the aggre-
gate amount Of subscriptions from any
one class (which, combined with theirs,
would In all probability be ample to
meet the conditions laid upon us) would
probably not only be insufficient itself,
but would lose to the enterprises the
subscriptions Of each and all the other
classes. 1t seems to me, therefore, to
be unwise to consider the question OF
location until the amount required to
bring the university to San Antonio
shall have been raised.
When. however, the question Of lOca-
ton shall properly come up, every
friend and subscriber may rest assured
that the very best interests OF the insti-
tuition shall alone influence the choice.
CHARLES E. GIDDINGs,
Financial Agt. and Sec'ty
Board Trustees.