The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1890-08-24
THE UNIVERSITY OF DESERET.

All over this great land of ours have
sprung up like mushrooms on sultry
night a multitude of inferior schools that
in an effort to compensate in name what
they lack in worth have been denominated
universities. With. the mistaken notion
that In numbers alone there is strength
these schools have been established with
the laudable intent perhaps of adding to
the sum total of educational influence and
strength in our country. But university
if at all commensurate with its true pur-
pose, must, like successful enterprises in
the commercial world. be an outgrowth of
necessity and warranted by surrounding
circumstances. 1t cannot be established
Independent of certain reasons that lie at
the foundation of its successful growth.
These reasons may not be identified in all
cases, but they must be in The nature of
Imperative conditions and be permanent
in demand Wealth, appointments, and per
sonal influence are not among the essential
requirements however valuable they may
be as supporting elements We take it,
then, that university. meaning by this
term just what its name implies, a school of
many departments, must be growth, de-
velopment, ana not an establishment. All
the money bestowed upon the California
State university could not make it sue
cess; its tine buildings and costly apparatus
and talented professors would not bring it
adequate patronage. Its success dated only
with its Identification with the growing
necessities of the state
With this view of such a school, it is not
important nor at all requisite that it should
be complete in its departments or appoint
ments, in order to assume its ponderous
title of university, only that it should have
the basis for developing and growing to
what its name implies.
| Our own territorial university, the
University of Deseret, whose annual com
mencement for the academic year, 1890 81
lies before US, it strikes Us, is an institu.
ton of that broad and permanent character
we have described. 1t is an outgrowth of
this western country, having been steadily
and permanently progressing with the
country for more than twenty years.
1t is a territorial institution sup.
ported in part by public funds,
and consistent with its characther as such,
we have evidence to believe that it is as
far from sectarian, partisan, sectional, and
personal prejudices as that can be amid the
war of existing factions. Though ter
ritorial institution and thus baord and LID
eral in its appointments, we should doubt
the propriety of its unauestioned support
did its scope of influence and benefit COM
pretend Utah only But its designs to repre-
sent Internationally this vast inter-moun
tain region with its peculiarities of posi-
ton, resources, and population.
We can have but one schoo
of the kind that will properly
represent this inland territory, and it is
worse than folly to dissipate ones energies
and means on multitude of institutions
that can never grow beyond mediocrity or
never represent anything but local preju.
! dice and animosity.
Wedo not care to discuss any advantages
or charms that this city may have for the
seat of such central university. Yet the
Institution is here, and has the prestige oil
over twenty years of successful experience
and growth, with buildings, apparatus and