The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1892-01-30
The University OF New York.


At the dinner of the alumni Of the Uni
vcrsity OF the City of New York on Thurs
day evening. Chancellor MACCRACKEN re-
fcrlcd only casually to the project for unit
ing or federating that institution with CO.
lumbia College. and devoted his chief at
tcntion to the far less important subject OF
the suggested removal OF the college to
site at Two Hundredth street and the Har-
lem River.
Though this college has the ambitious. II
not pretentious title OF university. it Is in
reality nothing more than a college Of the
third or fourth rate order. with certain
professional schools for which n great GEN.
tire of civilization and population like New
York is especially adapted. Since its foun-
dation in 1881 its development proportion
ately to the growth Of the town and Of
the current demands for education, has been
prevented by the inadeQuacy Of its endow
ment. So hampercd. it has always occu-
pied secondary place as compared with
Columbia College, whose resources are far
greater. and which dates back to 1754
The religious partisanship which gave exc
cuse. IL not reason. for it's foundation no
longer operates to it's advantage. but has
died out wholly. So far as that is concerned.
there is no present justification for it's ex-
istence. Accordingly. it is hardly possible
that the college can raise by voluntary con-
tributions the great amount Of money re-
quired to buy and improve the twenty acres
OF land on the Harlem. upon which it
obtained an option several months ago.
simultaneously Columbia is making an eff
fort to secure a much larger sum for the
purchase Of twenty acres of the Bloom
ingdale Asylum property and for putting
up the necessary buildings on it. With the
two institutions thus competing in their
demands on private liberality. the chances
that both will succeed in raising the funds
are not encouraging. 1t is true that Chan
ccllor MACCRACKEN expressed very sanguine
hopes as to the subject on Thursday evening;
but they are not justified. and they ought
not to be justified. Sovast a sum of money
cannot be obtained unless there is shown to
he necessity for its expenditure, and OBJ
viously two great and comprehensive uni
velsities are not needed and are not posi-
BILE in New York. No necessity for such
competition in that field exists. and to the
degree 1t is encouraged. the development
Of the one true and requisite university will
suffer. for tho obtainable capital which
would be enough if employed in combina-
tion will be insufficient for either il divided
between two institutions.
Even IL the University should raise the
money to buy the Harlem property. it might
he worse of than it now is. The inadequacy
Of its endowment to carry out n scheme so
enlarged would make more manifest its de-
ilciencies; and the college would be con-
MT fprf ,,r% bo.
aid to enable IL to satisfy its ambi-
tions. For its purposes. too. its pres
rnt site in Washington square seems
to be better than the proposed situa-
ton. 1t Is nearer at hand and the building
is large enough for its present needs. Great
piles OF brick and stone and mortar on the
Harlem River will not make a university of
it. and OF themselves they will not attract
students. Their distance may rather drive
away students. The fame of university
MS seat of learning. and not its ma
tcrial habitation. draws to it the re-
spect and veneratiOn which I'LL its
halls with the young men vino will
aftcrward demonstrate to the world its i'm
pOrtance. Both the advantages in the way
Of instruction and investigation which it
offers. and the honor of bearing its diploma.
serve to draw to il students who would turn
away from IN institution less illustrious.
Advertising by means of mere architectural
display may help some enterprises. hut it is
OF no value to school of learning.
We do not intend to underrate in the
least the merits OF this college. II is now
sixty years old. and therefore has back
Of it the pride and affection Of Il numerous
body OF alumni. and among its corps of pro-
fessors have always been men OF distinc-
tion in their special departments OF learn
ing. With its exceedingly restricted en-
dowment. reducing correspondingly its OPP
pOrtunities for development. it has done
surprisingly we'll. But now that the reason
for its existence is no longer demonstrable
to the public. has not the limit Of Its posi-
bio growth been reached? Whatever it
undertakes must be SO far inferior
in result to the advancement which the
vastly greater resources and higher
and longer distinction OF Columbia will
hind than ever. Even the college feeling
aroused at an alumni di nner cannot save the
University from that fate; and It's very
name. so ambitious and SO provocative Of
criticism OF its actual desert OF the title.
will have the effect to make 1t suffer the
more In public estimation.
Under these conditions and circumstances
the pride and loyalty Of the University
alumni. their wealth and liberalty. will be
expended more wisely for the glory OF their
alma mater In furthering its union or fed
Grafton with Columbia College than in push
ing forward the hopeless scheme OF enhanc-
ing its importance by making it an archi-
tectural competitor OF that institution.
They are wasting their enthusiasm and
dissipating money which might be put to
valuable use in building up q great aud
real University of New York. for which the
foundation would be furnished by the COM
bination and concentration OF the capital
aud the educational strength OF both Co.
lumbia and the University.
II La absurd To talk about raising pnonsu