The morning call., 1893-07-10
1T WILL NOT OPEN
How the Cogswell School
Now Stands.
PUPILS FEEL BAD OVER 1T.
Trustee Culver Defines the Mayors
Position -Ex-President Kennedy
Outlines a Plan.

BY the Cogswell alumni, presented petit
ton to the Mayor asking that the Cogs-
well Polytechnical College be reopened
on Monday. July II.
The petition stated that many of the
reasons given by Dr. Cogswelps attorney
for the closing Of the college are abso-
lutely without foundation. A part of
the petition read as follows:
Commencing from January 1. 1894, and
continuing for twenty years thereafter,
there will be an income of over $4,000 a
year. That this sum will be amply suf-
fcielt for the maintenance of the college
will be seen from the fact that the running
expenses during the last school year were
considerably less than $4,000. If there
is not enough funds on hand to meet the
expenses between the dates July II, 1898.
and January l, 1894, sufficient sum has
been guaranteed by prominent and re-
sponsible business men of the city.
THAT DIR. Cogswell's present attitude Is
inmical to the best interests Of the intitu-
ton which he founded we held to be evil
drnt from his recent acts, and especially
in appointing to the board of trustees one
W. L. Baggett. an attorney, acting under
whose advice be first brought suit to set
in the institntion, being based wholly
upon pecupiary considerations. would
pest be sNbserved in the closing of the
school, All object for the attain ment of
which hS is now making strenuous effprtS.
AND we further believe that any low
erlng/of the course of study, as at present
est36lished, would be unwse and injudi-
cl9us and direc ly opposed to the property
oX the institution. The deed Of trust pro-
Eides for the establishment of a polytech-
meal college and not a trades school, and
any attempt to alter tie status of the col
lege with a view to lowering its culture
standard would be III direct violation of
the expressed conditions Of the trust and
by narrowing the sphere of the institu-
TONS usefulness would tend to defeat the
ends for which il was founded"
Most of the Alumni are of the opinion
that the school will open week from to-
day.
"What the present trustees want" said
a member of the committee that waited
upon the Mayer, lis to create an impress
sion of the instability of the institution.
and thus prevent numbers of intending
students from applying for admission. If
this succeeds the next move will be to de-
clare that the number of students does not
warrant the running of such an expensive
institution"
A petition against the closing of the
school has been circulating in the Mission
1t has been signed already by some 5000
pro erty-ownerS.
Trustee j. ii. Culver was asked yester-
day what was intended to be be done with
the institution. He said:
1T will not be opened. 1t is not in a
condition financially to open. There are
debts against it now amounting to SO, 600.
There is one bill alone for $3.50 for insur-
ance, and then there are taxes amounting
To q como III ho
ments on Seventh Will cost us SS00O We
have no. sufficient income 10 meet our ex-
penSes.
The management of the Cogswell
school rests with the trustees, and the
trustees have not decided to open the
as the pubic schools. and we don't take
the public schools as a criterion as to when
we should open.
The first thing that the trustees want to
be assured OF Is TO get the finances in such
a condition as will enable the board to
carry out the original intention of the
donor.
During the past year it has been run
on an economical basis The EXPENSES
are now much lowe than they have been
previously in fact the expenses have been
reduced from S28, 900 per annum, which
they ran up to the past three years, to only
$4,000 per annum, and still at the present
time the trustees find themselves con-
fronted with present and prospective liza
blities amounting to So, 600, and for that
reason the school will not be open-well, L
Will not say tomorrow or when.
There is no intention Oh the part of the
doctor TO close mp the school, though that
impression has gone abroad. There has
been no such talk among the trustees. and
l have heard no such word as close from
the donor.
a nrl IN a inf ~ H. oil
was simply to teach trades to poor and
deserving pupils; he never intended to
have the higher branches of education
taught. Instead of his ideas being carried
out, they had only woOd-w0rker and an
ir0n-wGrker to instruct the scholars in
those lines, and the balance of the pro-
gramms was devoted TO the classics, litera-
ture and the higher branches generally.
The object seemed to be to have the pupils
fitted for admission to the State Univer-
sity and not to follow the doctors inten-
ton.
Besides. the pupils were taught to look
upon DR.. Cogswell with disrespect. At
the closing exercises. Mr.. Merrill. ;he prin-
ciDal, said DR.. Cogswel was af.aid to be
present Tor fear of the comments Of the
scholars.
1T was stated that Mayor Ebert pro-
posed to open the school. The only thing
which gives the Mayor any voice in the
matter is the bylaw which says the board
OF trustees shall give an accounting at
least once year if he requires it. That
is all he can do-ask for an accounting
This is not a public school and does not
belong to the city of San Francisco.
IN short, when the city's use of the
school ceased. the college was about $4,000
ahead. Now we are about $50, 600 behind.
"Mr. Merrill is no longer principal"
DR.. 81. ID. Cogswell. himself; was called
upon at the Mentnne. He seemed To feel
very bitt"r against certain people of this
city, particularly eX-Trustee c. B. Stone.
and he thought if he was going to get
nothing but abuse from the public fer his
good intentions i: was poor recompense.
what are you going to do about the
school?"
I'VE are behind over $4,000. There are
$1,000 of taxes to be paid, which have been
accommodating these three years, and even
an amount on insurance, amounting to
about $780, has not been paid. Instead of
paying The taxes they paid 1852 tn have
them set aside know that, for | have
the receipt-and now we will have to pay
The taxes, too. It will cost US about $4,000
for street improvements, and vii h all these
things TO meet there is only small In
come. Now, tell me how you would 90 to
work to open the school,"
The doctor then went over the financial
history OF the college from the beginning
and explained how as he said. mODey had