The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1894-01-02
GREAT UNIVERSITY.
Utilities Of the New State
School at Seattle.
sepLY TO CRITICISMS.
- Of the Address of Prof y. ~.
a1.erjstIon Mt North Yakima.

,ru1sius Ii the nearly complete text of
=. .xarrss OF Prof. J. M. Taylor. OF the
-. university, read before the State
- Association at North Yakima
49,:
81 -. ams Of the state institutions of
- De university of Washington
Ess~x = cssin in land grant ruace by the
- government. July IL. 1854. con-
s ss~ss xonsted TO the territory OF Washing.
- 90 townships of land for the purpose
- ueshslsking university.
I. Al Of the legislature the university
- loeasei ut seaftle July -. 1856. Six
~,.,s eisrssd before anything further was
- on May -. 1861. the corner stone
80 asiserssty building was LAID, and in
1esutamn of 1897 1t was arst opened for
se6rsfs. II Is the Oldest institution Of
t.rssnf on the Pacific coast north of the
(zlsmbsa river.
Tns university had destltory exist
nux sntsl tie year 1877, when Prof. A. j.
tnAerson became It's president and organ
hdta Q college. A class was graduated
III. Since that time the university
- naintained a college organization.
svrdussing class every year. That it
- sGfeY DfEn n uHASET1tY the kFuG
wps Of the word, no one acquainted with
q history and who knows what . real
sslvefsisy IL, will hold. That IL has done
esss deal OF good educational work of
eslsere grade cannot be denied A school.
HE tree, Is TO be judged by it's fruit.
some Of the most ruccessful business
md professional men and women of the
4 r.sse sre numbered among the alumni Of
~ university of Washington. The uni
! yeYsIsy IS proud Of her children. Never
1 hss she had occasion TO blush for the con-
aset Of any Of them.
TIE university has labored under many
Aacuities. In its early days the people
II the territory were struggling against
he natural barriers TO progress which pre-
'ssnted themselves on ali sides. Means of
hsvel were slow and difficult Settle
rents we're at remote distances from each
esner. The lands had TO be cleared and
slosed and the trees made into lumber.
/ The consequence was that the youth OF
I shs ssrritory had but little time to devote
b education. Again the university lands
vsre sold at very low prices and the
noney used in erecting buildings. This
sn q great mistake. Had these lands
bsen held until the territory became q
sssss they would have constituted a mag
niheent endowment of the university for
n time to come. The Cascade mountains
I srsyated the east part of the territory
Is from the west part thus cutting
cs the communication and inter
esis Of the people of the two sec
I tcns This rendered it difficult to
obtain appropriations by the territorial
legislatures for the maintenance of the
University. Since the advent of tho rail-
vsys. however. this difficulty has been
happily removed. and the people in al
parts OF the state have begun 10 look with
more favor upon the state university. and
nhas been enabled to extend its useful
ssss more widely. and now has students
fom nearly every county In the state, as
VEL Is from Oregon and other states.
Another great difficulty has been the
hfk of preparation of students seeking
admission. There were no fitting schools
Ia washington-no Exeters and Andovers
70 feed the colleges and universities. The
old territorial school law prohib-
tied the public high schools
from doing the necessary prepare
iorv work. In fact there were but few
high schools in the territory at that time.
Therefore the university was compelled to
maintain preparatory department or re-
eeive no students, just, as We shall see
later, all the state and territorial universi-
ties west of the Mississippi do maintain q
preparatory department in one form or
another at the present time.
CRITICISMS ANSWERED.
The university of Washington has been
severely criticised many times. | would
prefer to pass this topic by without COM
msnt. and would do so had these criti-
eisms been made III candor. intelligent
and without prejudice. Bnt such not be-
ing the case | owe IL 10 the people of the
state OF Washington TO defend their stats
seAool against unjust attacks. and so take
or the gauntlet of defense. In this de-
Tense desire TO be fair and candid and
make II without malice or prejudice. Let
u be understood also that | do not hold
for moment that the university Is not
open 70 criticism. 1t is a human institu-
ton and far from perfection. We invite
eandld. honest criticism. IL is good. IL
- wholesome. 1t enables AS to see our faults
and 10 eoyrec; them. Only lie; il he done
In the proper spirit and let IL be based on
tali knowledge of the facts. This is all we
ash. We are ready TO fall or stand hy il.
Did IL ever occur to our eensors that
criticism is Of two kinds adverse and
favorable The Just critic rarely finds it
necessary to make all his structures ad-
sesse, We seldom ind boy so bad that
shefe Is not some good in himi How
aarpF II makes the bad boy feel 20 hear a
lev words of commentator for the little
soaa he holds Alter this small hint TO
me critics | vii proceed. Two years ago
called upon the principal ot = high
sheol IA one OF the larger cities OF the
sssae. and desired his cooperation in Sc
e&tlhe the graduates of his school as
saesnts ia the state university. lie met
re soidly Rni candidiy inior msd me that
sssFss D! his graduating class intended
~ iASe college course. but that he had
Aasased them to 10 to Stanford, and added
saas ne bad a very poor opinion Of cur
state naiserslty
admired ms csndor. AMI hoping 10
fsoat BY some intelligent criticism, asked
ga saen he had visited the state uulver-
~ lie replied that he had never visited
= eas basel his eniaIon upon what he
sa Beard some one sayi Time being
: sasn.
AZ another time tths secretary OF the
@sig OF the university wrote 10 the sa-
FsssAfeadent ot the schools Of one Of the
ssge cities 81 the state. sskIag h.m 10 aid
.sssSaf'aE the high school graduates as
asoss IN the state university. lie re-
80 thss BE had encouraged them 60 so
,a1sesre after graduation. Is he d.d not
A she slate university amounted 10
-. Tor she reA sen that United
$50. s.ss hesiory . A not taught ia the inst
'~sNSA Ma fNfg SrFfsss~t "a fss 4feF4F 81 A z
vas prorugnent educator ia the
sN sa3 Nas Supposed "a know some
@s s21at uu versl;y woFk. Nov. sup
kEse kaas y L.. - n-as Al --.-S ~ IL