New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-03-19

MONOGRAPH on HIGHER EDUCATION IN
TENNESSEE" ISSUED By THE BUREAU OF
EDUCATION CAUSES THE TROUBLE
icy TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIBUNE
Washington March l7-Mr. Enoe of Tennessee, Is
in a state OF mind on account OF monograph re-
Gently published by the Bureau of Education on
! .richor Education in Tennessee" and he has Of
fered a resolution Of inquiry in the House OF Rep
resentatives requesting the Secretary OF the IN
terror to inform that body by what authority the
Commissioner of Education published at the puoic
expense an attack the state OF tennessee anu
whence the Commissioner Of Education derived the
authority to exercise n censorship over the euu'"
tonal system of any state
According to the first paragraph Of the preamble
to the resolution. the pamphlet charges the "'a'e
of Tennessee with being false TO her trust mg-
gardIy and ungenerous. and contains other express
sions dcrogatory to the State and her people
According 70 the second paragraph the paH'phiet
"holds UP to ridicule the private institutions OF
learning in the State OF Tennessee and speaks III
disparaging terms Of the educational system o.
the State and II. addition thereto imprgns the
character of the State on account OF the manner
of her settlement of the so.cailed State DEBT.
"So-called State debt sounds we'll in view of all
the facts relating to debt of Tennessee, debt
the validity OF which was never challenged until
It was done by Tennessee Democratic repudiatioh-
lists.
The pamphlet to which Mr.. Enioe takes eXcep-
ton is one Of a series of monographs on higher
education in the several States which Is being pup
llshed by the Bureau of Education. The one on
Tennessee was prepared by Professor L. 5. Merriam
late fellow Of Johns Hopkins University ana more
recently proc ,ssor at Cornell University lis SUI
den death by drowning while rowing on the iake near
there some weeks ago may sun DE ieIleIlpcIeb W
readers OF The Tribune. Professor Merriam was
native OF Tennessee and a graduate OF a tennessee
college. The manuscript OF the tennessee i'o.io
gram was prepared toy him ana received by tae
Commissioner Of Education Qhen Mr Dawson a
Democratic appointee OF PRESIDENT CeEe!Shu1 ~
eral years ago. and WAS I'm the hands OF the Fupic
Printer before the pres M Comiit s. 10, u,i
ited by Professor Herbert b. Ad1ms. OF johns
Ms 0gN nnd IN E COMPETENT n eitora SanGs when Dr
Harris took charge OF the Once BE- 9d n2l, p Pr
would have bestowed upon X. II ne hda uo"e ~
some OF the expressions. however true they nay
softened so AZ no; t. lat harshly on the ears OF
50 sensitive a person as Congressman hnloe' .
chapter reviewing the history Of higher e1u-
cation in Tennessee which contains s)me ra'n h
pgdisti"n or scaling down Of that portion OF the
was to b- devoted to educational purposes In that
,sey are seyerc a. every student OF the history OF
Tennessee will admit. Professor Merriam also cru.
which an intelligent Observers must nave noticed
in Tennessee 10 multiply wax inefficient ana IN.
sufficient educationa instiiut ions-schoots thas
would not pas muster as academies IN me STATE
u New York-and dub them colleges pse e,or
colleges AZ 'crossroads' IL what Professor Mer-
RAM calls those hndrances 10 true education Any
man who was A graduate n one OF these pseudo
colleges" might justly complain perhaps or iro-
fessor Merriams criticism. but as Mr. Enloe does
not appear 10 have been graduated from either or
the two Tennessee colleges or universities In which
he studied. he would not be likely to complain on
that ground II may be that his State pride was
wounded by the generous appreciation shown by
the author Of the monograph on account OF the
munincent bencfactons OF Northern churches: mis-
s.onary societies and individuals 10 vanderbilt
University Fisk University and score q: other
educational institutions which are an honor - the
State u Tennessee. but toward the endowment or
maintenance OF which her contributions. II any.
have been not only meagre, but insignificant