The state republican. (Jefferson City, Mo.) 1871-1896, 1894-10-11
GIFTS TO STATE SCHOOLS.


From the Kansas City Star.
There is an accepted theory OF
sociology that crime and greed and
selfishness are contagious. Ifmodern
instances count for anything the the =
ory that generosity is contagious
should find acceptance, and not only
should that theory be accepted, but
1t should be elaborated into theory
that generosity along particular lines
is contagious. The gift of DR.. Bell
of Kansas City, Kan, to the state
university of Kansas is a case in
point. 1t is the latest of a series of
gifts that have ranged over a series
of three years beginning with the
Spooner bequest, and followed by the
McCook and the Robinson donations.
These four gifts will make total OF
nearly half million dollars in the
three years. Before that the Kansas
university had been comparatively
without any private endowment.
The ball has been started and there
is no end to its rolling, nor should
there be. There is no phlanthropic
enterprise that is productive of more
good than the endowment of school
of higher learning. There is in Law
renee, where the State University
stands, university spirit; it is not
confined to the students; citizens in
Lawrence are students in spirit and
in thought. 1t is an old New Eng
land town in the center of the great
west, the place of all places in Kan
university. The state has been lib
eral with its university; it has rarely
refused any request for money and
it stands willing to meet private
liberality with generous public appre-
leave his name indelibly upon his
state, who desires to accomplish
great and lasting good can find
good use for his money in endowing
chair, establishing scholarship or
erecting building on Mount Dread.
What is true of Kansas may be
said with equal force of Missouri.
During the past three years-since
the fire-during which the new uni
versity has arisen, no state in the
union has been more liberal than
Missouri with her state university.
There is an opportunity now for
some patriotic Missourian to be the
first TO make generous gift to this
new institution. Others will surely
follow. The state university will
then receive new vigor; there is
something about private donation
that is more inspiring to school than
an equal amount of public money.
Generosity begets good things; the
spirit of liberality goes abroad in a
community and spreads countless
blessings with it. The young men
and women who will come from
Missouri when it is properly endowed
by private benefaction will have a
better idea of the truth about life, of
tho oloriouu uotiufa,tiop that cop,as
to a "cheerful give" than young
men and women could have coming
from an institution where only the
taxes of the people are the means
of support. In Kansas when the
young people speak of "McCook
field" they do tacit homage. to a
generous man; when they think of
"Spooner library" they give silent
thanks to man with high ideals.
When Ex-Governor Robinson's name
and DR.. Bells are welded into some
part of the institution coming gem
erations will remember first that
these men were great hearted men.
These examples cannot fail to have
their effect. The foremost men and
women of Kansas in the next century
will come from this school; they will
get their ideals largely from the
broad minded men whose names
they reverence in the formative
period of youth. These ideals will
count for much,