The San Francisco call., 1896-03-25
WANT THE SCHOOL HERE
Shall the Wilmerding College
Be Located in San Fran
cisco?
PETITION TO THE GOVERNOR.
The Merchants Association Are in
Favor of Having the Institu.
tion in the City.
PETITION TO THE GOVERNOR.

4
| held a meeting Monday afternoon, during
which the matter was exhaustively dis
| cussed.
| There were present: James d. Phelan,
president of the San Francisco Art Asso-
citation; E. A. Denicke, president of the
board of trustees of the Mechanics 1nsti-
| tute; Henry ]. Crocker. representing the
Chamber of Commerce: Alfred Bouvier
from the State Development Committee; !;
Hugh D. Keil, of the board of directors OF
the Merchants Association; Joseph Leg
get, one OF the directors of the Mechanics
Institute, and J. Richard Freud, who
oficiated as secretary.
The following copy of letter was read
| and the views expressed therein discussed: !:
SAN FRANCISCO, March 1s, 1896
To the Merchants Association, San Fraacisco-
GENTLEMEN: You ask me if the Lick Mechan-
ical School and the Wilmerding Trust could be
advaEtageously managed in cooperation. 1
think they can, because their objects are much
the same, while neither of them has capital
enough to make it what it ought to be.
The Lick School is organized the basis of
its annual income. 1t has 1926, 900 invested
| in its plant; it maintains teaching staff of
fourteen teachers for clientage of $50 schol-
ars, and has an annual income which meets its
expenses. 1t could easily receive more pupils
if 1t could pay more teachers. 1t offers to
scholars fourteen technical courses-that is,
fourteen different ways of making livelihood
and with it's present income 1T can do no more
The Wilmerding Trust, understand, is to be
like the Lick School, except that it is, to say,
more practical, more technical. The only diff
ference then will be more shop work and less
academic work. This Is matter easily
ranged, just as in the university some students
take more practical courses and some more lit
erary courses according to their tastes
The trustees of the Lick School by very
moderate outlay could double the size of their
shops and add another story to their academic
building; then they would be prepared to re-
ceive ESQ students more, mainly in the exclu-
sive technical cOurses-that is, workshop. In
stead of fourteen courses (of which all are open
two courses of industrial work, com bined with
a lessened amount OF academic work, which,
understand is Mr.. Wilmerding's desire.
The additional ESQ pupils could be received
on an allowance per head for instruc ton; or,
the Wilmerdiag trustees could appoint an ad-
ditionaI corps of teachers, which would form
with ours The academic building bears the
name of Lick; the shops might equally well be
named the Wilmerding School,
Thus we could enlarge our school from $50
to 600 students, of which $50 would be regis
tered as constituting the Wilmerding School,
and the mum Der of courses of technical study
open to our pupils would be increased from IA
to 20 or %, the new courses serving at the
same time to enrich those already offered If
deemed advisable evening classes could also
be organized,
limited to 2 or 8 courses, as it would neces-
sarily be by itself, would have the benefit OF
all our present courses and or more be-
side-say % in all. Both schools would be i'm
proved, and instead of two weak institutions
we would have one very strong one, the
strongest of its kind In the United States. I
am with great respect yours very y Ya: truly,
President of the California School OF Mechani-
cal Arts.
| The members of the committee ex-
pressed themselves strongly in favor of
| San Francisco as the locality for the Will
| merding School of Industrial Arts, and
| the statement was made that it was clearly
| the intention of Mr.. Wilmerding that the
| school should be one in which to graduate
| practical and efficient mechanics, engi-
| neers and artisans.
| 1t was also stated that number of COM
munications had been received from par
| ties, who declared that the people Of San
Francisco expect that the school shall be
| located in this City.
| The members of the committee an
| nounced their intention to enlist the CO.
operation of all the City newspapers to
arouse public opinion in favor of San
Francisco to such degree that the Board
of Regents will fully appreciate the senti-
ment of the people in this matter.
James d. Phelan, Henry ]. Crocker and
H. d. Keil were named as committee to
gents, in which they are to clearly and
forcibIy advocate the establishment Of the
Wilmerding School near the Lick School
of Mechanical Arts, so that the two insti-
tutions may be able to exchange benefits
and the purposes of the two benefactors
be faithfully carried out.
The subcommittee met yesterday in
Mr.. Phelan's office and the secretary of
the association was ordered to send COM
munication to the regents, urgently rec
ommending the establishment of the Will
merding School in this City. The letter,
which was sent yesterday, reads as fol-
lows:
SAN FRANCISCO, March "a, 1896.
Hon. James II. Budd, President of the Board of
Regents of the University Of Calitormia-DEAR
GOVERNOR: Please accept my hearty congratu-
lations upon your appointment 10 the Board of
Regents Of Hon. T. G. Phelps, Hon. J. B. Rein
stein and your brother John. In the reap
pointment of Mr.. Phelps well-deserved trib-
ute has been paid to a faithful and efficient re-
gent. The few months service of Mr. Rein
stein has clearly demonstrated that he is the
right man in the right place. There could not
possibly be better selection for the Board of
Regents than John. although he is your own
brother. Those OF US who well remember
Johns loyalty and affection for the university
as student may well expect signal results
from him as regent
1t was my privilege to be the only alumnus
of the University of California in the Constitu-
tional Convention of 1S78-79. AS such was
permitted to take an active part in the prepar-
alton and passage of section 8, article TX, for
ever perpetuating the university in its exist
ing form and character. Nearly twenty years
have passed, and it is a real qualification to
know that the future prosperity of the uni
versity is more than assured in the selection
for regents of those who have been reared
within its walls
In this connection cannot refrain from
calling your attention, as president OF the
board, TO the proposed establishment of the
Wflmerding School of Industrial Arts. The
will OF the late ]. Clute Wilmerding is before
me, and almost every word bearing upon this
trust clearly indicates the wish and intention
of the benefactor There cannot be the least
question that Mr.. Widening, in saying that
his school should be "to teach boys trades, fit
ting them to make living with their hands
with little study and plenty of work." meant
exactly what he said. The institution is to be
a practical workshop to turn out practical arti-
salls engineers and mechanics. To devote thes
funds for any other purpose will be clear
violation of the spirit and letter of the be-
quest. Mr.. Wilmerding knew, what is only too
apparent to us all, that the market for doc
tors, lawyers and professional men is abso-
lutely glutted. He fully realized the blessing
of an institution that would take boys from
the streets, and by training them in mechani-
cal pursuits fit them for making q living and
possibly save them from crime.
The second dominant feature of Mr.. Will
merding's will, though omitted in words, is
-