Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1896-02-21
The Masonic UniyersitK.

me masonic university.
At the conclusion Of tho triennisl
cohclave CT the knights Templar, in
Boston, last year, it WAS announced
that the order had decided to estab
lish great institution of lcarning-a
national university, we believe, was
the designation employed in the tel
egraphic announcement--on the
slopes of the Ohio river. The dis
patch did not go into details, but
stated that ample means were availa
BILE for carrying out the design on
comprehensive plan, and that the in
sttution would be extensive in all its
appointments.
Masonic bodies are not in the hab.
it If giving great publicity to enter
prises which they contemplate. II ~
generally believed that the great ed
ucational scheme had been under
consideration for so,ue years before
the public heard of it through mod
est press telegram from Boston,
Very little has been heard of il since
that time, until two or three DAYS
ago, when report from Pittsburc
announced that land had bson pur-
chased, about twenty five from chat
city, upon which it is proposed to 10
cate tie establishment. It is stated
that the site is near Beaver, in Bea.
YER county, Pa and thTF H.,
moth plnue which were -. k
nounced, are still adhered to-" 1t il
easy to credit this reported adhe
renee, as it is quite consistent with
the character of the great fraternity
which has this undertaking in charge.
n tract OF land cent inning 1872 acres
has alrep dy been pur .hased, and op
lions have been taken on 800 acres
more. This will furnish ample
grounds, not only for University
site, but, possibly, for one or more
other institutions of IL benevolent and
educational character. 1t is stated
ou what authority we do not know
tt,nt the endowment will amount to
$4,000, 900, which is sufficient for the
equipment and maintenance of frs,
class educational institution
In selecting n site remote from any
large city or towd the Knights Temp
lar have followed the example of the
Stanford University, in California,
rather than that of the late Johns
Hopkins, of Baltimore. Whether IL
rural or an urban location is mere ad
vantageous is, nv it always has been,
an open question. But no arbitrary
rule can be prescribed for al educa
honal establishments of n collegiate
or university character, for each is
likely to have some special purpose
in view, the nature of which hatur.
ally decides whether it should have Il
city or country location. When much
land is acquired to meet the pnrpos as
of such an institution, nu urban site
is, OF course. impracticable.
A Philadelphia paper states that it
10 sill uncertain whether the Masrn
ic university will be n s>at of higher
leatning, and thinks it "ikely that il
will be merely college. and, per
haps, home MS well, for the children
OF The poorer melnbers of the fra
ternity. But it is not improbable
that the scheme contelnplates not on
ly the homo and the college, but a
university in the full sense of the
word. The influences behind this
numbers, character. aud social, intel
], ctual and iiua' cial stsuding of the
knights Templar-would seem to
war; ant the belief that when they
say university" they don't mean col
} lege, although it must be admitted
that many colleges. aud some OF
ham having very limited facilities
have taken tho more imposing title OF
university. Washington Post