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

AT the conclusion Of the triennisl
conclGve Ct the Knights Templar. in
Boston, last year, it was announced
that the order had decided t. estab
hsh great institution of learning
national university, we believe, was
the designation employed in the tel
egraphlc aunOuncement-on the
slopes Of the Ohio river. The dis
patch did not go into details, but
stated that ample means were ayaila
bic for carrying out the design on
comprehensive plan, and that the in
stitutiOn would be extensive in all its
appointments.
Masonic bodies are not in the hab.
1T If giving great publicity to enter
prises which they contemplate. Il -
generally believed that the great Ell.
ucalional scheme had been under
consideration Tor some 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 davs
ago, when report from Pittsburg
announced that land had hson pur.
chased, about twenty FIVE from that
city, upon which ii is PROPOSED to 10
cate tie establishment. 1t is stated
that the site is near Beaver. in Bea.
yer county, Pa, aud thaTF Sr~~,rnara.
moth plnus which were s,,:
nounced, are still adhered TO-" II is
easy to credit this reported adhe
renee, as 1t Is qulfe consistent with
the character of the great fraternity
which has this undertaking i'm charge.
\ tract OF land cent mining 1872 acres
mas aire9d been pur 'hased, aud op
lions have been taken on 500 acres
more. This will furnish ample
grounds, not only for IA University
site but, possibly, for one or more
other institutions of Il benevolent aud
educational character. 1t is stated
ou what authority we do not know
UAt the endowment will amount To
S5,O0O.OOO, which is sufficient for the
equipment and maintenance of n frs,
class educational institution
In selecting site remote from any
large city or towd the knights Tenn
lar have followed the example of the
Stanford University, in California.
rather than that of the late Johns
Hopkins, Of Baltimore. Whether a
rural or an urban location is more ad
vantageous is, as 1t always has been.
an open question. But no arbitrary
rule can be prescribed for al educa
tionAl establishments of "A collegiate
or university character, for each is
llkely to have some special purpose
IN view, the nature of which hatur
ally decides whether it should have a
city or country location. When much
land is acquired to meet the pdrpos IS
OF such an institution, an urban site
Is, OF course, impracticable.
A Philadelphia paper states that it
IS sill uncertain whether the Masrn
ic university VIII be "A ssat of higher
leatning, and thinks it ''likely that it
will be merely a college. and, per
haps, home as well, for the children
OF The poorer members of the fra
termty. But it is not improbable
that the scheme contemplates not on
ly the home and the college, but a
university in the full sense of the
word The influences behind it-.hs
numbers, character, aud social, intel
l. ctuai and fiua' cial st$udiug of the
knights Templar-would seem to
war; ant the belief that when thew
say university" they don't mean col
ieges although it must be admitted
that many colleges. and some of
them having very limited facilities,
have taken the more imposing title of
uuive rsity. Washington Post