The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-11-21
MOVEMENT FOR A NATIONAL
UNIVERSITY.

A Washington dispatch says that con-
vention of American women will meet in
that city on Dec. IA to discuss the project of
establishing there a national university
the lines suggested by President Washing
ton. AS a preliminary step it is proposed to
try and raise $25O,0OO by popular subscrip-
ton as a nucleus for a larger sum to be
raised by such methods as the women may
devise. The idea of great national univer-
sity at the national capital is not a new
one. 1t is an obvious suggestion, and has
much to commend It, Some of the necessary
features of such a university already exist
there, as, for instance, the Smithsonian In
stitution, with it's rare collections, the Ma
tional Medical Museum, the largest of the
kind In the world, the library of Congress.
etc. No doubt Congress could be induced to
do something towards the endowment of a
national university and would grant the use
of the establishments above named in fur
therance of the project. Properly endowed
and conducted it might be made credit to
the government and a great educational
power in The land. AS already stated the
idea is not a new one. 1t has occurred to
many educators and statesmen, and it is
somewhat remarkable that Congress has
never taken it up. The dispatch refers to
Washingtons advocacy of the measure. He
did favor it, but in the multiplicity of other
affairs he never gave much time to its adj
vocacy. His mind and hands were too full
of other matters. To him, however, belongs
the credit of having taken the first practi-
cal step towards endowing such an institu-
ton. The year after the close of the revo-
lutionary war he crossed the Alleghenies,
partly to look after his lands and partly to
investigate the feasibility of connecting the
waters of eastern and western Virginia by
a canal. On his return he addressed me-
moir on the subject to the Virginia Legis-
lature, which led to the organization of the
James River and Potomac Canal Compa-
MES. In acknowledgment of his agency
this occasion. and still more of his -evolu-
tionary services, the State Of Virginia pre-
scented him with fifty shares in the Potomac
canal, valued at $4,000, and one hundred
shares in the James river canal. valued at
$4,000. He accepted the donation only as
trustee for some public object subsequently
he appropriated the James river canal stock
to the endowment of college at Lexing-
ton, Va. and the Potomac canal stock for
the endowment of a national university at
Washington. The first institution still ex-
lists under the name Of the Washington and
Lee University, but the second was never
established, and 1t is not known what be-
came of the endowment. Probably the stock
ceased to have any value. Washington was
a firm believer in the necessity of educa-
ton in a republic. and during his two terms
President he signed some important land
grants for educational purposes. Jefferson
was even more enthusiastic patron of
higher education than Washington was,
Jefferson was strongly in favor of the es-
adjustment of national university. In
1895 he wrote to Washington, then President.
outlining a plan for the transferring of a
great European college with its entire out
fit and its professors to the national capt.
tai The College of Geneva, then one of the
most celebrated in Europe, was temporarily
suppressed during the French revolution,
and Jefferson was confident that all it's pro-
fessors would gladly come to the United
States The idea of establishing a great in
stitution of learning at the national capital
was a favorite one with both Washington
and Jefferson, and has been suggested many
times since their day. Perhaps if the wom-
en- take hold of it our modern statesmen
can be brought to realize that there is
something in government besides spending
money for river and harbor improvements
and dispensing postoffices.