The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-01-20


tended by the trainers of the ConsGitu-
ton nor by thefincorporators of theA state
College that collegiate training shouldabe
grated on tbs public school system or
the State and be supported by the same
method. Common schools are support
ed by the State because they are essential
to the mutual defence and the 'oom-
mon welfare" Professional educations
and the high liberal training necessary
to the professions must be for the benent
Of assmall and special class, and therefore
not Except by strained cOnstruct1oni,
within. the reason why the State assumes
to educate at all.
Aside from the principle involved and
considered only an a matter of sound
business policy. we should deem 1t un-
wise for the State to commit itself to the
support of a college, the growth and sue
cess OF which is measured by the number
of students attra oted thereto by the null
DUPLICATION of free courses of study.
Fhere is no logical limit to such growth,
nor to the demands upon the treasury
which the increasing expense of admin
istration would entail.
When In the course of. timesthe needssof
the still growing university shall have
outrun the income from the proposed
fixed annual appropriation or tax endow7
ment, will it's friends then admit that 1T
has reached the limit of its usefulness,
and refrain from asking the Sta tie for
further aids The history of the college
would not lead us to expect this.
The trustees and faculty have hereto
fore used the increased income Of the
college toEbroaden Its courses of study,
and the tendency will railways be in this
direction. With this we are not at pres
emit concerned, for no college thinks ITS
income sufficient, nor rests content with
it's means of instruction; our disagree
ment touohessssolely the principle of State
maintenance, and our position is the
tion mainly at the expense of those
i'm mediately and directly benefited
We do notTwish to be misunderstood.
While we would most gladly see the col
lege rank with the Massachusetts, Insti
,tute of Technology gin endowment, IN
equipment, and in popularity, we would
have it maintained Ey the same means;
port. The college should be able sooner
or later, to stand alone. Private benevo-
lenoe will never be largely attracted to
it, if it is understood thatsthe State will
vote however reluctantly, large sums OF
money annually for it's use.
We would have the State do what 1T
voluntarily undertook when it accepted
the Nationa land grant, for that ls
matter of contract but it Is unreasonable
to claim that because the State has al
ready done more than it was bound to do
Its obligation to the future support of the
college is thereby sproportionately IN
creased.
A TUITION CHARGE.
1t seems to us that tut tion charge
fairly reprasentingsthe worth of the in
struction received should be made to all
students. At present, the college is free
to everyone within and without the State
although from 1879 to 1891 fee Of $50
per year Was charged. There is no uni
versal rule in this respect; out of As such
colleges, 3S are free to residents. and "a
to pon-residents. If tuition were charged.
we should favor the esta blishment of
certain num Der of scholarships by the
State, to be at thesdisposal of the faculty,
in aid of meritorious students Aside
from the injustice to the taxpayer we
doubt If unlimited free tuition is an un-
mixed benefit either tosthe college or to
the students.
Not all the undergraduates Of the State
College are unable 90 pay for their edn-
cation, nor can it claim to be exclusively
the college "of the people" The present
freshman class of Colby University, (the
only one of the three other colleges IN
the State to keep such statisticsl, has
81 members. OF this mum bar, the fathers
of 81 are either mechanics, laborers OF
farmers, while but are from the homes
of professional men, and are orphans.
Much more might be said upon this
subject, and especially upon the logical
basis of taxation for educational purpos-
es, but your committee have undertaken
to do little more than TO state the facts
concerning the college and their oonclu-
sions relative to the alleged obligation of
the State to it's permanent support. We
have shown that the college was estah-
ilshed mainly. for the benefit which was
expected to accrue to thu farming inter
esfs of the State. We have called Rtfen-
ton to the departure of the college from
it's original design, and it's growth into
college of tscience and technology. We
note in recent reports Eof the president
and trustees that one of the "greatest
needs of the college Is more students,
that its course of study
are broadening every year
tn at if Maine will follow the example of
Colorado sit would be possible to build
up here an Institution of the greRtest
breadth and usefulness, which would be
able to furnish facilities and o pporEuni-
ties excelled by those Of very few col
leaes.'
1t now remains to De seen if the Legis-
of a university ''of the greatest breadth
and usefulness" y
1t is a question Of justice as much as
of generosity. Maine has never suffered
for lack of colleges, galthough she rs
given them little aid.
Her grants to. the three other colleges
com bineu amount TO less than the ap-
preparations for the State College in q
single year, although Ethe constitutional
provision extends equally to all. The
State College has now an income, with
out State aid, larger than that of our
best endowed colleges, and 1t would seem
with the receipts from such a tuition
charge as might with entire reasonable
ness bs made, that the work which IL is
especially prepared to do might be done
with but small demands upon the State
treasury.
Va are told that Maine is prosperous
State, but we know that It 10 not n
wealthy State.
It became an organic community, not
to shine by the amount of graf uitous
instruction it can furnish, but ito esta b.
lish Justice, ensure tranquility, provide
for the mutual defence and promote The
common welfare" Your committee be-
lieve that to adopt the plans and wiahes
IF 4 I,, +,x,o f11rI vnlipV nf