Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1897-03-17

so many students ATTENDING Eoiesc a.
! has the state of South Carolina. This
| led me to investigate somewhat because
| | recognize the fact that If the state or
Maine Is behind the state OF South CARO-
lima, we ought to do something 70 put
| the proud State of Maine on an equality
with the poor ana illiterate state OF South
Carolina, Here In New England. IL
years after the landing of the
| Pilgrims. was founded Harvard college.
| Since then Il large number OF colleges
have sprung IN all over New England
\ and they are are all of high grade.-and
| this requires all of our iinisnihs schoois
| to be of a high grade In the western
| colleges from 80 to 36 per cent OF the
whole number of students who claim 10
| be attending these universities are IN the
preparatory grades so there Is no com.
parison whatever to be made between
tho colleges of the East and the colleges
| Of the West On looking over these
| statistics find we have HOB students at-
| tending college In Maine with a popuia-
| ton of 661 600 and rank the 32d In NUMBER
| of students attending college. we rank
| in wealth. 10th, with the per capita wealth
Sl67.61. | find in South Carolina there are
| 1888 students attending college 10 popu-
| lation of ], Isl 900. Rank in students '0th.
Number of students 1903 where Maine mas
100 Rank In wealth. 42d-$i46 per capita.
I want to add a few statistics to what we
have here. In the first place South
Carolina according to the last census mas
$50 al colored people being nearly two
are told that this state has lo5 students
attending college while the State OF
Maine has but 100. There is one very I'M
portant item that wish to add. By me
last census the number of persons in the
State OF Maine who could neither READ or
write above 10 was five and iive-tenths
per cent. The number of persons in
South Carolina who could neither READ or
write was nearly IL per cent. When you
come to consider these facts where are
your statistics? | submit that 1t Is not
fair to compare these high grade colleges
of Maine with those institutions OF south
Carolina. The conditions are about the
same as regards the state of louisiana. IT
is fair to compare the State of Maine with
the other New England states where the
educational system is nearly the same.
Massachusetts. the richest state in New
England. has an assessed valuation per
capita of $9f2l2 almost twice as much as
the State of Maine and has 262 students
attending college where Maine has lV'.
Massachusetts has within its borders
Harvard. Tufts, Williams. Radcliffe
Mount Holyokc. Wellesley and Massachu-
sets Institute of Technology There are
Il large number OF students attenuing
these colleges that should be accredited
to the State Of Maine and other states, so
that considering the number of students
that actually belong there even the state
of Massachusetts, with all its wealth
would not be much ahead of the State OF
Maine. With New Hampshire and YER
mont we do not suffer by comparison. 1t
was the idea of the original founders OF
the State College that il should be sus-
tanned by the donations from the govern
ment and that the annual revenue de-
rived from the national bounty would
pay the salaries of all the professors
needed to instruct the students, TheN dld
not for moment think that the state OF
Maine would be called upon to make the
large expenditures that ii has made. We
have expended there something over
$3.50, O01 In 1890 we received from the gov
Morrill, OF L.,
That has been increased Slo0O year by
year until | think this year it amounts
to S23 eco. That with the income from in
vested funds makes about $4,000. Up to
1890 we had to set along without the $la,-
GOO ard we had rot put out as much
money there fox instruction as We havc
been called upon TO DO since. In lS9' the
courses We're expanded from four or i've
to niue. 1t seems to me that mistake
Was made there in expanding the course
of studies and branching out with the
expectation of receiving large amount
from the State. My idea Is. that inst ead
of passing the appropriation of S29,oH, we
pass an appropriation of $1,000 and that
we also add tuition to that. If We do
that il Will show that the State of Mainc
is not ready at the present time TO taSten
the college upon our school system. one
objection that has been suggested Is that
the asking of tuition will tend to Keep
students away from the college but TINS
provides that they can come If they need
rl'ii '':iH y: ~. -, -, ~ ,,cil,.,,
ny tui.ipi - ~ w 1, 49, - -, III
WHY HVt Htlhc ~ I'''i-5 lile-,. =. ~
Sttu5LtS Htte1t,'lHN n! ~ w, - '",
S!louiu tdte IRE tu''lo" VIZ n-
t'lSSt ii.iha ioii ~ /" ~ y, ." ,rin,',t,,l
leSH Al lhe i'tSS5 ~ ti -
oi'tH' 10 tul'ioIl - 'SN(t ~ 49, .t'os 80. ~
ING WITHIN lne Std'e Uu. - ~ .itos, "G
tit Sta'S Il tultion % ~; ~ ~ ~ s5sn -
tute OF nechliolosE 'ui'l1n VI -. "a
asked Witn pr0Nisl9uS' no" 81, -. ~
schoiarshlpS. inc ople,ll9n II h'h,t@ 'ua'
II We charge tuition II puliuS uP cits9E
that the poor poN VINO Goes ~ p'! uiS
tuition Is looked down upon ny we ,ich
boy VINO does. IN vermont WhtIt tfeE
do rot nave nearlN as many StuoeH'S dS
We nave nero. 40 OF them receive ltee
tuition ana YOU never near any luiuS
about class fceinS mere IN our own
COLLEGES there is no ctitSS nlstlrictiolt ne
tween those who receive schoiarshlpS ana
those who do not. ! "ouiu not l'' u
moment advocate = movement tiat Wpulu
keep any poor and worthy student from
attending college or from attending the
State college. All l ask is that Whi'h Is
right and just.
Mr.. Parsons of Piscataouis: | have no
interest in that institution except as a
citizen of the State of Maine. My atten-
ton was first called to ii when in 1883
nv old law partner stood where | now
stand and fought a battle for the State
college of Maine | have noticed the boys
that have zone from there and the kind
of families from which they have come
and / made up my mind that that was an