The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-10-13
DEMAND OF THE SYNOD
APPEAL FOR REORGANIZATION OF.
THE BOARD OF EDUCATION.
State Colleges Against Nonstate IEsti-
dress by President Burroughs.


dress by President Burroughs.
Special to the indianapolis Journal
TERRE HAUTE, Ind, Oct. 12.-The Pres
byterian Synod of Indiana continued its ses-
sion to-day. the main feature being a dis
eussion OF the question of politics in IN
diana education. A committee was ap-
pointed to consider the proposed consolida-
ton of Coates College with Westminster
Seminary at Fort Wayne. Rev. David r.
Love, of Frankfort, opposed consolidation
on the ground that he hoped that before
long Wabash College would be opened to
girls,
Chairman Taylor, of Charleston, of the
committee on publication, reported in favor
of the synod raising 81, l76 for the depart
ment. Rev. Philip Jamison, of Elwood, re-
ported on church extension, saying contri-
buttons for this work had decreased from
$1,S3799 last year to $7OO this year. Two
hundred and sixteen churches, among them
being many leading churches of the synod,
gave nothing. At the close of the year the
board had on hand applications from twen-
ty-fve churches for assistance and no mon
ely for them
Chairman Prentice, of Rosevine, reported
that last year Indiana gave $3.50 for
schools for freedmen, but this year the
amount was $2,4s6.
AT the request of the synods committee
on education, DR.. Burroughs, president or
wabash College, addressed that BODY TINS
Education" He said:
Certain nonstate colleges are here, and
they also are here to stay; Not only are
they here, but they have been here from
the beginning of the life Of the State. In
certain true and emphatic sense they pre-
empted the educational soil. They pre-
empted it in the spirit of self-sacrifie and
of public benevolence. Indiana is not being
planted educauonally to-day for the first
devised educational system in a newly
settled State. Indiana has a history of
which she is proud. OF this history. these
Eonstate institutions have been an essen
tial, large and potent part. Their gradu-
ates have in great measure, made the State
what 1t is in education, in morals, in re-
and public life. This is. no proud boast; it
is the simple statement of unquestioned
fact. Nor have these institutions reached
decripit old age. They represent to-day
three millions of invested capital, the gifts
of private benefactors, devoted to an edu-
cation which is of as high grade and as
inexpensive &c the student as that offered
by the state institutons-an education
which costs the taxpayers nothing. They
are manned by instructors who easily hold
their own with all others when tried by the
crucial test of the product of the class
room and the laboratory, scholars and citl-
Zens, useful and successful Their alumni
number five thousand to say nothing of the
many thousands more of their nongraduate
students. They enroll to-day over two
tests and their standards Of scholarship
will bear the closest scrutiny; these meas
ure up with the severest and highest found
elsewhere. These institutions are yearly
becoming more efficient Their endow-
ments are increasing, their teaching force
is becoming more numerous. and they are
looking forward to continued and vigorous
growth. They, therefore. properly ask for
such care of their interests. on the part of
the State, as will render such growth pos
sible
''They seek. as their right, such an ad-
justment of the interests common to them
and the state institutions as Will lay
work against ignorance. They claim, on the
one hand, that the State should do certain
things, and, they claim, on the other hand,
that there are certain things which the
State should not do.
REORGANIZE THE BOARD.
First. they claim that the State should
at once reorganize its Board of Education
and so constitute it that equal treatment
can be accorded to all the higher educa-
ticnal institutions. They object to the ex
officio representation, of the three state
schools upon this board. because it is an
unjust discrimination against themselves.
They claim that ii is both necessary and
reasonable that this board be promptly di-
vorced from all official connection with the
state institutions. They demand an i'm
partial board upon which 10 institution,
state or nonstate, shall be represented,
board which can conserve the interests of
all alike. They claim that the Indiana stu
alton is not only unjust but unique IN It's
injustice. The results of a thorough inVes-
tigation of the facts of state supervision
throughout the country are most con-
vincing proof of the truthfulness OF this
Board of Education These States are
widely scattered. Five are north Atlantic
States-Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont,
New York and Pennsylvania; two south
Atlantic-West Virginia and Alabama; six
north central-Iowa, Ohio, Minnesota, Wis
consin, North and South Dakota; one south
central-Arkansas and two Western-rOtah
and Wyoming. The thirty remaining States
have board 5 of education, and, OF these,
twenty-fivt have no representative OF any
state instj ution upon these boards. These
States arr also widely scattered. Five are
north At lntie-Massachusetts. Rhode ISL
five are outh Atlantic--Virginia, North
Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Georgia;
four are north central-JllinOis, Michigan,
Missouri, Nebraska; five are south central
Kentucky, Tennessee. Mississippi, Louisiana,
Texas; six are Western-Colorado, Idaho,
Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Washington.
of education upon which state institutions
are Observation-Disclosures. Indiana, Kan
SaS, Arizona and California. In eacn OF
these five the State Normal School is rep
resented, in four the state university also,
in two only--Indiana and Kansas-is the
state agricultural college represented. or
the twelve north-central States, among
which Indiana is not only. classed geo
graphically but also grouped educat1onally,
one-half have no state board of education,
four others have state boards upon Whlch
no state institution is represented. only
one in this group beside Indiana has sucn
representation. This is Kansas. Thus both
in the north-central States and in the entire
Union Indiana and Kansas stand forth
alone. The recent political developments
in connection with higher education IN
Kansas do not make the association pc
culiarly fiattering to Indiana But even the
Kansas board is more fairly constituted
than that of Indiana. in that II contains
three members appointed by the Governor,
and the representation Of the state institu-
lions is but three out of seven members,
while in the Indiana board as now con-
stituted only three of the eight members
are free from entangling relations with the
state schools,
among all the States in discriminating
against her privately endowed institutions
of higher learning? Is it because these
have rendered so large a service to the
State in all her past? Is 1t because their
representatives gave her her common school
system? Or is it because, thoughtlessly
and unwittingly. the people or the State
have permitted a trust to spring up Wnere-
nv the States educational system is dellv-
cred over into the hands of the state IN
stitutions? The mere statement of the SIT
nation shows that it cannot endure when
once the people have RELAXED what II is,
GOOTa T9EASON