The San Francisco call., 1897-10-01
LITTLE House.
Big LEARNING
David Starr Jordan Explains
the Purposes of the
University.
Interesting Address Before the
Auxiliary Ofthe Washington
Memorial Society.
Many Ladies Listen to Words of
Wisdom From the Learned
Professor.

Professor David Starr Jordan, who for
several months has been interested in The
subject of a National University, read q
paper that he had published in the Forum
before meeting OF ladies interested in that
subject, and presided over by Miss Sarah
D. Hamlin, yesterday at The Occiden-
tai Hotel. Following Is a portion OF the
article, in which he explains the purpose
and need of a university of this sort:
The National University should not be an
institution OF general education, with its rules
and regulations, college classes, good-fellow
ship ana football team. II should be the place
tor the training of investigators ana of men
OF action 1t should admit no student who is
under age or VINO has not q definite purpose 10
&C compllsh. 1t has no time strength to
spend in laying the foundations for education.
Its function lies not in The conduct OF exami-
nations or the granting OF academic degrees.
IL i not essential that it should give profess
slonal traiaing OF any kind, though tnat would
be desirable Itshould have the same relation
TO Harvard and bia and Johns Hopkins
that Berlin University now holds. II should
NIL, with noble adequacy, the p ace which the
graduate depar tments o. our T, al universities
partially occupy. In doing so II would fur
nish stimulus which would strengthen all
similar work throughout the land.
a university bears the stamp ofits origin.
" ha tever Its origin the university ennobles
1t. But national university must spring
from the people. 1t must be paid for by them
ana IL must nave lis nudl Jus SllucailOu the
upbuilding OF the nation. Whatever institu-
tions the people need the people N ust create
and control That this can BE- done wisely S
matter OF theory. With all their mistakes
and crudities the State universities OF this
country constitute the most hopeful feature
in our whole educational system. Doubtless
the weakness ard toiy OF the people have
affected them injuriously from time to lime.
This is not me point. We must think OF the
effect they have had in curing the people OF
weakness and folly. The history of Iowa -
says Dr. Angel. lis the history OF her Stale
University" The same thing is grandly and
EN- phalcally true of DR.. Angels own State of
Michigan. In its degree the history of every
Stale is molded by its highest institution OF
learning. There Is no instrument of political
social or administrative reform to be COM
pared with the influence OF national uni
versity-
Professor Jordan went farther and said
that he himself had received more OF an
education at Washington than he had at
Cornell, Harvard ana other universities
he attended. 1t was not to be a large,
grand building, but a small Institution
devoted wholly to learning.
The ladies' then discussed the subject al
length and decided to SUI bmit it to COM
mitiee for further investigation. The
ladies on the committee appointed are
Mrs. Edna Smell Poulson, Mrs. John F.
Merrill, Mrs. Henry Gibbons, Mrs. Irving
F. Moulton, Mrs. A S. Hubbard, Mrs.
Ca bell Maddox, Mrs Emma Shafter How
ard, Mrs. George Oulton, Mrs. Harriet
Strong and DR.. Adelaide Brown.