The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-12-14
THE SUN, TUESDAY, DECEMBER IA, 1897.

6rst "speech," AZ the annual message Of
our day was then called, he observed that
/" there is nothing more deserving your
patronage than the promotion of science
and literature and added: Whether this
desirable object will be best promoted by
afYordinp aid to seminarles Of learning al
ready established, by the institution Of q
national university, or by other expedients,
will be we'll worthy Of a place in the DELHI
erations Of the Legislature" In the second
annual "speech," he recommended the es-
tablishment OF q national university, as
we'll as the establishment Of n national
military acadny.
"Among the motives to such an institu.
ton" he said, "the assimilation Of prln.
| ciples, opinions, and tanners Of our coun.
trymen by the common education Of q
portion Of our youth from every quarter
we'll deserves attention; the more homo.
peneous our citizens can be made in these
particulars, the greater will be our pros.
poets OF permanent union and q primary
Object of such a national institution should
be the education of our youth In the science
Of government"
In his energetic advocacy Of national aid
to higher education, of which there was
at the time very little In the country,
WASHINGTON was impelled by two most
patriotic motives. First, he was opposed.
as were all the thoughtful men of that day,
to sending American young men abroad for
their scholastic training; and, secondly, he
sought q counterpoise to the intense SEQ
tionalism which In his opinion was the great
est danger that menaced the existence. not
to say the p~erpetuity, Of the newly created
Union. The training Of youth on broad ma.
tional lines and in purely republican ways
Of thinking was, therefore, of the very
highest Importance and in exerting his
great influence during his life to secure 1t,
and, at his death, leaving a part of his es.
tate as an endowment for the proposed In.
stltution, he exhibited at once his persist
ency and disinterestedness.
But the Idea has never commended itself
to Congress, no matter what party was In
power. In 1896 a n extensively signed
on the subject failed to receive
favorable action. A committee of the
Eleventh Congress declared that it was un-
constitutional for the Government to
found, endow, and control such an institu.
tion. The project again failed in 1915.
When SMITHsoN made his splendid be-
quest to the United States, 1t was proposed
to make 1t the nucleus of q university en-
dowment, but the noble Institution which
appropriately bears the name of our Eng.
lish benefactor was wisely preferred.
Another effort was made In 1873, when
a bill appropriating the interest on twenty
of dollars for the purpose was re.
ported to the House of Representatives, but
to pass.
Putting aside all questions of constitu.
.tionality. the scheme is wildly chimerical.
In the first place, there is no necessity for
1t. Nearly a score of institutions are doing
the work intended to be performed by
1t, In a manner sufficient to accomplish
nearly all the objects in view. Again,
1t would be impossible to eliminate poll
tics from the management of such an estab.
lishment. TIL selection of professors would
inevitably be made on party lines, particu.
larly in the domain of economic science and
even of history. At this period of our de. |
velopment as a nation the people are en-.
tirely competent to the care of their own
educational interests without any tutelage
the part Of the Government.
Our Federal Government has quite |
enough business of its own to attend to |
entering a field with which 1t has
no proper concern.