The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1897-11-13
POLITICAL EDUCATORS.


to its control by politicians. The
Argonaut says, and we presume it
is the truth:
During the last twenty-five years the
regents have found it impossible TO Sc
cure a president who could administer
it's affairs successfully, and during the
thirty years of the university's exist
ence there have been twelve changes
in the presidency.
The trouble has been due to the man
sity have been conducted. The board
of regents-which should have confin-
ed it's activity to regulating the bust
ness affairs and selecting a capable
president TO attend to the internal adj
ministratiOn-has attempted to run eV-
erything. The administration of mo-
dern university involves multitude of
details and considerations that would
tax all the energies of any man. Mer-
chants and lawyers, however thor
ough their qualifications and however
strong their interest, can not attend to
these affairs successfully during their
leisure moments. When Stanford Uni
versity is mentioned, people immedl-
ately think of President Jordan; the
board Of trustees is never heard Of.
And Stanford University has grown in
strength and influence during the few
years of it's existence in manner to
put the Berkeley institution to the
blush.
The policy of the board of regents in
managing the State University neces-
sarily limits their choice for president
to weak and incompetent men. When
the university was first established,
Daniel c. Gilman, the best president
the institution ever had, was invited
to the presidency. Seeing no attraction
in becoming the hired man of the re-
gents, he positively declined, and Presi-
dent Durant was appointed. Durant
struggled for two years in his unpleas-
ant position, and then resigned. Gill
man was then invited again, and, yield
ing to the persuasions Of friends, ac-
cepted One of his early acts was re-
vision of the course of instruction, and
it involved the dismissal of Professor
Carr This precipitated wide and
acrimonious discussion. A bill was in
troduced in the legislature prescribing
the course of study at Berkeley, but
was defeated. A political cabal, in and
out of the board of regents, attacked
Gilman as an educator and administra-
tor. Gilman demanded an investiga-
ton, was cleared of all the charges, at
once resigned the presidency, shook
the dust of California from his shoes,
and accepted the more congenial post
of president of Johns Hopkins.
President kellogg is another illus
tration of the kind of president regent
dictation will produce. 1t is notorious
that he is not prepared to assume re-
sponsibility for any important action,
and he himself practically admitted the
fact during his plea in favor Of the re-
tention of the committee on internal at
fairs. He has been a respected pro-
fessor at the university since it's insti-
tuition, but his administration of the
presidency does not show one act that
would justify his appointment.
The head of school, or college,
or a university must be despot.
The selection must be made and
then he must be left alone to act
as he will. Only those institutions
in education and in trade are great
~ successful that are governed by
the some man power" But the
right man must be chosen.
When the American Congress
proposed a few years ago to apply
$20,OOO,OO0 to aid negro education,
and there was sore need of it, the
principal of the school in Hampton,
Va, was largely instrumental in
defeating the measure, although
it would have given his own institu-
ton 100000. He took the ground
that public money so appropriated,
created political influence, and that
meant decentralization.
The singular good fortune of our
own educational system has, so far,
given rise to little or no difficulties
of the kind that exist in so many
of the American communities. We
are not very sanguine as to the flu
ture. In the coming reorganiza-
ton of our social and political life,
with or without annexation, due to
causes which we all comprehend,