The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-10-20

to be, that university the idea of which
was so dear to the heart of the father
Of his country, provision for an endow-
ment fund for which he made in his
will
Utah's allotment of the sum neces-
sary to erect this hall was 81 600. To
complete this there remains a small
amount to raise. For the purpose of
raising it Mr.. and Mrs. o. ]. Salisbury
will throw their house open to the pub
lie this evening. A special and attrac-
tive programme has been arranged for
the occasion, that those who bring
their contributions to this fund may be
entertained. A feature of the pro-
gramme win be description of the
battle of San Juan by Captain Ducat,
himself a hero of that battle, who was
mourned as dead and yet lived.
And what was Washington's idea of
national university. and why did he
wish to see one built at the seat of the
federal government? He sets forth his
reasons in his will for desiring to see
such university built, the same rea-
sons that he had given to the commits
sioners of the federal district and to
Jefferson. After the lapse of a century,
these reasons appeal to Americans as
strongly as when first urged. In his
will before making a bequest of 80
shares of the Potomac company's stock
for the purpose of starting a fund to
found a national university. he says:
That as ii has always been a source
IA aVip
youth of these United States sent to
foreign countries for the purpose of
education, often before their minds
were formed or they had imbibed any
adequate ideas of the happiness of
their own, contracting too fire.
quently not only habits of dis
sipation and extravaganza, but
principles unfriendly to republican
government and To the true end genu-
inc liberties of mankind, which there
after are rarely overcome. For these
reasons it has been my ardent wish
to see a plan devised on liberal scale
which would have a tendency TO spread
systematic ideas through all parts of
this rising empire, thereby to do away
local attachments and state prejudices
as far as the nature of things would,
or, indeed, ought to admit, from our
national councils-Looking anXiously
forward to the accomplishment of so
desirable an object as this is lin my
estima tom. my mind has not been able
to contemplate any plan more likely TO
effect the measure than the establish
OF ~ in afr-ol ~.
of the United States, to which the
youth of fortune and talents from all
parts thereof might be sent for the
completion of their education in ali the
branches of polite literature in arts
and sciences-in acquiring knowledge
in the principles of politics and good
government and (as a matter of in
finite Importance, in my judgmenD by
associating with each other and form
ing friendships in juvenile years, be
enabled to free themselves in
a proper degree from those To-
cal prejudices and habitual jealOusies
which have just been mentioned, and
which, when carried to excess, are
never failing sources of disquietude to
the public mind and pregnant of mis-
chievous consequences to this country:
under these impressions so fully di-
lated"-etc.
The provision of the will was never
carried out. but the idea has never
persisted, though it has lain so long
without fructifying, but now 1t is to
fructify. and the idea Of Washington
is TO be realized.
The entertainment at Mr.. and Mrs.
Salishury's this evening is TO aid in the
realization Of this idea. That which
they do is patriotic. Let parrots aid
them in carrying it out that Utah may
have discharged her obligation to the
Washington memorial hall fund.