The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-02-22
FATHER OF HIS COUNTRY
LESSONS FROM THE LIFE OF GEN.
GEORGE WASHINGTON.
Establishment of Great University
at the National Capital Urged by
David Starr Jordan.

CHICAGO, Feb. 21.-The interest aroused
by the series of messages sent out by the
National Christian Citizenship League on
national holidays is good evidence of ris-
ing protest against the growing public evils
of the day. The officers Of the league be-
lieve that If the patriotism of Washington
and Lincoln can be made the standard of
the peoples action in public affairs, a great
change for the better will result. The
leagues messages on ''The New Fourth of
july" Thanksgiving day, Christmas and
Lincoln's birthday have been read by mil
lions of citizens the country over Letters
from prominent people on present day les
sons from the life of Gen. George Wash
ington were made public to-day. Among
them is the. following from David Starr
|Jordan, president of Leland Stanford, jr,
University:
"One of the most valuable lessons to be
drawn from the life of General Washington
is this The public demands the highest
wisdom and the greatest skill in its service
Whatever demand the people make it is
of education no other agency. can take the
place of the combined effort of the people
TO the end that great university, worthy
of the growing Nation, should be eStab-
liShed at the national capital Washington
left large part of his property in trust to
Congress to form the nucleus Of such an
establishment.
THAT property still remains where the
father of his country placed it. There is
no national university to utilize for educa-
tional purposes the resources of the great
museums and libraries which are gathered
at Washington. In spite of the greatness
of our country in intelligence and material
resources, we have no institution of higher
learning worthy to rank with half dozen
maintained by the little dominion of Ger
many The great deed of our century still
remains undone. Ever since the time of
Washington our law-givers have had it in
contemplation. They have planned a uni
versity that shall be national and Ameri
can, as the universities of Berlin and Leip-
zig are national and German; a university
that shall be the elimination of our public
school system, and that by its vivifying in
huence shall quicken the pulse of every
part of this system. For more than a
century wise men have kept this project in
mind. For more than a century wise men
have seen the pressing need of it's accom-
piishment. For more than century, how
ever, the exigencies of politics or the indif-
ference of political managers have caused
postponement of its final consideration.
In the educational system each grade
looks to the one next higher for help and
inspiration. The place at the head of our
system is now held by the universities of
foreign land, land, moreover, as yet out
of sympathy with republican institutions.
great university in America would at
tract the free-minded of all the earth 1t
would draw men of all lands to the study
of democracy. 1t would tend to make the
workings of democracy worthy of respect
full study.
Inc SCHOldIS anu investigators now
maintained at Washington exert an infu-
ence far beyond that of their official po-
sition. To the force of high training and
academic self-devotion is to be traced the
immense influence exerted in Washington
by Joseph Henry, Spencer F. Baird and
Brown Goode. OF such men as these are
universities made. When such men are
systematically selected from our body of
university professors and brought to Wash
ington and allowed to surround themselves
with like men of the next generation, we
shall, indeed have q national capital BY
this means we shall create the best guar
anty of the perpetuity of our Republic; that
it shall not, like the republic of Old go
down in unreason, anarchy and blood In
the long run, the voters of nation must
be led by it's wisest men. Their wisdom
must become the wisdom of the many else
the nation will perish. university is
simply q contrivance for making wisdom
effective by surrounding wise men with the
conditions most favorable for rendering
wisdom contagious. There is no instrument
of political, social or administrative reform
to be compared with the influence of a ma
tional university.
THE $4,000 bequeathed by Washington to
the Nation for its university has now in
creased at compound interest to nearly 81
100000 The need of the Nation for the uni
versity of which he dreamed has grown in
corresponding ratio"