The Roanoke times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1897-1977, 1898-01-13

Virginia and other States. Suppose that
college, wishing to increase its ,mtrou-
age, should offer n free scholarship for
every club of five students entering the
freshman class from the same town or
neighborhood. The chief aim being to
get students, the pinciple would ne vir-
tually the same. AS purely -ommer-
cial transaction, it woUld pay to DO this
for five students. or for four, Or even for
three; but such a course could not be
defended. ''For every five students in
one session sent to the University" so
begins the circular; and although the
provision requiring the recipients to
stanu an entrance examination in Latin
Mathematics. ann the English language
In some small measure relieves the prop
osition of its badness. the ugly fact
nevertheless remains that the scholar
ships are to he given to schools as re-
wards for sending five students to the
University. Every college in Virginia
gives scholarships to needy students, and
wish that benevolent persons of means
would largely increase the funds availa-
BILE for this purpose; but I feel sure that
our colleges will not follow the example
of the University by Offering scholar
ships rs premiums for a specified number
of students.
u
versity in any other light than aa con-
fession OF weakness of inability To main
tain it's patronage. AS the Univt rsity
receives annually from the State $4,000
for current expenses and $4,000 addi-
tional TO pay interest on S20U, coo Of bonds
issued TO erect new buildings. and as tut
tion is free to all academic student from
the State, one would think thar, with
all this and with its great prestige tie
University ought to be prosperous, with
cut resorting to doubtful methods of Sc
curing students. But it is not so, for il
enrolled 562 students for the year 1884,
'95 SIS for 1S95'9G; and jDI for 1896 97
Most of the colleges of the State nre in
creasing in the number of students Gu.
rolled; and it is n fact that Richmond
College, which has made large gains this
year, enrolled last session 1A9 academic
students from Virginia alone, while The
University had only 143 Virginia stu
dents in its academic department. AS
Washington and Lee University, Ham,-
den-Sidney. Randolph Macon. Emory and
Henry and Roanoke enrolled last year
more than 400 academic students from
Virginia, it is evident that 4 considerable
number Of the young men of the Old
Dominion are seeking collegiate a.ivant-
ages Ct emit 140 Virginia students at
'iiI"Hi anu mary, as lnaL IS state
school
1t is generally admitted by friends of
the University that since academic stu
dents from Virginia were admitted free
of tuition fees the standard for academic
degrees has been lowered If any one
questions this statement, he has only to
compare the course in the catalogues of
the two periods and to bear in mind that
the University, with fewer academic stu
dents, is now comforting many more de-
grees of A. b. and A. NJ than formerly.
This fact is generally recognized by well
informed persons; and SO is the further
fact that the University method of in
struction, as well as of discipline, are not
suited to the immature students admitted
there. The trustees and faculty of that
venerable institution do not need to
adopt n new method of giving scholar
ships, avowedly to increase the number
of students, for that plan is almost Ger
tain to fail to produce the desired results.
They do need, however, TO take to heart
what DIR. Edward S. Joynes, of the South
Carolina College, himself distinguished
graduate of the University, wrote last
August in the Alumni Bulletin, the Off
cial journal of his Alma Mater: "The in
fluence Of the University is waning, and
destined to ware, until it adopts some
better system" Friends of this hopOred
University will regret that, after lower
ing its standard fer academic degrees. it
has now lowered the noble dignity which
it had so we'll maintained through all its
years OF useful service.
JULIUS D. DREHER.
Roanoke College, Jan. 12, 1893.
NOV