The Brunswick times. [volume] (Brunswick, Ga.) 188?-1900, 1898-02-27
A Patron Of Education.

One Of the most valuable lessons to
be drawn from the life Of General Wash
ington is this: The public demands the
highest wisdom and the greatest skill
in its service. Whatever demand the
lJ0s,sile make it is for them to meet and
supply. In matters of education no 9TH
er agency can take TIM place Of the COM
bined effort Of the people. IL the end
that great university worthy o. the
growing nation should be established at
the national capital Washington left a
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
educational purposes the resources of
the great museums and Libraries which
are gathered at Washington. In spite Of
the greatness of our country in intelli-
gence and material resources we have
no Institution Of higher learning worthy
to rank with half dozen maintained
by the little dominion of Germany. The
great deed of our century still remains
nndone. Ever since the time of Wash.
ington orr lawgiyers have had it in
contemplation. They have planned a
university that shall Be national and
American. as the uniyersities of Berlin
and Leipsic are national and German
university that shall be the chlmina
ton Of our public school system and
that by its yiyifying influence shall
quicken the pulse of every part of this
system. For more than century wise
men have kept this project in mind
For more than century wise men have
seen the pressing need Of its accom-
plishment For more than a century,
however, the exigencies of politics OF
the indifference Of political managers
has 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 uni
yersities Of a foreign land "a land,
moreover, as yet out Of sympathy with
republican institutions A great uni
versity in America would attract 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 re.
speetful study.
The scholars and investigators now
maintained at Washington exert an in
fuence far beyond that Of their official
position. 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 suoh men are systematically Sc
lected from cur body Of university pro-
fessors aud brought to Washington and
allowed TO surround themselves with
like men Of the next generation, we
shall, indeed, have g national capital,
BY this means We shall create the lest
guaranty Of the porpetuity Of our repub-
lie; that it shall not, like the republics
Of old, go down in unreason, anarchy
and blood " In the long run, the voters
Of nation must be- led by its wisest
AANAts AANAA hANI1AAA AbhHb bIAD4hp bAAp
wisdom Of the many, else the nation
will perish A university is simply a
contriyanee for making wisdom effective
by surrounding wise men with the con-
ditions most favorable for rendering
WISDOM contagious, There is no instru-
ment of political, social or administra-
tive reform to be compared with the in.
huence Of national university.
The $25, 600 bequeathed by Washing,
ton to the nation for its university has
now increased at compound interest to
nearly 100000 The need of the ma
ton for the university of which be
dreamed has grown in corresponding
ratio. DAVID STARR JORDAN,
President Leland Stanford, Jr., Uni
yersity, Palo Alto, Cal.