The San Francisco call., 1899-10-27
PRESIDENT WHEELER'S POLICY

NRESIDENI WHEELERS s address the
~ occasion of his installation as president OF the
University of California was in the nature OF a
declaration OF the policy he would pursue in the ad
ninistration OF his Office 1t is policy OF progress
Improvement and expansion The words in which it
set forth strong and forcefu and will inspire
as we'll as gladden. all who desire to see the univer
sity become one of the foremost seats of learning in
the United States
The president began by directing attention to the
existing deficiencies and needs OF the institution
As it in a night he said, "a college has
grown here into the dimensions OF university. A
torrent-inluX Of students has overwhelmed and
burst the barriers OF organization, equipment funds
and shelter. mass OF rapidly developing profes
sional schools, drawn beneath the name and aegis Of
the university, have become attached to its organza
ton by bonds OF varying strength, but all ill-tested
and uncertainty set. The schools OF the State have
been recently brought into close connection with
the university connection which is still tentative
but which looks toward fine unity of action toward
common aim. To intensity the stress and confusion
these things have happened at period when through
out the land the whole mechanism of university edu-
cation is in process Of readustment and of adaptation
to larger work Shifting, experiment and change are
on every hand; nowhere have settled forms been
reached"
outstripped its buildings and equipments. Among
the demands which the president notes OF greatest
urgency is enlargement of the library. In their
isolation from the Eastern storehouses OF learning"
said he 'our scholars require and deserve more than
ordinary resources OF this kind" As further argu-
ment and inducement for the upbuilding Of the
library he added: 'We tangent to the domain
of the farthest world-half, OF which the Western
world knows yet but little, but OF which it will be
called upon in the coming centuries to know much
Here on the borderland, as in Alexandria of old
must be garnered the accumulated lore OF the East
as well as the West"
Thus far the argument OF the president had been
mainly for scholarship and might have been made by
man who considers that to be the chief object Of
university life but from that point he passed rapidly
to consideration OF the things needed to make the
university Of intellectual activity directed
the advancement OF California in all lines OF progress
The school OF commerce, the school OF mining en-
gineerng and the school of agriculture all engage
the interest of the president and in part OF
his address he more earnest more hopeful than
in speaking OF them and the work expected OF them
In striking passage the speaker described the inn
portance Of the problem Of forest preservation and
the maintenance OF the supply OF the State, and
included that problem among those which the uni
versy will help the people to solve. "a school of
forestry" he said, "is earnest and instant need
The waters that sent forth the Oregon deserve Va
school of naval engineering. The attention OF the
National Government, which has Pacific as
well an Atlantic to care for, should be directed
toward this need But what it does best be done
in cooperation with the university already
tablished institution and through development and
differentiation of the existing courses"
1t will be seen that President Wheeler proposes to
make the university a part Of every movement in
the progress OF the State from scholarship to money
making. The whole scope OF our higher activities,
material as we'll intellectual is included within the
domain of the field which the university is to cult
vate. Lord Bacons saying, All wisdom is my prov
inceP is to be fulfilled at Berkeley. The university
is to be living thing. vital part OF the common
wealth. with sympathy for all the enterprises and
hopes OF its people.