The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1899-04-11
History of the Celebrated
University Extension.
Iwesy tNs Yeas on, Forms a psrmsneni
Pan 10 tssssticaai ACTIVITY
The Work.

u Is not TO be- expected that In that
shorter period We should have accom-
plished quite so much a. England has
done. even though We have had the
benefit Of her experience. But some
thing should have been effected In
these years and something has been.
In England University Extension
may fairly be said TO have become q
permanent part Of the educational ac-
Ivity of the nation. No well-informed
Englishman Is ignorant Of II or indif-
universities will ever drop 81. or ever
devote anything less than their best
efforts and their best scholarship to It's
furtherance England has accepted It
and adopted II.
OF course the facts here in America
are quite different. Many parts Of the
United States have never heard OF
University Extension. Other sections
know about It, but look askance. sun,
the regions that have really tried II be-
lieve In II; and all OF their lecturers
and organizers. and many Of their
students have the same faith in Il that
is found in England. This IL sig
nificant and encouraging fact, which
more than offsets all that can be said
on the other side.
The first experiment In this country
was made In the winter Of 1sJO-Jl, In
Philadelphia. Provost Pepper, Of the
University Of Pennsylvania, invited
Professor Richard G. MOultOn. lecturer
on literature for the Cambridge Uniycr-
sity Extension Syndicate, to come to
Philadelphia and give an object lesson
on the possibilities and importance OF
this kind OF teaching. Philadelphia be-
came 80 enthusiastic over Professor
MOultOn's work, and over the move
ment for which he stood, that 1t was
found easy TO organize a committee Of
prominent citizens and secure from
them a guarantee fund, for the support
Of further experiments. Thus the So
called American Society for the Exten-
sion Of University Teaching came into
being. Its efforts have never tagged,
from that day unto this. Year after
year men and women Of wealth and pO-
stiOn have given money and labor free
Iy, In the attempt TO create n demand
for these lectures throughout the COM
munity and to supply that demand.
Each fall and winter scores Of courses
are given in Philadelphia and IT, SUI
DurDs, all through Pennsylvania and
New Jersey. I'm New York City, and
sometimes az far away as In New Eng
and and Virginia and Ohio. Several
stan lecturers" are supported. men
who give all their time 10 this work
Other lecturers are found in the fac
nltics Of Princeton, Lafayette. Column
hia, Johns Hopkins. llaycrfOrd, Swarth-
more and the University OF pCnnsyl-
vania. And almost every season some
famous English Extension lecturer Is
brought over for a few months. The
subjects are Of the greatest variety:
history, literature. sociology. political
economy mathematics, astronomy. gee
olOgy, physics and the history Of paint
ing and architecture" and music. Phil
ndclphla, and the region Of which It Is
the intellectual center. would be al
most as reluctant as England 10 let this
extension Of the Ehiyergitios cease.
Thousands have found that II adds
greatly TO the pleasure and value Of
their lives. II probably Is safe to
prophesy that II will be permanent
part Of the higher life Of that section.
Just little while after the Philadcl-
phia Society was organized, DR.. Harper
announced that the reconstructed Uni
versity of Chicago would devote a part
OF It's large resources to the develop
ment OF University Extension. Not
only that, but he enlarged the conccp-
ton Of Extension, AZ he has so many
other conceptions OF an educational
kind. lie established a distinct cXten-
sion department, and arranged to pro-
vide not only "leCture-study" work, Of
the English type courses Of not less
than six lectures, all by thr same man
and on the same subject with study
features added. but also CORE 3pOnd-
"nce courses and special classes. too.
wherever there were little groups OF
students who desired to carry on care
ful work with an Instructor from the
University. Soon Dr. Edmund J. James.
Of the University Of Pennsylvania, who
had been the director OF the PhIladel-
phIa Society, was called to preside over
this new department at Chicago. Under
his guidance the work has grown until
now II covers a large part Of the terri
tory within 300 or 400 miles Of Chicago,
except 10 the north, where the condi-
ion Of the country Is unfayOrable and
where, moreover the University ~
Wisconsin Is In the field, About l4O
'ull courses are given now each year In
eight states, There are six stan lee
'urers, some Of them giving their en-
IRE time 10 the work, some lacturing In
lAe University also during the spring
or summer terms, And some forty Or
more Of the professors stand ready "a
klFo occasional courses, ~ their mira
mural teaching viii permit.
Concerning tho results Of this work
tho Same thing may he said as above of
philadelphia work, Experiment Is not
tho right term 10 usei for the expert,
mental stage has long boen passed. Il
has been proved cGncn6iyely that The
people Of these central states raoog
nl1e the great value ana beDoAl Of par