The morning news., 1899-05-27
THE STATE UNIVERSITY AN ISSUE

Mr. John Temple Graves threatens 10
make the state university an issue in
state politics. In his opinion apparently
the university is afflicted with the dry rot.
He declares that il is either standing still
or going backward, while the denomina-
tionaI institutions of the state are going
ahead.
Mr.. Graves has a very high appreciation
of the chancellor; says that he is a gen
tleman and a scholar, but not a teacher
The majority of the professors are high
class men and would be an honor to any
institution of learning in the land, but
they lack a leader.
The main trouble of the university, in
Mr.. Graves opinion, is that the trustees
are not the sort of men who ought to be
in the positions they occupy. This is
what he says of them and to them:
"How many members of your
board have thought written, in
vestigated and studied this vital
question of the chancellorship as
you ought TO have done in the solemn
fiduciary relation which you bear toPit?
THE fact Is gentlemen of the board,
you are either too busy or too
timid to attend to these RESPONSE
BILE duties as they should be
discharged. That is the only reason
able deduction from your record of SER
vice.
You will pardon me for the frank opin-
ion that there is too much politics and
twice too many politicians in your distin-
guished body, and the number, alas!
seems to be lamentably on the increase.
II do not believe that an active poll
tician should hold a position on this
board
II do not believe that an active poll
tician can be bold and disinterested enough
to do impartial justice TO the great in
terests represented here.
you politicians are afraid of your
shadows, or, TO say the least, you are too
everlastngly cOnsiderate of the coming
events which cast their shadows before
"You are foolishly afraid of 'denomlna-
tional prejudice
You are awed by the shadow of fam
lily influence
''You are moved by the fear of sectional
bias.
You are too continually inclined to mix
your own personal affairs with the vast
and impartial interests of higher educa-
tion.
And do you know gentlemen, that it
is being freely whispered all over the state
that the question of the chancellorship
|
around and be subordinate to the strug-
| gle for the seat In the United States SEN
| ate?
IF this be true, it is living, burning
shame"
"But 1 am going to tell you here that
| If you persist in this apathy and politi-
! cal trimming in educational affairs, that
we are going to make the university an
| issue in state politics. And we can do II !"
If we are not mistaken one of the chief
i troubles of the university, if not the chief.
| is the lack of money. If the trustees had
ample means it is probable that there
would be less ground for complaint against
| them. They can't do what they see ought
to be done and what they would like TO
do because they haven't the necessary
means. 1t is probably true that Mr..
| Graves and those who are in sympathy
with him would have very little difficulty
in making the university an issue in state
politics. II isn't all plain sailing for the
university by any means. That is evil
dent from the discussion of the university
in the legislature last fan. But from our
point of view it wouldn't do the university
any good to bring it into politics. Assum-
ing that such is the case, why should any
friend of it want TO bring it in?