The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1899-09-18
WISE MUNIFICENCE.

The award in the architectural con
test for plans for the University of CAL
ifornia buildings which was made Sep
TENDER 9TH, is a matter of very great
Importance in many ways. The contest
itself was remarkable in its inception.
Mrs. Phoebe Hearst, widow of the
late George Hearst, Governor of Cali
fornia and Senator from that State, de-
cided to devote part of her large for
tune to the cause of higher education in
the State which had given her husband
wealth and honors. With a judgment
supremely creditable to her, but unfor-
tunately too rare in the world, instead
of founding a new university to bear
her name, but also to struggle through
the dangers and pitfalls and period of
poverty of all new universities no mat
ter how we'll conceived or endowed, she
choose rather to make an established
institution her beneficiary so that none
of her bounty is diverted to creating
unnecessary plant But there is
something more in this action of hers
than rare modesty and personal self
abnegation. Her gift is to the whole
people of California. The University of
California is a State institution, con-
trolled directed and supported through
the Legislature and the Board of Re-
gents, by the people of the State. Had
she founded a new institution with a
self-prepetuating board of trustees, like
Stanford and many other universities,
she would inevitable haFe narrowed
her gift. She choose the broader, the
more democratic spirit of giving.
The University of California, through
men like Joseph lie Conte and President
Kellogg, and the enthusiasm and State
pride Of the people of California, has
been brought to a high rank as a teach
ing institution, and as a center of learn
ing and the spirit of original research.
The people of California have risen
magnificently to the tremendous de-
mands of the university expansion
spirit of the past few years. The Leg
islature at the demand of the people
has made liberal appropriations for the
university. And contrary to the too
prevalent academic and hyper-critical
opinion held of average legislators and
politicians, has made these appropria-
tons for new professorships, and for
broadening the university scope and
spirit, rather than for new buildings, in
the contracts for which, political patron
age and advantage might be looked for.
In other words, the Legislature, made
up though it is of politicians, choose the
good part of the Intellectual rather
than the material part of the university
Mrs, Hearst, having decided to make
the people Of California her beneficiary
through tie peoples university, saw her
opportun. q. n the need for new build
ings to correspond with the intellectual
status of the institution. The university
has a site hat for suitability and beau
ty can scarcely be equaled. On the
slope Of the Berkeley hills looking
across the bay through the Golden
Gate, it is superb. To make it the ideal
university, comparable in a material
way with the highest intellectual ideai,
it needs only that the natural site shall
be crowned with appropriate architec-
ture.
In the same broad spirit in which she
planned her gift, Mrs. Hearst planned
the method of bestowing it. The archi-
tects of the world were asked to tender
designs. The most liberal spirit was
displayed in the invitation for designs
The whole expense of it amounting 10
thousands of dollars was borne by Mrs
Hearst. The designs We're submitted
strictly on their merits. The names of
the architects were unknown to the jury
of award. There was a preliminary
competition in which eleven submitted
designs were found worthy to entitle
their authors to a place in the final
competition. The award in that has
just been made.
1t was one Of the conditions for de-