Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1900-01-18

/ chief characteristic Of this age is compe-
| tiiion. and in the struggle for supremacy
only those who enter the battle with 4
| special training are able to keep their
| footing. Recently in one Of the smaller
! cities # Maine. a large manufacturing
| company became inS0lVent. Depending
| upon that company. directly or indirectly
| We're thousands Of people. In all proba-
| bility the failure was due to the incapac-
! ity of want Of foresight Of some one man.
| " hen Il man is Iouru VINO is able 70 take
| charge of such vast interests. the COM
munity i'm which he lives, should be will
ing from selfish considerably, A alone. to
! pay hi-:: salary that would permanent
~ retain his services.
II was from such considerations as
these, that me United States government,
in 1861. established institutions Of learn
ing in Tie various states whose object
was to rain young men along the lines
Of agriculture, mechanic arts, military
science, and others which might be EN-
brdced in the term "a liberal education"
The policy OF the various states in estab-
fishing and maintaining these institu
tons differed somewhat. In the eastern
states where there had already been
tablIsh"d some large and tlOurfshing col
lege, the general practice was 10 estab-
lish mechanical and agricultural de-
partment in connection with the older in
stitution. Types of this class may be
found in Connecticut. Rhode Island and
Vermont. In the western states where
no strong institution existed. the state
university became at once the head of
the educational system. And in such
states as MlCnlSan. W lScOnS1n. MlnncSO-
ia ard Missouri we find the state uni
VerSity supreme. In Maine we had no
college Of conspicuous pre-emlnence, ana
therefore our institution has from the
beginning stood by itself. And although
located in an eastern state has resembled
in character and scope, the state univer-
stiles of the West.
Three years ago by an act Of the
Legislature, it allied itself more closely
with this style Of institution by changing
its name to the University of Maine. The
tarr,1 mil r-ir hD Of
ings. in Germany. it is applied to IL
school where exclusively graduate work
is done. In England: it means q collec-
ton of colleges; and in the United States
where loose ideas IF education are quite
apt to prevail. the term has been gwen
a variety of applications President
Harper Of the University of Chicago says
lit includes the work Of the college. the
secondary school. the elementary school,
and the kinderearten.
In America we have but one institution
which il exclusively graduate in its char
acter. Harvard. Yale. Princeton ami
even Johns Hopkins and the | University of
Chicago have strong undergraduate de
partments. The great institutions Of the
West are made up OF a number OF teen
nical schools with which Is allied the or
binary four years course in art and
science ana therefore we believe that We
did not violate good usage when we took
to ourselves our new name.
These state universities and colleges
have from the beginning fostered the
idea that all branches Of human learning
were equal. Side ny side with courses
in Greek and Latin literature are offered
courses in electrical engineering ana Az
ricUturc. Tuition ana ether expenses hr-
ing at minimum they are accessible to
all young men ana women who possess
brains ana pluck. Nowhere else is the
idea Of the democracy Of education so
splcndidly developed.
Another good point IN our state univ'r-
stiles. ana one which | believe entities
them to a special claim on tn" couSid"ra-
ton Of the people is that they are unscc-
tartan. am aware that this is enc nj
the veXcd educational questions WI the
Continued on page g.