Evening star., 1901-07-04
number of the. Ahe2can Monthly Review
of Reviews. has the following to saw:

Uut, assured
| the facts Of Understand by the character
OF the board Of trustees It Is certain
that the institution yin be independent Of
government support or control. and that It
women who are ambitious to aid the high
| er learning and, thFT development of sci
ence. The institutioil might we'll be made
| the agency through which to administer a
fund for the endowRent Of general scien-
tific research similar to that which Mr.
| Rockefeller haspreated for the endowment
OF research in medicine. The trustees
would certainly, be able to arrange that
investfgat ons stlpposted by such fund
might be carried on in part at the UNIVERSE
| ties and in part in the government labora-
| tories. as the necessities of each particular
Investigation might require. In this way
the highest type Of institutional co-opera-
ton would be promoted.
Requirements Of students.
''It may be assumed that the trustees Of
the Washington Memorial Institution will
SO shape their work as to carry out to the
| fullest extent the declared policy Of the
| Congress. and therefore that the sole test
| for the admission Of students will be ca
pacity and fitness The students will nat
urally be mature men and women, trained
! for the most part in existing colleges and
| universities. and capable Of undertaking
| special investigations either under direc-
| tion or independently. Not a few of the
| students will certainly be candidates for
higher degrees at American or foreign uni
versities who are carrying on their studies
| wholly or in part at Washington. Others
| will be those who have taken the highest
degrees and are desfrous of pursuing far
ther some special topic Of investigation.
| There will be students Of hist ory, Of diplo-
macy and Of sociar Science, as we'll as Of
| the physical and natural sciences. No de-
| grees will be offered or conferred by the
| institution; it will be an aid and adjunct
| to universities, out not a new university
! or a torso Of one. Through the existence
| Of the institution. the educational resources
| Of the government are practically added to
those which are now possessed by the sew
| eral universities Of the country. the small
est and the largest alike. To that extent
| a new governmental endowment of higher
education becomes available for students
throughout the United States.
National Universities Already Exist.
while the Washington Memorial Instl-
tuition is in no sense a university. yet 1t
meets all that is generally held to be rea-
scnable in the demand for the establish
ment OF statutory national university at
Washington. clothed with full degree-con-
ferring powers The movement for a ma
tional university of that type dates from
Washington himself. and 1t has received
respectable support and called out not
little generous sentiment in its favor ever
since Meanwhile. however. conditions have
entirely changed Universities of a wholly
new order have come into being. and tho
United States has its share Of them. These
great institutions north SOUTH east and
west. are national in the very best sense
national in their constituencies, national in
their support. national in their policies and
national In their sympathies. They have
sprung direct from the wishes and desires
Of the people. by that personal initiative
which is the Anglo-Saxon's way Of BEGIN
ming to build his most characteristic insti-
tutions. They supply-and, taken together
far more than supply-the needed oppor-
tun1t1es for higher study and research In
the United States. To add to their number
would not be to do the wisest or most nec-
essary thing in the field of education, and
| to add to their number at public expense
would be quite unjustifable.
Happy Results Assured.
On the other hand, it Is impossible not to
| recognize the many opportunities for work
at Washington Of genuine university
| character which the activities of the gov
ernment offer. and it Is unwfse not to make
use Of those opportunities. To bring into
existence an additional fun university or
ganization for this purpose would be to
raise more problems than would be solved
1t was the part Of educational statesman
to accomplish the same result This has
been done, and the Washington Memorial
Institution is the outcome.
only the happiest results may be ex-
pected to follow from the establishment of
these new relations between the universi-
ties and the government scientists Each
mas something to learn from the methods
ana purposes OF the other. and neither can
possibly lose through a broadening of out
look. Under Mr.. Giman's direction the
cause Of scientific research and Of the an
phcations OF that research to practical
problems may confidently be expected to
take a long stride forward"
Comments Of Newspapera.
Leading newspapers Of the country are
ha
tion and OF favorable character Hol-
land. the New York correspondent Of the
Philadelphia Press in the course of a long
special published this morning, makes the
following Intelligent statement:
although the report OF the special COM
mtttee OF the national council Of education
upon the expediency Of the establishment
OF national university at Washington Ia
dated as of May "a, 1901. yet it is only to-
day that an advance copy Of the complete
Ing OF the report was Occasioned by the in
ability OF some members of the committee
to read 1t until late in June. President
Angel Of the University Of Michigan was
unable to examine the report until after
the commencement exercises Of the institu-
| tion Of which he Is the head. A brief sum-
mary OF the conclusions reached by this
committee has already been published an
these conclusions. namely that 1t is not
practicable or expedient to establish at
Washington or anywhere else in the United
States a national university under the con-
troll Of and supported by the federal gov
ernment
But there were other conclusions reach
ed by the committee which are of the ut
most importance, because fully approving
of and promising cordial support on the
part Of the national council Of education
and the distinguished educators individu-
ally who are members Of that council to the
recently proposed and now Incorporated
Washington Memorial Institution, which is
to be established and maintained in the
city Of Washington In memory Of George
Washington and for the purpose of promot-
ing science and literature. And although
1t Is expressly stated that this memorial
institution is to be in no sense a university.
yet there is no doubt that after its organi-
zation is completed and the details are
mapped out and put into operation, the in
stitution will be generally regarded as in
the highest sense national university, ma
tional not in the sense that 1t Is controlled
and supported by the federal government.
but that it gives the best because the broad
est and most thorough scope for higher
scientific and literary attainments. through
the utilization Of facilities offered by the