The bee., 1901-12-12
Mr.. GARNEG|E'S LATEST
Will Give Ten Million Dollars II
Endow a National Univer-
sity at Washington.
GOVERNMENT TO BE THE CUSTODIAN
The Amount Named would Put t'the In
stItution at Once Upon "a Level With
Yale or Harvard In Point of wealth
and Add Largely TO the Prestige OF
the National Capital.

Washington, Dec. 10.-The Wash
ington Pes. to-day win say; "Presi-
dent Roosevelt has received a letter
from Andrew Carnegie in which the
latter offers. to make q donation of
$l0,0O0,0OO to the United States. The
letter will be referred to congress by
the president in a special message
Mr.. Carnegie's gift is for the pur-
pose of establishing in Washington a
university for higher education. As
far as his idea has been developed, it
proposes gift after the manner of
the bequest of James Smithson, the
Englishman who gave $1,000.0C0 for
the establishment and maintenance
of what is now known as the Smith
soDian institution. Smithson de-
sired the institution founded by him
to be "a factor in the diffusion of
scientific knowledge" Mr.. Carnegie
proposes that the university which he
is to endow shall be the greatest in
stitution in the world for the devel-
opment of higher education. He has
consulted President Gilman of Johns
Hopkins university; President Had
ley of Yale, President Eliot of Har-
ward, former President White of Cor
nell. and all the leading educators of
the country. They heartily indorsc
his plans. The proposed university
will not interfere in the least with
the educational institutions already
established, but will supplement them,
for according to the present plan, its
doors will be open to those who de-
sire to take up a post graduate
course.
Mr.. Carnegie also wants the new
university to take the lead in original
research, so that the United States
can eventually stand side by side with
Germany, if not excel that nation in
scientific development.
Mr.. Carnegie's plaB does not pro-
pose national university in the
sense that an appropriation viii be
asked or needed. The government is
simply to be the trustee of the mag
nificent endowment, just as it admin
listers the fund bequeathed by Smith
son. 1t is probable that a board of
regents win be appointed. as in the
case OF the Smithsonian institution,
or it may be that the government will
be represented upon. the board of di-
rectors., .v'hissi1. 1t is contemplated,
shall consist of men of national repu-
tation.
Mr. Carnegie has kept the proposed
endowment a secret until he could
definitely arrange the plan and scope
of the new university. Even yet all
the details have not been arranged,
so that little more than the outline
of his gift can be published. 1t is
known, however, that he does not
propose to ask from congress a single
foot of land upon which the univer-
sity buildings will be constructed.
The entire expense is to be borne out
of his endowment. No. site has yet
been selected. 1t will. however, nee
essarily be very large, as it is pro-
posed to erect a series of magnificent
structures.
The amount of money to be given
by Mr.. Carnegie equals the sum of the
present endowment fund of Harvard,
and is considerably more than the
invested fund of Yale.
With the Catholic university, the
Methodist university and the pro-
posed Carnegie university, Washing
ton viii be the educational center of
the country.