The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1901-12-11
earnegie's Last and Greatest Gift.
Ten Million Dollars For uniyer.
sity Of Washington---Goye
ment VIII Act as Trustee.

Washington. Dec. 9.-The Washing
ton Post tomorrow will say
President Roosevelt has feceivd a
letter from Andrew Carnegie, in which
the latter offers to make a donation of
{ $40, 600, coo to the United States. The
letter will be referred to congress by
the president in special message.
Mr.. Carnegie's gift is for the pur-
pose of establishing in Washington a
university for higher education. AS
far as his idea has been developed,
itxproposes a gift. after the manner of
the bequest Of James Smithson, the
Englishman, who gave 81. 900, 900 for
the estab blishment and maintenance of
what is now knownsas the Smithson-
ian institute. Smit6son desiredsthe
institution founded by him to be a
factor in sthe diffusion Of scientific
knowledge Mr. Carnegie proposes
that the university which he is to en-
dow shall be the greatest Institution
in the world for the development Of
higher education. He has consulted
President Gilman of Jones Hopkins
university President Hadley Of Yale;
President Eliot of Harvard; Former
President White of Cornell, and all
the leading educators of the country,
They heartily endorse his plans. The
proposed university will not interfere
in the least with the educational insti-
tutions already established, but viii
supplement them, for, according to the
present plan, It's doors will be open
only to those who desire to take up a
post graduate course. Mr.. Carnegie
also wants the new university to take
the lead in original research, so that
the United States can eventually stand
side by.siide with Germany, if not
excel iteration, in semitic develop
ment. .s.ss
Mr.. Carnegie,s plan does notpropose
:a$national university in the sense
thatSan appproriation will bezasked or
needed. Thes government; is simply
to: be the trustee or the magnificent
endowment. Just as itsadministers the
fund bequeathed5 by :Smit ithson. Itssis
probable that a boardzof regents viii
be appointed, assin the case of the
Smithsonian institute, or it may be
that the government will be represent
ed upon the board Of directors, which,
it's contemplated, Shall consist OF men
ofsnational sreput tation.
NE. Carnegie has kept the proposed
sendo dowment a secret until he could
deGnit arrange the plans. and scope
soffzz ss;he esnew university. Even yet all
these details have not been arranged,
sol that little more than the outline sof
his gift can be publ Tt is knoWn,.
however, that heSdoes not propose to
ask from congress "a single esfootsof land
upon which The university buildings
will be constructed. The entire @ex-
pense:i is to be borne out ofshis endoW-
ment. No site has yet been selected.
It will, however, necessarily be very
large, as tits proposed to erect q
series Of magnificent structures.
The amount of money to be given by
Mt. Carnegie equals the. sum Of the
present endowment fund Of Harvard,
and is consid derably more than the In
vested fund of Yale. With the Cath
Ole university, the Methodist univer-i
ssity and the proposed Carnegie uni.
versity, Washington will sbes the educa-
tional center of the country.