The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1902-01-04
HIGHER EDUCATION,

hlIhtsh EDNNAIlON,
According to figures eomril He'd by the
Philadelphia Press the gifts to edu-
eational Institutions this year will be
in the neIghborhood OF s7s.tNcoO, The
banner year for such gifts In the past
was 1879. when the total reached the
sum OF s5s,cOo,Oo0 In the compilation
OF the Press the recent gift TO STAN
ford University is put down at SIS
ooo.Ool the estimate being that such
sum represented the increase on the
endowment originally made by the
founders The gift OF Mrs. stanford
thus ranks as the largest OF the year.
Carnegie's offer Of sloOoo,O0o to found
an institution for research a, Washing
ton takes sec md place, and the gift
Of Rockefeller n sSO,a,OcO 10 the Uni-
versity of Chicago holds third place
The New England states get a large
proportion OF the total gifts. Boston
gets ss5Oo.OoO to found the Simmons
chronological school for women. Clark
University. it is estimated. will get
about ss.eoa.ooo when the estate left
by the founder Is settled up. Brown
University gets s1,OoO.coO. and Harvard
and Yale each receive more than that
sum, so that even were the smaller
donations TO the minor colleges to be
omitted, the increase OF the New Eng
land educational endowments would be
notable and impressive.
The North, the East and the West
have thus been generously and mu-
nifcently provided for during the year
but the South receives li.tle That
fact is due Of course 70 the lack OF
wealth in the Southern states. When
the South has millionaires it cannot /
be doubted they will prove equally .
liberal in promoting education. and
fortunately the number Of rich men
in the South is increasing rapidly. .
The manufacturing industries that are /
springing up in all parts ot that sec
ton win produce wealth for the South
Just as similar industries produced It
in the North. and consequently the
time is not far distant when the yearly
summary OF muniacent gifts TO edu-
cation win be augmented by gifts in
the South as well as in other sections
Of the union.
While we are thus rapidly increasing
our educational facilities and are con-
graduating ourselves upon the fact
warning comes from Germany. where
higher education has been more widely
diffused than in any other country
in the world. DR.. Won Stradonitz Of
the University Of Berlin. commenting
upon Carnegie's offer Of $1,000. 600 for
at Washington. is reported
to have said Americans must begin to
guard against the danger Of fostering
higher education at the expense Of the
intelligence Of the people
and to have added We are suffer
ng from It in Germany We are bur
tened with an unproductive class who
Ook with inherited scorn on those .
whose education has been merely in 4
he art Of bread-winnins. The evil I
itself in Germany by the ex-
stence Of an idle element which lack
ng any other occupation. serves the re- a
.ruiting sergeant OF the enemies ~ (
ocial order The fundamental feature 3
II American schooling as a prelimin-
Try fitting for men and women in llfe's q
,attles is truly the Darwinian princi- s.
lie. and It finds a splendid vindicatlon g
n the strength Of Americas position !,
n the world today Mr. Carnegie's
echnical school endowmonts showed
hat he was fully in harmony with the u
american spirit. but his latest propos-
] am unable 10 commend"
The warning coming from such G,
ource is interesting but Il Is no' likely nj
0 alarru any considerable number ~ Il
ur people. II is true the endowmen,s g
Z our universities are now very large :,
nd are increasing at an extraordinary cc
ate. but the country Is large and the HI
opulation IS increasing Moreover. the u
TO make use Of the high ~
st education are abundant. L IS go
Ig to be a long time before the United r.
tates wiilc haYe TO complain Of the a
burden" Of too many learned men Pi