Evening star., 1902-01-15
The Carnesie Institute,


Now that the injunction of secrecy re-
garding Mr.. Carnegie's munificent endow-
ment is removed by the publication of the
names Of the proposed incorporators and
trustees, and Of the plan Of organization.
1t will, I trust, not be deemed impertinent
for the friends of the higher education in
this country to express their minds freely
In regard to the proposed methods Of en-
ploying SO generous a provision.
First, think the readers of the prelimi-
nary announcement regarding the proposed
institution must have been struck with the
apologetic tone in which the project was
mentioned, as If there existed somewhere a
monopoly of education or-of its honors and
emoluments in this country which even an
institution at Washington, "in the spirit Of
Washington must take care not to in
fringe upon. One might suppose that even
a remnant of the spirit of jealousy between
the leading universities and the projected
University of the United States, which SO
unhappily appeared during the last sum-
mer, had In some way affected Mr.. Carnegie
or his advisers, in view of the repeated as
surances that 'ft is not intended that the
enterprise shall interfere with or hinder ex-
isting institutionsv' It is difficult to see
why there should be this peculiar defer
ence since such assurances have not been
necessary heretofore when large endow-
ments have been furnished for educational
purposes.
project of University of the United States
to be established by the government in full
hllment Of Washington's purpose and leg
acy, for which bill is now before Con-
gress, Will have been struck by the care
ful insistence that the proposed institution
is mot to be In any sense universityw
one would naturally inquire, "Why not?"
ana glancing over the proposed plan now
puplshed, no sufficient reason appears for
SO scrupulously avoiding this honorable IT,
tie. university is supposed to mean an
institution designed to embrace all kinds of
learning and to promote universal culture.
II Is used to distinguish such an fnstl-
tuition from one restricted to one or more
special lines of work To say that the pro-
posed institution is not Sin any sense q
university seems therefore to imply linn
is uncalled for
II the purpose were to avoid any such
connection with the government or with
political control, as would be implied by
the th TUE University Of the United States
the question arises, was this ''in the spirit
OF washington or is 1t in a spirit Of true
patriotism or honor to the republic? We
are Informed that Mr.. Carnegie's first in
tentlon was to make this distinctly a gov
ernment institution and we admire his
patriotism in SO intending and question
the validity of those grounds on which he
was induced to change his mind. Tt was
a masnlicent declaration Of good faith in
the republic and of honor to the memory
OF its illustrious founder. It would have
provided the way not only to the systema-
t1z1ng and bringing into unity all the pres
ent resources Of the government for edu-
catlonal purposes, but for crowning them
with the great agencies for universal cul-
ture which they necessarily lack.
PROBABLY the most efficient and the most
renowned scientific institution Of today is
the Reichsanstalt, or the Imperial Instt-
tute Of Physics and Technics at Chariot
tenburg, Prussia, Of which Won Helmholz
was the late president. It's plant consists
OF an adequate group of buildings and
equipments costing 500 900, and its regular
ma1ntalnance in it's two departments Of
physical research and of Industrial appli-
cation In technics is furnished by the inn
per1al government at an annual expense of
about 100000. Can America not trust its
Congress as safely as Germany it's parlia-
ment? On the other hand, If government
control is detrimental to good work and
the, the .. advancement !. ,Saa Of knowledge, how
of the institute shall be to enable stu
dents to avail themselves of the various
libraries, laboratories and other
kindred institutions of the several depart
ments or the government and why should
these governmental resources have been
so eloquently dwelt upon as offering ex-
opportunities for the pursuit
Of learning "in Washington"
Happily, however these unworthy and
rather humiliating limitations Of the pro-
1ected institution belong rather to the re-
marks about the project by those supposed
to be in the confidence Of its founder than
to the plan and scope Of the institute as
officially set forth. For while the several
"aims," as enumerated in DR.. Walcott's
recent statement, would seem to imply
rather special college Of physical sci
ence, and a fund for substituting needy
in colleges throughout the
country. and even for supporting students
abroad, which two purposes were certainly
not conceived ''in the spirit of Washing
toms" bequest, happily the opening state
ment is left broad enough to include the
Of a truly universal culture.
Of which the scientific research and inyen-
ton SO emphasized in the "aims' is but
a single and by no means the most Inn
portant feature ITO encourage tnyestt-
CATION, research and discovery and the