Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1903-03-25

:, They showed that the university hat
become a college Of technology ant
science. and the committee claimed
j that, as such, the institution was no
Identified to support from the State. TIL
amendment have introduced does no
by any means go to the extent Of tina
declaration of the committee. TIL,
amendment assumes that II Is prope
for the State to help support the Uni
versity of Maine, even though 1t ha.
become a college of technology ant
science.
The amendment, however, wants tn,
institution to remain an institution Of
technology and science; it wants tt
confine it to it's sphere; and the very
moderate proposition of the amend.
ment Is that the special appropriation
of $4,000 recommended by the commit
4! tee on financial affairs, be accepted il
| accepted, by the University on con-
dition that it discontinue the courses
In Latin and Greek, and the degrees to
which those courses lead. Now, very
briefly. what does that mean? A Latin
course was established in 1896. Ten
students out of about 500 are taking
1t. That department has one in
structor out of "a which the university
employs. The Greek course was es-
tablished in 1899. Seven students only
out of about 500 take that course.
very likely those seven are a part of
the 10. That department of the Uni
versity has one only one of the 81 in
structors. In 1901 only three of the
graduates took the degree of Bachelor
of Arts. Only three took the degree of
Bachelor Of Philosophy. 1t does not
seem to me that this amendment woulG
work revolution in the curriculum OF
the university, especially when it is
considered what would be left if Latin
and Greek were stricken out of the mi
versity courses. Let me read to the
House the list of courses that would be
left If Latin and Greek be discontinued
English, including rhetoric, logic and
English literature; French; Spanish;
Italian; German; mental and moral
philosophy; history; constitutional
and international law; political
economy; mathematics; astronomy,
physics; chemistry; mineralogy; hi
ology, including botany, geology, physi-
ology and zoology; agriculture; horti-
culture: civil engineering; mechanical
engineering: electrical engineering;
drawing; pharmacy; military science
and law. I submit to the House whether
or not that great and growing
field, if properly covered, would not, in
the language of my amendment be
likely to absorb all the aid which the
State can afford to give, especially
when it is considered that the institu-
tions in Massachusetts,, in Connecticut.
in Rhode Island and in New Hamp-
shire, which correspond to the Univer-
sity of Maine, have nothing but agri-
cultural courses?
p Now, in view of the tremendous list
of courses that would be left. it is
very slight change indeed which is
suggested by my amendment And
still, if the original change had never
been made. If Latin had not been intro
duced so recently as 1896, if Greek
had not been added in 1899, only four
years ago, remembering that there are
only. two instructors for those depart
ments out of 81 in the University
more than $4,000 would have been
saved by. the university. in salaries
alone, and it-would not have been nee
essary to appropriate, this year. a dol
lar from the State treasury.
Now it is claimed, and gentlemen
who are connected with the university
have suggested it to me, that we have
no power to attach this condition, that
1t is not a question of expediency, that
we have no right to do so, that some
how the State has been restrained
from attaching any such condition; and
wondered whether the general gov
eminent by any act had imposed any
such restraint on the State, and so I
looked to the Morrill, act of 1862. 1
find that according to that act TT was
optional with the university whether it
should teach Latin and Greek It was
allowed, but not required to do 80. The
stress and emphasis of the Morrill, act
of 1852 was placed upon the agricul-
tural and mechanical courses, although
the classics were not excluded BY
the Morrill, act large amount of land
was given to the State for the benefit
of the college. That land was sold and
resulted in fund of $4,000, from
which 1 assume the university resolves
now $4,000 or $4,000 a year, and there
is nothing in the Morrill, act to restrain
us from imposing this condition. On
August Both, 1890, Congress passed an
to the Morrill, act. 1t gives
a very large sum to the university.
The university now receives $3.50 a
year under the act of 1890, and that
act provided that it was to be applied
only to instruction in agriculture and
the various branches of mathematical,
physical, natural and economic science.
Not a dollar of that $4,000 can be APP
propriated to teach Latin and Greek.
! find that that condition is not stated
in any of the university catalogues.
In 1887 the Experiment Station was
founded, and $4,000 year was appro-
priated by the general government Tor
that department of the university,
every dollar of which must be used
strictly for agricultural purposes, so
that the university is now receiving
from the general government $4,000 a
year, not dollar of which can be APP
propriated to instruction in the ancient
languages. That shows what the pol
icy of the general government has been.
Under the original Morrill, act instruc-
ton was optional in the classics, not
required. The act since, giving $40, 900
a year, prohibits the university from
applying a single dollar of it to instruc-
ton in Latin and Greek. So that, If