The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-02-09
WHAT OTHER PEOPLE THINK
Sound criticism 81, "u"l Regents.

Sound Criticism OF, ~ Regents.
To the Editor of The Journal: 81
The action of the board Of regents Of
the State Universitysin increasing the fee
for the engineering departments of the
university was prompted probably because
of the shortage of funds AS asmatter of
fact, am told that the departments af-
fected are deficient in equipment. AS
matter OF theory the regents probably
drew the line between the general culture
departments and the professional schools
| and put the engineering departments in
the list of professional schools.
The students Of the tsindustriar' depart
ment It's .Who&can afford the SUTTON. doubt
less prefer g fine equipment and tuition to
r1eag outfit and lice tuition. Doubt-
less the regents deplored the necessity
for this action. Thes taxpayers may favor
the action as a,s1noveS to reduce taxation
and viii not objeetSto the lessening of
attendance, III theahigh tuition causes it,
because the ideaHis prevalent among speo-
pie that too many go to college anyway,
ieand. that those who do go should pay the
bills,
However, wish to state my dissent
from the action of the board of regents
and to express the hope that the legisla-
ture may provide for better equipment of
the lndustr1aT* departments Of the uni
Verslty without high tuition. . The follows
Einga are ainong
F1rst-The action is out Of harmony with
/ the best educational thought of the day.
The tendency is toward a more practical
Cut1l1tarian," if you please) education.
Second-Grantings sthat state education
snould be culturedTrat her3 than profess
slonaL applied science has as decided Gull
tural value as has pure science, and
there is nc, reason why state schools should
pc mere star gazing institutions if the
sort SAG AZ =
! Third The actioifs ssiiictondsistent What
school is more purely professional than
the school of agriculture? Are not as
many, IN proportion to numbers, taking
m ,3a - ana N Latin as a direct, positive
Industrial studies with a profession iT
mind! know what will be said in an.
: sWer 10 this last question. ooh, yes: but
y lnose taking Greek and Latin take these
l.studles primarily as culture studies anG
81 trust to charity and school teaching for &
y lVlng. Well, some of us are gettins
fession designated as a cross between :
poor-house and an institution where PEG
pie VINO have taken culture. studies ge
scanty subsistence. IF those taking so
called culture& courses are not prepa rims
Tor professioIT itsnust be because the1
) are thrl1tiess @ Fsbecause they are ricl
enough not to need a profession In eithe
case the state Should not favor them. Tn,
81 idea OF taxingsa Boy because he has i,
f mind the prepare ion Tor an Industrial en-,
ployment is n1ediaeyal and not modern.
fl1th-The state needs men prepared
LOT lie IN engineering courses. I sat fo
t an evening listening%S##to a Village counci
, discussing the drainage of. azstreet lead
!. EIne' from the businesss district to the rail
tIfoad depot. The street to- be drained hat
Y Very sGghtl lopez and was, owing to it
e elayey soHa .impassa aJsse. in spring. On
! proposed to@use tiling.. and a general dis
eusslon arose {asstosathe best way II put
n ting in the tiles. zone wanted know
: whether the tiles were set upright in tn
f mud, another, whether they should r,11
across the stfeetior lengthwise. (The stree
= ram dlrectlya1p the declivity.) The pres
It 1dent of the councils was a B. A. from on
2 Eof our state institutions, and I notice
THAT he did not set them right. He ha
= learned to. keep a.. discreet silence @
IS course, that2is an evidence of culture bu
e was not justine sort needed then. INT
: the state has a practical civil engineer i
=. leach one Of our growing villages an
~ cities and our country places, no ste
d should be: taken to limit the output, eve
% If some Of the graduates do earn a goo
: living and do not have to exc out mea
. ger subsistence in more "culeured" way
H. For fear of being misunderstood, ma
lie CLOSE by saying that believe in all sort
IT. EQf&culture-Dr. Burton's classes in lou,
4. nalism and his power to set a lot of youn
Z women (and old ones, too) to wrtill
dramas; good DR.. Brooks and his author
Of glorious Greek literature; DR.. Edo
IN and his elegant treatises of applied sc
= ence; even DIR. Lees cultures in bat
a. THEOLOGICAL studies; but I believe in Boz
to ker T. washington rather than in the un
rv1 yersity regents Just at the time the
- passed the resolutionsto charge the st,
y dents. Of the industrial departments of o,
N. university a fee, increasing the old Oh
or 900 per cent, unless it was a bluff
. i the legislature.
d. ALBERT w. Rankin