The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1904-04-19
BRITAIN TO BLAME.
Brain Power Falling Behind in
Building Up Sea Power.
Failure of Government to Aid I'm Edu-
cationnI Advancement De-
nOunced ms a Danger
GUS Policy.

That the British government must
spend more money on education-in
building brain power"-or fall far be-
hind the United States and Germany as
a nation was the theme of the address
OF Sir Norman Lockyer, president of
the British Society for the Advancement
of Science, at the society's meeting at
Southport recently, reports the Chicago
Tribune.
There is no use, the speaker said, In
building up sea power" unless there
is to be brain power" behind it, and he
advocated large grants by the govern
ment to aid in higher education. The
waiting for private endowments, he de-
clared, has proved a failure, and 1t Is
plainly the duty of the nation to take
hold
The contrast OF s20O,0OO,000 of private
gifts to universities in the United States
in the last few years with only 100000
900 in the last 60 years in England, Ire
land, Scotland and Wales was dwelt
upon, and it was held to show why Brit
ain is falling beck in the race Of nations
"The Influence of Brain Power on
History" was the subject of Sir Nor
man Lockyer's address. The president
referred at length to the struggle for
existence in modern communities.
showed that British industries were suf-
fering from international competition,
dwelt on the necessity for body such
as the British association dealing with
the organization of science, and said;
1--WE in Great Britain have IL universe
ties competing with 134 state and pri-
vately endowed in the United States and
% state endowed in Germany. The Ger
man state gives to one university more
than the British government allows to
all the universities and university col
leges in England, Ireland, Scotland and
Wales put together.
"These are the conditions which reg
ulate the production of brain power in
| the United States, Germany and Great
Britain respectively and the excuse OF
the government is that this is matter
! for private effort. Do not our ministers
| of state know that other civilized coun-
tries grant efficient state aid, and, fur
| Their, that private effort has provided in
Great Britain less than ten per cent of
the sum thus furnished in the United
States in addition to state aid?
"In depending in our country upon
this form of endowment we are trusting
to a broken reed We find that private
effort here during so years has found
less than $20,000,00O; that is S10.000,000
for buildings and 100000 a year in
come. This gives us an average of $780,
900 for buildings and s1S,500 for yearly
income.
I'm the United States during the last
few years universities and colleges have
received more than $200,000,000 from
this source alone. private effort supplied
nearly $35 900 900 in the years 1S9S-19O0.
Next consider the amount of state aid
TO universities afforded in Germany.
The buildings of the new university OF
Strassburg already have cost nearly a
million; that is. about as much as has
yet been found by privete effort for
buildings in Manchester, Liverpool. Biz
mingham. Bristol. Newcastle and Shelf
field. The government annual endow-
ment of the same German university Is
more than $245 900,
when we consider the large endow-
ments of university education both in
the United States and Germany 1t is OBJ
vious that state aid only can make any
valid competition possible with either"