Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1904-06-15
COMMENCEMENT At
THE UNIVERSITY
The Great Tent In Which Exer-
cises Were Held Filled With
Students and Alumni
PERKINS DELIVERS ADDRESS
a Mastery Treatment of His Subject,
aEducation as Related to Life" =
List of Those Receiving Degrees
Diplomas Presented by Deans of the
Departments.
special to Times Republican

special to Times Republican.
Iowa City, June I5.--The great tesl
which the state university has bee,
forced to resort TO to hold the com
mencement exercises in during the pas
four years. was beautifully decorated
with flowers and bunting. Despite its
great size. it could hardly contain the
crowd which tried to enter. After tbs
students about to receive degrees Were
seated, the president of the university
the board of regents and the members
of the faculty took their seats upon The
tmprovised platform facing the as
senably. An overture was played by
the university orchestra, and then Rev.
Francis Ward delivered the invocn-
tion. The speaker of the day, Hon.
George ID. Perkins, was Introduced by
DR. MacLean and he Immediately
plunged into the heart of his discourse,
Education as Related to Life" lie
said:
II education is merely for the in6i-
yidual who receives it, to be used by
him as a commodity for personal ;p1-
vantage, as personal advantage is cora
inonly reckoned, there is serious mis-
take somewhere. Why should the ma
. ton and the state be contributory to
your education? The mass OF our pteo-
pie do not get beyond the common
schools. Why should they support col
leges for the few? It is complained at
times that pubic interest in the uni
yersity is not what 1t should be. Has
ii ever occurred to you that the public
Is not getting the return from the uni
yersity 1t has the right to expect? Have
THE graduates been as earnest as they
should be in paying their debts? 1t
seems to me we'll to think about that.
IL the debts are not paid it is natural
10 anticipate disposition to econonlize
on the advances. There are those who
20 SO far as to say it is not the prov
tnce of the state to provide technical
and classical schooling. They even say
the high schools, which are preparatory
20 the higher education to be had here
should be cut out. The contention in
wolves assault upon our entire educa-
tiona1 system. Ii the reasoning be good
as to the university and as t. the high
schools why may 1t not be applied to
the grammar schools and to the pri-
mary grades? The argument rams
against the system of free schools. Car
rfed to its logical conclusion 1t would
leave every child dependent upon pri-
vate instruction and the length of the
family purse. The growth of such
sentiment it is for you and all friends
OF popular education to contend
against. How are you to do It?
Eve have high authority for the
statement that none of US liveth 20
himself and yet we are compelled
"a admit that much experiment is being
made on the line of such exclusiveness.
1t is In the minds of men when they
come to pay their taxes They Wart
to know where the money is going.
and the moment they lose the thread
of their own interest they are disposed
to grunble. One man says ne mas no
children to go to school, and another
says he has been able to get along FAIR
iy we'll without a college education:
and SO the disposition runs to tighten
the purse strings. Men say they do
not see where they come In. 1t Is the
same way in the matter of building
bridges and improving roads. The
thing that enlists men is the thought
OF money There is much opinion that
there is no friend equal to that Things
are accounted good or bad in their re-
lation to opportunity to make saving
for rainy day. 1t is apparently IN the
thought of many men that deluge Is
likely to visit the earth in their time
in comparison with which the down
pour In Noah's day is not to be reck-
oned a circumstance. But this Is the
tendency, and it is a tendency to be
resisted. II you pay your debts yoa
Will help.
..lf education is used to right purpose
we can not have too many educated,
We need the service of educated men
and women in the great work of main
tanning the average. We need educated
men and women who will lend them
selves to the task OF leavening the
whole lump. We have made more or
less effort to close our doors to foreign
immigration, but we have not succeed
ed very well in keeping people out. I
doubt if that is the protection that
should invite our first attention. Our
safe reliance is in protecting ourselves
from within. The state and the colln-
Try have right to count on you. 1t
has been suggested that we apply All
test in our effort to keep
out undesirable classes. but the educa-
tional test that would hear desirable re-
suits must relate to something more
than reading, writing and arithmetic.
The moral test is what we have need of
and If we do not set 1t up for ourselves
we cannot apply 1T by statute to men
and women born under other flags. The
state looks to you.
There is nothing so much needed in
our public life as fidelity and unswerv-
ing honesty. To say that our public
service will bear favorable comparison
with the public service Of any country
Is not enough. / know of no danger
more threatening at this time than the
appeal, supported by money, to the
perverted side of men charged under
our constitution and laws with the re-
sponsibilities of the franchise. 1t ought
not to be possible to carry primary
in Iowa by the use of money,
but it Is not an uncommon occurrence.
If our public men are representative
we hardly have Il higher claim upon
them. It is up to the people to make
the way plain before them. The people
are first to govern themselves. They
are first to rebuke corruption at their
own door. 1t is for them to make the
public service inviting to men of9clean