The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-02-14
The Plight OF Harvard College,

The Plight OF Harvard College.
For the first time, we believe, since the
great Boston fire. the president of Har
ward University, in his annual report
appeals for aid in behalf of Harvard
College from the alumni and friends Of
the college. There have been calls for
money in the past for specific purposes.
or for other departments of the univer-
sity: for instance, the dental school and
the great undertaking, now going on,
of transplanting the medical school,
; but the fortunes of Harvard College
have been left to tho chances of spon
taneous benefactions which have been
generous and liberal enough
The difficulties under which Harvard
has been laboring in the effort TO supply
adequate instruction TO its students have
been known in the university for some
time. SO long as they seemed tenn
porary, or could be met by unusual ex-
ertions and sacrifices on the part Of the
teaching force or by drawing on the uni
versity's savings nothing was said, but
'
occurrence in spite of all economies.
Harvard's living beyond its income has
become a permanent condition, and if
the university is TO continue in its pres
ent progressive course a further and
large endowment is necessary.
The sum needed is set al s. 500, 90
by President ELIOT. but to many friends
of the university his estimate seems more
than conservative, for good use will be
found for the income of five millions
in the very near future. That Harvard
College will receive some large part of this
sum is more than likely. for we are in
formed that the alumni and friends of
Harvard in New York city have taken
up the matter earnestly, but Harvard
men and lovers Of the higher learning
throughout the land should see that the
college obtains the full sum.
How great the need is appears from
the cutting down of instruction, from the
lamentable condition of the library and
from the expedents that were considered
and rejected by the Overseers. Thnt
body, after elaboration, voted not 10
cut down the salaries of instructors and
not to increase the cost of tuition. The
latter measure would be n step back
ward where the intention of the great
mass OF college benefactors has been
10 bring its instruction within the reach
Of all; while college salaries, and Harvard
salaries particularly. are far below what
successful men in other professions may
expect. not TO speak Of the rewards of
business life
Both resolutions of the Overseers have,
however, been evaded in part. The one
thing left to do was to cut down the sum
allotted to each department for instruc-
ton and the teaching force has been
diminished To save as much of the
department instruction as possible, the
professors have taken additional work
on themselves, as they have done often
before, and some of them have given
up part OF their salaries in order TO keep
needed instructors. On the students
term bills, on the other hand, extras
begin TO appear again, such as . fee for
the maintenance of the college hospital
1t is an Objectionable practice, only ex-
cusable by the pinch of want.
The case of the library is deplorabe
For fifteen years or more its condition
has been presented to the alumni in the
librarians report. at first by the late
Mr.. WINsoR ms an imminent evil, then
by Mr. LANE as a present and increasing
one. The temporary relief afforded by
the corporation was admittedly made
duate and unsatisfactory-th though all it
could afford to do--and has been out
grown There IL no room for the books
many of which are now distributed in
the Easements of other buildings or are
boxed up there is not enough money 10
catalogue them or put them on the
shelves where they may be used there
is not room in the building for the ny
dergraduates to use the books nor for
the faculty and other scholars to carry
on Investigations Last year the point
was reached of having TO refuse valuable
and desirable gifts of books because the
library was too poor to handle them
properly, and only through the generos-
ity OF the donors in providing the needful
money in addition 10 the books were
some OF these gifts saved A million
dollars spent in new buildings and in
endowing the machinery OF the library
would benefit more persons than any
other gift that could be made
II may seem strange to some that the
] oldact and almost tho richest al ottr tpi =
versities should find itself in this predica-
ment, with funds Of nearly $1,000 900