Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1905-01-19
WOULD MAKE It A UNIVERSITY
ADDRESS OF DR.. THOS. FELL
LAST NIGHT.
Presents Many Reasons Why St
Johns Should Be Seat of
Higher Education.


dress of DIR. Fell, president of St.
! Johns College. The address was de-
| livered last night before a meeting in
| Baltimore of the general alumni asso.
citation of the Mary land University.
In his address DR.. Fell presented in
q most pleasing manner the idea of
| having st. Johns College developed
into a university. Among other things
he said:
"The idea of developing st. John S
| College into the University of the
State had previously been discussed
| in a somewhat informal manner at
the convention of the Maryland Teach
ers' Association held last July at
Ocean City. The project was favor
ably entertained by a number of infiu-
ential men of the state, as it was we'll
known that Governor Warfield was an
advocate of the plan to make Annapo-
| lis the educational centre of the state.
| "Mhen, therefore, formal propo-
sition was made by the faculty of the
| Medical School of Baltimore to consid.
er whether il were advisable and prac-
| ticable to bring st Johns College
| into closer alliance with the profes-
sional schools in Baltimore, known as
the Maryland University, the sugges-
| tion seemed in harmony with the
original idea, if it could be carried
out advantageously.
Maryland began her educational
history by paying tobacco tax for the
support of William and Mary College,
| and in addition she had her classical
school, King Williams, founded in
| 1896 at Annapolis. Md. This school
is the progenitor of ST. Johns Col
lege, which took shape and form in
1884.
lit was urged by the citizens of
Annapolis that King William S School,
although classical institution, was
inadequate to meet the educational de-
mands of the age, so the charter now
possessed by st. Johns was framed.
lhe Legislature gave st. Johns four
acres of land for college grounds and
building sites and an annual appropri-
alton OF 1850 current money.
The next step was the federation
of Washington College and st. John S
college into the University of Mary
land, to be presided over at Annapo-
lis on commencement day by the Coy
ernor of the state, who was, ex-ofiicio
| chancellor of the University.
The first University of Maryland
ceased to exist. as such, by the Act of
1926, which withheld appropriations
from st. Johns College, though its
claim to the title and functions of a
university were not annulled and con-
tinue to this day.
I'm the year 1912 a new University
of Maryland was instituted by the
state in the city of Baltimore. The
corporation was to have a full equip
ment of four faculties, representing
the arts, law, medicine and theology.
| OF these, two schools, viz Law and
| Medicine still exist.
"It would seem, therefore, to be a
natural conclusion that union of St.
Johns College with the schools of
| law and medicine in Baltimore should
be brought about and thus give life
TO the University of Maryland, origi-
nally intended by the progenitors OF
| our educational system.
1t is very interesting to note that
among those who were especially ac-
tive in establishing the medical school
here, Dr. John Beale Davidge, DIR.
Upton Scott, DR.. John Shaw, DR..
| William Donaldson and DR.. John
/ Owen were graduates of st. John &
College, showing the close connection
| of these schools IN their formative per.
| iod. But the question naturally arises
| how, and in what manner shall this
union be effected, and, if adopted,
| will it prove of mutual advantage:
Let us take up these questions in the
order in which the are propounded.
| 1t might be brought about in re-
| sponse to sentiment, that is to say,
| inasmuch as by our charters both the
| college in Annapolis and the profes.
| sional schools in Baltimore have each
claim to the title of University OF
| Maryland, we can let them be so term.
ed, and let it be announced in our an
nuai catalogues that st. Johns Col
| lege constitutes the faculty of art.
and sciences of the University OF
Maryland. to which is allied the fac
| ulties of medicine and law in Balti.
more. The government and direction
OF each to remain exactly as it is,
| without any change. The union would,
| therefore, be one in name only, and
not in actual fact.
| TO my mind no possible advantage
could accrue to either party by such
an Arrangement, with this one excep-
| tion, that the Medical School in Bal.
timore could then justly claim thai
| the provisions of its charter have beer
carried out and that by the possession
| OF the three faculties of arts and sci
ences. law and medicine, it can ans
| er the objections which have been
urged against its claim to be a uni.
versity when seeking an endowment
under this title. Without an endow.
ment no university can expect to sue
ceed.
'The next suggestion would be that
| we should endeavor to find some veal.
| thy, philanthropic man, who would
| establish the University Of Maryland
upon a secure foundation, with the
understanding that these various
| schools already exist as the ground.
| work for the benefaction.
There are many Marylanders who
have made large fortunes in Baltimore
and other cities who might be disposed
TO complete the work of the Fathers
| of the State, and who would thus add
lustre to their native state and honor
/ TO their own names by stimulating
into greater activity and usefulness
the potential faces now existent in
these segregated schools. Such 8
work has been done by Mr.. John d.
Rockefeller in the city of Chicago, anC
in somewhat similar way by Mr.
Andrew Carnegiein Scotland.
lin the United States large sums
/ have been given to educational insti