Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-12-14
URGED BY DIR. WHITE
WOULD HAVE A GREAT UNI
VERsITY ESTABLISHED HERE.
Advocates an Institution That Would
Attract Students From All Parts
of the Country.

!
the University Club. 10th and x streets
northwest. to do honor to the first president
of the university and the man who first de-
| veloped the Cornell idea, of education
Andrew d. White. ex-ambassador to Ger
many. The room in which the meeting was
| held was decorated with Cornell flags and
colors. and many Cornell songs were sung
during the evening. and the rafters of the
| building reverberated with the Cornell, !
| yell-yell- yell-Cornell."
| DR.. D. e. Salmon, Cornell, r. presided
/ over the formal part of the evenings pro-
gram and he Introduced the speakers of tho
| evening. DR.. White made a speech full of
| interest to the Washington alumni. He was
| chief chemist of the geological survey: Rep
resentative @. E Waldo, Cornell. - and
Representative Charles T. Dunwell. Cornell,
| 1S, all of whom told of Incidents of their
| college life. After the formal meeting all
| shook hands with the ex-president, and
many yarns were gwapped, while light re
freshments were served. The entertainment
Of DR.. White by the local alumni associa-
ton was planned when 1t was learned that
he was in the city, and he post poned his de-
parture from the city in order to attend the
meeting.
A Great University Here.
The feature of DR.. Whites speech was the
advocacy of the establishment of great
| university in Washington, the capital city.
After relating the growth OF Cornell he
turned to that subject saying. in part:
when l used to speak to the graduating
| classes at the university I advised them
not only to be loyal to Cornell. but to be
loyal to their state universities. I believed
that the whole system of education Law in
the state universities.
Another warm desire is the establish
ment Of great representative univer-
T
publishing three articles on that subject
and in them gave several reasons for such
a move. In glanefng over the articles a
short time ago discovered that the reasons
were today as strong as they were twenty
years ago, nay. even stronger than when
promulgated them. In some way / believe
one Is coming. I do not expect early
help from Congress, will say But | hope
that there Is man who is large enough
predetermined enough and financially able
TO give to this country such an institution
l remember In the early days of Cornell
tod MI Cornell that there was fine math-
ematical library for sale for S.. 600 He did
not feel able to respond himself but he said
to me- Somewhere there-is fellow walk
ing around who wants to give US that Ii
brary And there was, and we got the
library, which was the nucleus for the
library of over 100000 volumes now locate
on the hill at Ithaca
:, One Ne OF the most unfortunate things for
the Washington University was that it
was referred to by certain people as the
center and culmi ting movement of the
continent. That was unfortunate for
many who had supported 1t up to that
time withdrew their support then. 7 do
not want 1t to dominate the others nor
to be superior to others. but to follow the
same general lines OF the others l need
NOT point out to you the advantages of
the establishment of an university here. as
to beauty, as to the library facilities as
to this being the center of scientific men.
Tor you Know all these advantages.
The Political Reason.
Although l have a desire for the pro-
motion of science. of art and of literature
that is but dust in the balance when COM
pared with another argument, one which
originated with Washington hmself-the
political reason. Think and reflect on the
present condition of the country and you
will notice that there Is a peculiar cir
cumstance that Is not satisfactory. You
will notice throughout the country, above
certain line, the country is being filed
with the highest appliances for education
the public libraries, public schools, colleges,
universities, etc. They have developed so
much in fact that men are coming here
from abroad to receive education which
they cannot get as well abroad. For in
stance, an eminent professor of law in
England deliberately brought his son to
this country to receive his legal education.
There Is growing up, then. north of the
imaginary line higher phase OF educa-
tion-a higher appreciation of art, Htera-
ture and science. But south of that line
where there are men of equal abilities, the
men have not the same facilities have few
libraries, few schools. There Is gulf
forming between the cultures of the two
sections. ) Look at what happened In Rus
STA. The Russians are at heart not bad
people, but they hated Finland and the
Baltic provinces, and they took away every
semblance of self-government from those
countries. The reason was that one sec
ton thought that it was better than the
other The greatest guarantee for the flu
ture welfare of this country Is some thing
that will bring the north and the south to-
gether. The SOuthronS used to come north
to school in large numbers, but that Is not
being done to so great an extent now.
But university of Washington would
call its students from both the north and
the. best in the civilization of both sections
a propaganda of all that Is best would
sweep over this country.
There are also other reasons for such
a university. Washington Is great Sci
entifc and literary center and is becoming
an art center. In this capital city tho
members of Congress should be made 20
feel that atmosphere which stands for tho
finest dinners which I attended In this city
were those that brought together the lead
ers of art, science and literature, with the
representatives of the people In Congress.
ment. hope that you will live to see this
IDEA carried still higher, in the university.
1t should be free from sectarian or political
control, devoted to art, literature and sci
ence in the uplifting Of the American peo-
pie. 1t will be great and good thing, this
national university. I am not In favor OF
calling 1t that. Call 1t the University of
John Smith If he'll give you s20OOOOOO for
the establishment Of the university"
Progress at CORNELL
In speaking of things Comedian, he said:
IT remember. in the early days that my
old professor at Yale demonstrated salts
factorily to most people that the Cornell
idea could not succeed. and he published
q book to that effect. Buff lived to SEQ
that old professor. as president of Yale,
adopt the same ideas. and glory In their
discovery. / bring good news of Cornell
1t has gone from glory to glory; its ideas
have been adopted very generally. It was
great pleasure to me, after years or
public service. to return to the campus,
where we had seen 400 or 500, and see $500
students there. You know that the state
Is erecting four large buildings there: out
of q private fortune we are building new