The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1905-12-13
COLLEGE CONSOLIDATION.
Superintendent of Education Makes
Radical Suggestions.


perintendent Of Education Martin will
in his forthcoming report TO the gen
eral assembly have something to say
on "Fossilism in Educational Work"
Hc takes occasion in this chapter to
reiterate his advocacy of consolidation
ard that the State needs one great
university. He says:
The trustees of schools and col
leges have an erroneous task to keep
the faculties fresh and vigorous, and
prevent the work from running into
ruts and becoming commonplace.
There is no profession in which man
may drift so easily into the habit Of
mere perfuctory repetition as that Of
the teacher He must work, he must
study, he must travel We should
never object to granting a leave of ab-
sence to an instructor or a professor
who desires to visit colleges in other
parts of the country or of the world,
and compare his methods and his
thoughts with the methods and
thoughts Of others. In fact, I think
it would be a good, thing if college
trustees could spare the time to visit
colleges in other States occasionally.
All of this tends to keep the work UP
to the times, and thereby offers
sources and instruction which are Wig
orous and virile. I would not be mis-
understood as conveying the impres.
sion that 1 think old age and fossilism
are at all synonymous. Far from it. [
know Of at least two men in this State
above fotlr-score whose thought and
work are always interesting and
bright. I know of some young men
who have been doing the same work
from year to year without much study,
without much thought, and who, dur
ing that time, have not widened their
horizon by seeing the work Of mas
ters in their lines. Their last years
work is worse than the first, because
at first the more novelty of the sub
ject gives interest. This interest is de-
creased in an inverse ratio. This is a
deadly fossilism, which is very ex-
pensive to the pupils. When such
fossilism prevails in an institution il
causes a pail upon the entire influence
Of such an institution A great re-
sponsibility here rests upon boards Of
trustees and all others, directly OF in
directly, in authority.
''It is common talk that such condi-
tons exist in some Of our institutions
and that there are strong tendencies
to develop the same conditions in
others 1t does seem that if interest
ing and progressive work were yept
up at all times it woud not be neces-
sary for a board Of trustees to declare
all the chairs in a college vacant, Is
the Citadel board did last summer, to
take effect at the close Of the present
session. have no doubt but that the
legislature WILL IN the next few years,
reorganize our system Of higher edu-
cation It may take a considerable
amount Of talk in the newspapers, on
the hustings, and in the legislative
halls, but it must be done and it will
be done. It occurs to me that now is
the opportune. time. AS have already
stated the financial obligations be-
tween the Citadel board and the fac
ulty terminate at the close Of this ses-
sion. The superintendent Of the Cita-
del reports that the Citadel is old and
that the doors and window facings are
warped and cracked with age, tenn
perature and climatic conditions.
Some of the friends OF the Cit
adel are urging the legislature to ap-
propriate money to buy the police
at least s5O.0O0 to buy that prison
and put it and the Citadel building in
first class condition for school work.
There is no question about the fact
that if the legislature Of South Caro-
lima persists in maintaining so many
colleges the expenses will grow heav-
ier and heavier. Consolidation means
economy, and it leads to efficiency.
South Carolina needs modern uni
versity. The great State universities
of recent days provide business
courses and commercial courses,
which require the same amount Of
study as the classical courses. They
provide strong courses in pharmacy,
law and medicine The need of a first
class law department is patent. If
you want evidence of that fact get
the catalogues of the State universi-
ties in this part of the United States,
and see how many South Carolina
Io1-c anroJ1o1 tIp,oo