Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1905-06-28
THE SMALL COLLEGE WANING.

DR.. S. A. Eliot, president of the AM
erican Unitarian Association, son of
President Eliot o.; Harvard College and
himself Harvard graduate has re-
Gently made a tour of the colleges and
universities Of tie west. OF the small
UNCONVENTIONAL college he says:
One of the most interesting problems
IN the educational life of these states
is involved in the future of the small
UNCONVENTIONAL colleges. ALI the great
Protestant denominations have been
active in planting and maintaining in
situations which depend chiefly upon
denominational zeal for financial sup
port and for student constituency.
These little colleges, some of them
hardly more than high schools have
done good service and have given an
entrance to the intellectual life to
many boy and girl who would 9TH
erwise have missed the opportunity.
With the growth Of the state universe
ties, which are maintained by public
taxation and which offer practically
free education, the further existence
Of the little sectariar colleges becomes
precarious. In two or three instances
1t is plain that colleges originally
planted by denominational zeal have
rooted themselves in the love of tho
people SO deeply that they will endure
under all conditions. Such is the case,
for instance, with Colorado college at
Colorado Springs, with Iowa College,
at Grinnen, Iowa; Washburn College.
at Topeka, Kansas No competition
can seriously disturb such fruitful
institutions as these. Their honorable
history, their present admirable adj
ministration, their distinctive useful
ness in the community, all insure their
continued growth and prosperity. But
no traveller in the new west who is in
terested in educational matters can
help observing that the majority of
the small sectarian institutions have
ceased to gain, and are really disinte
grating. Some of them keep up a fic-
titious activity and make the COMPETE
ton they suffer from an excuse fo-
more urgent appeals for the increase
of their resources. 1t is, indeed, alleg-
ed that some of them carry their ac-
tivities to the extent of opposing the
acts of the legislature granting in
creased aid to state universities. Blu!
this opposition cannot long avail. AS
the graduates of the state universities
become more numerous and influential.
the balance will steadily incline in ia
vor of the big state Institutions and |
the little colleges, for want of funds, |
will be unable to provide the teaching |
staff, Libraries, museums, and labora-
tories essential to successful compete |
ton with the universities. It seems
probable that the majority of the de-
nominational colleges must either turn
to the work of preparatory training or
else become somehow allied with the
state universities. For a few decades,
indeed, unconditional pride and the
feeling that young men and women
trained in religious households will be
imperilled in the free atmosphere of
the state establishments, will continue
to lead some students to the more
strictly governed UNCONVENTIONAL coll
leges where they can receive the def.
mite religious instruction which is de-
MED them in the state institutions. 1t
is, however, probable that in the long
run the weaker institutions will be
driven to the wall and apart from sem
tirnental or sectslrian considerations, it
Is undoubtedly true that one strong
in state can do more to
raise the standards of learning than a
dozen struggling, colleges.