Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1905-10-19
LOOKS TO FUTURE
President Edmund James Fore.
casts Changes in Work of
State University.
ADDRESS AT INSTALLATION
Gov. Deneen and Former Gov. Draper
Also Heard-Students Parade
the Streets.

Champaign, H.. Oct. 19.-The closing
feature of the installation day cere
monies for President Edmund James al
the state university consisted of a par
ade of students dressed in nondescript
garb through the streets of the city
last night.
A long list of honorary degrees were
conferred during the afternoon. Ad-
dresses were made by President James,
Gov. Deneen, Samuel A. Bullard. pres
ident of the board of trustees. and An
drew S. Draper. former president of the
university. President James said in
part:
"The state university, following its
practical tendencies. is destined to be-
come a great group of professional
schools preparing its students for the
various occupations of life for which
an extended scientific training based
on adequate, liberal, preparatory train
ing is necessary or desirable. 1t will
abolish the Old-fashioned American col
lege as one of its departments. relega-
ting part of its work to the high
school and absorbing another part of
its work in the university proper 1t
will cut off the freshmen and sopho-
more years, letting the high school
and college take them, while ii will
consolidate the junior and senior years
with the graduate school into a general
university faculty of arts and science
1t will be place for training men and
women and not boys and girls as is so
largely the case now.
Close Relation to State.
But the state university is not mere
ly an institution to train men and
women for the best and highest social
service in general. 1t is and must con-
tinue to be a great center of education
al and scientific activity, with pecu-
liarly close relations to the state gov
eminent.
"It is destined to be a great civil
service academy, preparing for the civ
il service of the nation, state. county,
and town as clearly and definitely as
West Point and Annapolis for the mil
itary and naval service.
The American people have deter
mined that administrative positions in
the public service shall no longer be
filled on the principle of the spOils
system. The next step is to insist that
people who wish these positions shall
prepare themselves properly to per-
form the duties of the same. As the
state university offers an opportunity
for proper preparation practically free
of charge the people have the right
to insist that candidates shall fit them
selves for their work before taking it
up. The day of the happy-go-lucky his
or miss ignoramus in public office is
passing and the day of the properly
scientifically trained public
servant is coming; and in Fastening
this day the state university will do a
large part.
Is Scientific Arm.
But the state university stands in
some respects in a still closer relation
10 the state government. Ii is in |
certain sense the scientific arm of the |
state government as the governor |
and his assistants are the executive |
and judges and courts the judicial !
Modern government is becoming very |
Its problems are many and
difficult. For the solution of many OF
hem extensive laboratories, well equip |
ped and under the direction of trained
are necessary. All of this
work should go 10 the state university.
How far this is already carried may be
seen in the case of the university of
Illinois. Here are located the national
and state agricultural experiment
stations, the state engineering expert
ment station (the first of its kind in the
United States). the state Geological
survey. the state labratory of natural
history. the state entomolOgist's office.
and the state water survey. This com
bination of public administrative work,
scientific investigation and educational
training has the most happy results