The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-09-02

| EtII-
eral maintenance, and since IL has a total
OF 663 students. IL the 147 students claimed
to be of college grade cost only s206.9o
each year. or total of $50 42165, then the
remaining students (3S3 high SCHOOL and
l53 district school cost the remainder OF
Sl01 ,250 per year, or $40, S2S 30, which Is
Sl3Z45 per capita for district and high
school students at the Agricultural col
lege, or more than six times the usual
cost OF district school students and more
than three times the usual cost of RICH
school students in other schools. The
commission showed that the per capita
cost of Il college students was more than
four times as much In the college as in
the university. The college alumni tries
to amend this by giving figures which
show the cost of each one OF the sic
high school and district school students
10 be over three times as great as In 9TH
er high schools and over six times as
great as in district schools. Wherein
does this showing improve their case?
Effect Upon Agriculture.
They quote in full. along with certain
references to the alleged unfsirness of the
commission in abridging this letter in
| their report. a letter from Professor
Brand. which says:
idaho Wyoming, Nevada and Cali
fornia are conspicuous examples Of west
ern consolidated schools. In the institu-
lions of these states you will find very
very few agricultural students. Idaho
has less than half-doZen. and California
comparatively few considering the agri-
cultural wealth and population OF the
state"
This is quoted as a great and over
whelming argument in favor of separa-
ton: but are our friends sure that the
above quoted attendance is for students
of college grade? SO that. had Utah, a
Conspicuous example" Of western sepa-
rated schools been added to the list the
Agricultural College Of Utah would have
proudly stood out with just nine studentsl
From the same letter they quote a table
showing that the consolidated agricultu-
raj schools of certain states named have
the following number of agricultural stu
dents: Illinois, 406 Minnesota 162; Cali
fornia, 49, Nebraska. 342: Ohio 297: Ten
nessee. 40. While the separate schools of
agriculture in the states named below
have the following relatively greater at
tendance; Iowa, Sol; Michigan, 400; Wash
ington. 2l3; Kansas. sos: Indiana. 800: Mis-
sissippi, 100. But the comparison proves
nothing unless accompanied by a state
ment of the relative amounts Of money
devoted TO agriculture In each OF the
schools named and also a statement as to
the classification or grade of the stu
dents in the schools compared.
on the other hand. scores OF similar
letters. the overwhelming majority" in
fact, We're received by the commission
and similarly abridged. favoring consol-
idatiOn Of the higher schools. President
Van Hise Of Wisconsin, for example, says
that the Agricultural college OF that
state, united with the university, has
more than LOCO students.
Effect Upon Attendance.
The college alumni attempt to show
that fewer students would attend the
schools if united than if kept separate.
because: The students in any college
come from a radius OF a few miles"
This statement is perfect If applied to
district schools. is fairly but by no means
wholly applicable to high schools and has
least application 10 real college students
who number in Utah SCARCELY EO0
doubtedly if there were three higher state
schools instead of two. this number might
be increased to say 600 But if, instead of
making three or more higher schools as
the argument of Mr.. Porter would indi-
cate TO be the best course, we should es-
tablish a large number of local high
schools and limit the students Of college
grade to one institution, should multi
ply the number of students receiving high
school training by about the exact num-
Der OF high schools so established. And
since the college. on it's own showing. rs
mostly high school, then by establishing
the more usual kinds of high schools in
many towns instead of maintaining one
unusual form Of high school in one town
only LOgan) the ratios of gain would be
measured by the number of high schools
so brought within the reach Of the people.
A college in each county would increase
but little the number of college students
IN the state, for one college could do all
the higher work; while a high school IN
each county and in each Of the larger
towns would multiply the number of high
school students since we cannot have
numerous high schools and also several
colleges or universities, the greatest good
to the working men and women" would
require the concentration of the higher in
stitutons into one efficient school and
the dissemination of the high schools
throughout the state.
On Feb. TO- 1906. the commission found
but nine students in agriculture in the
Agricultural college above three years Of
high school grade They found $50 COL
lege students present in the school of
Mines at the University the day before
Who is willing to say that there would
be half as many If the School Of Mines
existed alone In some other town Of the
state? Mr.. Porter apparently fears that
the industry of agriculture would lose its
dignity If the study We're associated with
the study of other industries. Would
not the opposite effect be produced?
Would not more men study agriculture.
and certainly with more pride, IL instea
of retiring to a small corner of the state
they could study it in a greater school
side by side with men who are studying
other industries? Agriculture is not dig
nified by isolation. The assumption thet
the university would operate against the
education OF working men and women, is
utterly without a knowledge Of the facts
The university exists for the state Its
own students. drawn from the homes of
the state. are largely of the industrial
classes. and receive practical training
for practical. useful and intelligent work.
Moral Influence.
The fact that Salt Lake City offers
many more opportunities for the needy
student 10 earn money. the college alum
nj do not attempt 70 controvert. But
they retaliate with an attack upon the
moral influences of a larger city. Trav-
elers often compare groups of young peo-
pie similarly trained under the same sort
of home Influence and church life. In
personal life, refinement, self control and
freedom from compromising situations.
the advantage is invariably in favor Of
the city groups. There is evil in a CITY
or in a small town, which a student or
anybody else may find If he seeks IT.;
but the influence under which the student
naturally comes in a city is the influence
Of culture. religion and Of truer subjec-
ton TO law than in q rural town. Edu-
Gators Of keen observation have declared
that the morality Of students i'm the lar
ger town is superior to that Of students
in the smaller town. But the plan pro-
posed is to eliminate high school students
from the university and TO keep them
under their own home influences during
their youthful years. If the college alum
nj sincerely question the ability of stu
dents Of college grade 10 conduct them
selves properly in a city. they question
the propriety OF the existence of SUCH
universities as Harvard. Yale, Columbia.
Pennsylvania. Chicago and others. The
supposed increase in the cost Of board in
a city as compared with a rural town, If
IL be a fact. is exaggerated in Mr.. Por-