Omaha daily bee., 1906-09-09
"Bunchins" of Colleges.

In South Dakota, a state having q popu-
lation less than half that of Connecticut,
there are eight colleges. all Of which are
down in the southeast corner OF the large
state and away from the center of popula-
ton. II one could look at a map OF MIS-
souri, and see all the colleges and universe
ties contained therein, he would discover
that there Is q double row, containing
INTERPRETATIONS might style them lines OF
educational bouys-inclosing the MISSOURI
river The two rows stretch entirely across
the state. Elsewhere the commonwealth
Is practically barren OF colleges. Still
third western state, with a population OF
a little more than twice that Of Connecu-
cut has twenty-eight institutions author
lied to confer degrees.
DR.. Page makes the emphasis q little
stronger when he points out that eastern
Pennsylvania and central Missouri are
among the most thickly planted regions Of
the world with colleges" and ''univer-
stiles" that the three largest colleges in
North Carolina are situated within a circle
OF thirty miles diameter; that of the six
colleges in South Carolina I'VE are within
a circle Of nfty miles radius. "of the
eleven colleges in Kentucky" he con-
tinues. Eight are within a circle of the
same size On the map Of Ohio you may
draw three such circles. and In one circle
there are fifteen colleges, in another eleven
and In the third six. In Illinois you may
draw two such circles, and one will in
clude eleven colleges and the other seven.
In Wisconsin eight out of the nine col
leges are within such a circle; in Me-
braska, eight out of ten; in Kansas there
are eleven colleges in one circle and seven
in another. and all the colleges in Mime
sofa are within one such circle"
A striking illustration of this condition is
that revealed in ea=tern Tennessee where
there are four colleges of the same denom-
nation. One OF them has only $4,000
worth Of property and an annual income
of 5000. and thirty students. About
forty miles away Is another college, an
old one. with $3.50 worth Of property.
an annual income Of $500 and 1ss stu
dents In its combined preparatory and
collegiate departments. Fifteen miles from
this college is third, founded only a
few years after the second. having an In
come OF $500 and 2S2 students, of whom
forty-five are In the collegiate depart
ment There has been rivalry between
these latter two colleges for a hundred
years. for they were founded on spite. A
president Of the older college having been
unable to persuade those In charge of its
affairs to appoint his older son as his Sue
cessor. went over the county line fifteen
miles away and founded another college for
his son. Both receive help from the same
UNCONVENTIONAL board.
Perhaps a hundred miles away is the
fourth college. by far the strongest ~ the
quartet. II has an endowment of Sc 1884 md
owns property worth $4,000. 1t has an
enrolment Of coz students. with 12S In the
collegiate department. In common with the
others, however. II receives aid from one
UNCONVENTIONAL board. And the last men,
TONED college is only. fifteen miles from
Knoxville. where the University Of Ten
nessee is situated. II would seem to bt
more economical in every way TO unite the
three small colleges.
Investigation has shown. too. that there
Is no hxed standard in this country for ad
mission TO or for receiving degree from Z
college, The parchment from one colleg,
means more than II does from another
Some so-called colleges have no classin
cation by course whatsoever simply re-
| spending TO inquiries az to their method
OF preparation for the degrees offered with
the indefinite word Literary" In not q
few cases the studies pursued in these so
called colleges are no higher than thoss
taught In preparatory schools.