Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1907-03-15

h
famed far beyond the borders of our
land.
If present demands are met and full
concession given, greater demands Will
of necessity follow possibly dictated by
caprice or selfish ambition. Is it hence
forth to be the policy of this State to
enlarge and broaden the scope OF ner
State school to the certain death of
honored Bow,loin, Colby and Bates to
crafty ambitious educators. The claim
, is justly made that nothing is too good
for the youth of the State in the line
of education, but has it become the
policy of the State to destroy the in
fiuence and usefulness of certain most
honorable and respectable colleges all
of which have attained high and noble
positions and command the admiration
of the educational world and one of
which boasts a proud career Of more
than one hundred years.
Has commercialism and centraliza-
| ton so warped the conservative sense
of the State that the u of NJ. shall be
| allowed to overshadow and destroy
| the effectiveness, yes the very life OF
our other colleges?
The claim that since the liberal arts
course has been installed at Orono
the other colleges have also increased
| their number of students is undOubt-
eddy true. The great prosperity that
has obtained in the past few years and
the growing consciousness that adj
vantage is secured and assured to the
educated over the uneducated has
| awakened an intense desire on the
part of our citizens that the youth of
| our land shall be specially fitted by
education in special lines of art or
craft to meet the ever increasing de-
| mand in mine, in field, in laboratory,
and in agriculture. Liberal and judi
| ciously expended appropriations will
make our technical and agricultural
| university the best of her kind. Let the
L. of NJ. stand true and loyal to the
| line of work which its founders de-
| signed and leave to those hOnOred col
leges which are giving without cx-
pense to the State the degree of \. r.
which outside of the refining influence
and sentiment of pride that accom-
panies it, has Il commercial value and
influence that a century of honorable
and dignified service only can secure.
l know the traditions, declarations and
constitutional limitations of our feder-
| al government have been usurped to
crafty a selfish spirit of commercial
| ism and expansion and we have on
our hands as a result a burden of per-
pleXities that we do not want, and
| like the wildcat in the hands of the
1rishman we do not want to hold nor
| do we know how to let them go.
We hear the charge that jealousy is
| the sole cause Of the opposition to the
/ eXtravagant and to my mind unwar-
| ranted position held by the supporters
| of the university and that we are enc
| mics of the L. of NJ. | deny the allie
| CATION that we are enemies to the in
| Stitution or unfriendly to her best in
| terest. That the charge is unwarranted
| and made for effect is borne out by the
| fact that the majority report carries
with it a magnificent appropriation for
| new and needed buildings and for cur
p, rent expenses
| That we are jealous of the interest
and welfare of our colleges in Maine
| checrfully admit. What worthy loyal
| citizen can so demean himself as to
speak unkindly and with bitterness of
any educational institution founded on
| bed rock principles as our colleges in
Maine are.
That their future influence and use
| fulness is at stake at this very moment
| i believe. If the present Legislature
by its vote confers on the trustees of
| the University of Maine the power to
enlarge its scope then they must eX-
pect to be called on to crafty any am
bition or caprice of any adventurous
educator who may chance to occupy
| the presidents chair
| If this Senate rejects the clause in
the majority report relating to the
Bachelor of Arts degree, then you with
open eyes declare that there shall be
no restraint placed on the ambitions
of trustees or faculty of that institu-
ton.
Hereafter any demand they make
on the treasury of Maine for whatever
purpose their fancy may dictate must
be honored. If you by your voice and
vote accept the majority report, you
give to the university the stamp of
your approval as school of agricul-
ture and mechanic arts. A technical
university that shall be inferior to
none and declare by your action that
this unseemly and undignified spec
| tacle of the friends of the university.
|
ton contrary to the spirit and intent
of the act creating the institution shall
be abated.
| And If the recent history of the in
Stltution shows anything it shows that
such courses will be added as time
goes on, and. indeed. it is only fair to
say that some courses will naturally
and properly be added if the State un-
dcrtakes to carry on liberal arts COL
lege at OronO. 1t has been claimed,
also. that the State, disappearing lib
elal arts. cannot justly draw the line
at single institution. that it owes
obligations to other institutions in that
field, and that it must treat them all
alike, and support all, if they need sup
port or none. The justice of the claim
seemed obvious to the committee. The
special claim of the university for
state aid is in its special field. In the
general field of training where it would
and does compete with occupants of
that field ahead of it, it has no prior
| lily over the older institutions. If there
IS any priority, it belongs to them. And