Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-06-10
fixed by the board Of trustees. and in reply
he handed me the following table:

nXeQ by the DOar0 or trustees, anu III reply
he handed me the following table:
Nug MS rr0fe:ss sos Average l pny
State institutions. 81 1,46l l,Iot
On-denOmina tional 81 1,S44 isoi
This table" said he "shows that there
are 327 colleges in the United States. en-
ploying 6.201 professors at an average sal
airy of $3.50 year, with total annual
compensation of 1851 $50. An examina-
ton of the fifty-two institutions on our &C
cepted list shows that they have 2.042 pro-
fessors and that II per cent of them are
now eligible for retirement. The income or
the trust is half a million dollars a year:
and it is perfectly apparent that we cannot
maintain adequate pension system for
the faculties of all these institutions The
average allowance at present is little less
than SLIGO which is likely to. be reduced
somewhat in the future. At this rate only
about $50 persons could be carried upon the
retired list
Concerning the refusal of the trustees to
consider applica tons from professors in de-
nominational colleges. DR. Pritchett said:
Restrictions on the Trustees.
The trustees are compelled to administer
the fund in obedience to the specific pro-
visions of the charter. At the same time
they recognize that most American institu
lions of higher learning, not supported by
the states. have been built up by men con-
nected with religious organizations Yale
and Princeton were originally controlled
ny ACCOMMODATIONS. OUT are tOudy
tered by self-perpetuating boards which are
not chosen from denomlna tional bodies and
do not report to any religious organization.
Brown University, founded 115 years ago, is
still administered under a charter which re-
quires that its president and a majority of
its trustees shall belong to a specified de-
nomination. The University of Chicago.
having no utilization with any religious
body. is still required to select its pres
ident and two-thirds of its trustees from a
single denomination. Therefore. neither of
them can be admitted to the benefits of the
Carnegie foundation.
THE trustees recognize the enormous debt
which the country owes to these denomi-
national institutions continued DR.. Pritch-
EFT, "and therefore they regret that they
cannot include them without violating the
terms of the act of incorporation. The ten
dency in the United States for several years
has been to separate education from de-
nominational control. and in number OF
instances, institutions have signifed their
intention of relieving themselves of such
embarrassment. In all such cases, however.
each institution should be the judge of
and intellectual growth. With patience and
a fair discussion of the questions involved
We may confidently expect that this great
endowment may be made to administer to
the whole body of teachers of America and
promote the elevation of our standards and
unity in our educational system.
What are you going to do for the fac
ulties of state institutions" 1 asked.
Standing of State Institutions.
at is admitted" replied DR.. Pritc'lc t,
that the faculties of state universities
have quite as good a claim as any others.
Their work is of the same order and the
same class and of the same devotion IS that
done In private universities and colleges,
and 1t Is somewhat anomalous that a board
of trustees representing the teachers of the
whole country should extend the benefits
of the foundation to a modest private col-
lege and deny them to a great state uni
versity. which represents the vital connec-
ton between education and practical
democratic government.
The older American colleges, in the days
of their weakness, enjoyed measure Of
state aid but as the embarraSSmeCtS of
political control and support became evil
dent they became dependent entirely upon
private or UNCONVENTIONAL support. The
state university has endured the storms Of
political interference and the dangers of
partisan politics and is today the most en-
feature of popular government
that the states of the American Union have
to show. The long struggle has been
with success. Political interior
ence is disappearing. The principle that
higher education should be maintained and
at public expense has been per
established like our free schools
as a part of our system Of public educa-
ton. 1t is no longer political or an
economical question: The states have &C
versities in Michigan, Wisconsin, illinois.
Minnesota, Missouri, California ano in
many other states are now receiving a sup
port which would have been considered
impossible twenty. or even ten. years ago.
These institutions stand the best evil
dence we have to offer of the intelligence
and patriotism of our people; and for their
great service, not alone to education, but
to practical democracy all citizens of our
country owe a debt to those who planned
them. and most of all to the army of teach
ers in them who have given their lives to
the cause of democratic education.
But the trustees have decided that the
Intervention of a private agency, even if 1t
be national in it's scope, in offering pecu-
mary benefits to the teachers of these in
situations would greatly weaken the sense
of responsibility of the taxpayers toward
them and would be harm and not kind
ness to the institutions themselves. l can
understand the hesitation which the heads
of the universities feel in approaching the
legislatures of their states with proposal
to furnish retiring allowances for their pro-
fessors, but 1t Is scarcely credible that such
application could be made in vain. With
the funds at present under our control we
could not provide adequate allowances to
the retiring professors of all state institu-
tons any more than to those of denomi-
national institutions. and l am confident
that rich and generous states will not deny
such support to their universities, but will