Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1908-11-12
YEARLY NEED IS $4,000
Vermont Owes II to state Cniversity-
Tuition Fees Not sufncient--In-
structOrs Must Receive Ade-
quate Pay-Step backward
to Abandon Department.

Senate chamber this evening on the
House bill approprating $1,000 annually
for the support of the medical depart
mont of the University Of Vermont in
addition TO tho sum granted. President
NJ. II. Buckham first addressed the COM
mittce saying:
"Tho university asks the aid OF the
state in carrying on it's medical depart
mcnt. II does this on the ground that
under tho now requirements OF medical
education II Is no longer able to main
tain the department without aid, and
that as the state university it has some
good reason for asking and expecting
such aid from the State.
SOMETHING ABOUT UNIVERSITY.
"The University of Vermont Is, in a
sense peculiar to- itself, the university
Of tho State. 1t was founded by the
State for the whole State. not by indi-
Viduals under the sanction /of the State,
as was the case Of other institutions In
very early times, while Vermont was a
wilderness. our far-secing public leaders
planned for a complete system OF educa-
tion including the university. In the
of lT17 they set forth as one
OF the fundamental principles of the
government, that IT should provide for
common schools in all the towns, one
grammar school In each county. and one
for the whole State. For as
tahlishinG and maintaining this rrospec-
TIVE university grants of land were made
in the several townships. OF the five
grants in aid Of religion and education
~.
each township in aid of a university. In
about one hundred and twenty towns
such grants were made. and from them
a small revenue has been derived. At al
most every session the Legislature dis
cussod plans for the founding of a uni
verslty. The Legislature Of 1871 brought
these discussions TO a head by incorpor-
atinE THE University of Vermont"
choosing its governing board. Of which
the Governor and speaker were to be
members, appropratng ~ tt the public
grams ana locating il ballot of the
members When the Immigrant college
for he State became incorporated with
it, forming the present University of
Vermont and State Agricultural College"
the LEGISLATURE retained the power TO
elect half the trustees of the governing
board of the institution. and to appoint
q board of visitors to examine annually
its affairs,
"'riese measures, while they do not
pledge the state TO support tAe uni
vcrsity wholly or mainly" in the
phrase of the Carnegie pen sion board
defining n state university. and while,
IN fact, the State has up to this time
given its university but scant support,
do place the state under certain obli-
cations towards the institution, and
make an appeal for such aid as is now
asked worthy of your favorable con-
sidcration.
TUITION FEES INSUFFICIENT.
"The reason for which we need his
aid at This time, and on which we base
this appeal. we can state in few
words. The time when medical educa-
ton could be maintained by tuition
fees alone has gone by. For many
years this medical college did main
tain highly crcditahle department nj
medicine by means OF buttons paid by
a large number of students. aided by
men who gave their services in in
struction for the compliment and the
DrOlfESltnal Val ut VI Pi'A'''''' -
title. This is no longer possible.
Medical science has made great adj
vanCes and every advance has IN
creased the cost Of instruction. Pres
Idcnt Eliot has asserted that no form
Of education has made so great ad-
vanccs in modern times as medical
cducation. and this implies that no
branch of education has no'"Ssitale'
So great an increase o! expenditures
The consequence is that the weak IN
stitutions which cannot conform 10
the new conditions. are dying out
If is not question III Vermont
hotwccn a weak and strong
institution. I, Is question between a
strong institution and none. THIS mcdl-
cal college is non-ofiicialy c!assed among
,be strong institutions. and 1t must con-
Time &c be so or go out or cA's'or'"'
yo,,ro mon fit to be the doctors Of the
culture will not 20 for preparation in
their profession to weak institution
}ut If our Vermont men go to some
strong. well equipped because well en-
dowed institution out of the State-iiar-
vard or Pennsylvania. or Johns Hopkins
they Will not come back for practice to
our Vermont towns. and we shall be at
tho tender mercy OF half educated or un-
educated dahsters in medicine and sur
gerry. Are We willing that our state
should cease to train our young men for
tho practice of medicine and surgery
here In our own State?
NEED OF TRAINED MEN
what We of tho university are plead
,rg For ia something that Affects tho