Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1909-12-16
VERY LARGE GIFTS
NOT CONDUCIVE OF GOOD TO Ed.
UCATI0NAL INSTITUTIONS.
Professor Jacob Gould Sherman Sees
Menace in the Present system
OF Cash EndOwments. The Mil
IiOnaire Controls Thought and
Afterwards Controls the Body.

(FrOm the address delivered at the
fourteenth annual meeting of the Ma
tiOnal Association of State Universi-
ties in Boston, by Jacob Gould Schur-
man, president of the association.)
BenefactOrs die; universities abide.
At least, that has been the case in
the past. But in this age of organi-
cation, benefactors have learned to
perpetuate themselves as corpora
tions. And we now have institu-
tions chartered by acts of congress
to disburse for educational purposes
the charities of milionaires. The rich
philanthrophist who objectifies HIM
self in such benevolent corporation
of course names the trustees, and sub
sequent vacancies in the board are
filled by cO-optation. This is a new
species of corporation, but the two or
three already organized hold large
funds, which are likely to be greatly
augmented in the future. And there
is no limit to the number of persons
who possess wealth and desire to dis
tribute it in this fashion.
| can not but thing that these cor
porations create a new and dangerous
situation for the Independent and
privately endowed universities. Just
in proportion as these are support
ed by those benevolent corporations
is their center of gravity thrown out
side themselves. 1t is no longer a
case of rich man giving his money,
going his way Eventually dying),
and leaving the university free to
manage it's own affairs. The purse
Strings are now controlled by an
immortal power, which makes it its
business to investigate and SUPER
wise and which lays down conditions
that the university must accept if it
is to receive grants of money An
irresponsible, self-perpetuating board
whose business is to dispense money,
necessarily tends to look at every
question from the pecuniary point of
view; it wants it's moneys worth;
it demands immediate and tangible
results. Will not its large powers
and enormous influence in relation
to the institutions dependent upon
it tend to develop in it an attitude of
patronage and a habit of meddling?
The very ambition of such cor
pOratiOn to reform educational
abuses is itself a source of danger
Men are not constituted educational
reformers by having millions to
spend. And, indeed, an irresponsi-
BILE, self-perpetrating board Of this
sort may become a real menace to the
best interests of the higher educa-
ton. In the fancied interests of
capital or religion, or of education
itself it may galvanize the intellec-
tual life of the institution it under
takes to foster. A board of this kind
should be answerable to the public,
like the regents of a state university
Or better still, let the millionaire
trust the boards of trustees of col
leges and universities and give them
outright the capital he intends to
devote to educational purposes. l
believe that in all cases this plan
would be the best for educators and
best for the public interest.
l make no exception Of the Car
negie foundation for the advance
ment of teaching, to which Mr.. Car
negie has given such large endow-
ment for the pensioning of profess
sors in the colleges, technical schools
and universities of the United States
and Canada. And | certainly speak
with no prejudice, as l regard that
endowment as the best thing any
benefactor has ever done for higher
education in America, and / have my
self the honor of being one of the
trustees. But | look with concern
and anxiety on the influence of such
corporations on the free and inde-
pendent life of our institutions of
learning and research.