Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1909-04-27
WHAT CAN BE DONE AND WHAT WILL BE DONE
BY BISHOP WARREN A. GAMBLER

ment. Our colleges need help and much
our people.
In addition to all these considerations
must be enumerated another asset which
we have by which our case is greatly re-
lieved. We have self-sacrificing educators
among us upon whom we may rely with
confidence TO spurn all seductions which
lead in the direction of enslaving our In
situations OF learning to the dictatorial
domination of The General Education
Board" They can not be bought. Many
of them are in the colleges of the
churches which the methods of both The
General Education Board" and the Car
negie Foundation" tend to depreciate and
discredit. Here is a force which millions
can neither buy nor vanquish.
The New York Commercial of March
Sth, in commenting on the Intellectual eff
fort of the heads of Brown University.
Vanderbilt University, Kenyon College.
and dozen other institutions which were
trying to get the restrictions of the Car
negie Foundation so relaxed with refer
ence to UNCONVENTIONAL disabilities as TO
get on that pension fund, said: 1T is
significant that no Catholic-college presi-
dent is among those who seek to have the
UNCONVENTIONAL restriction ignored" The
explanation of this significant fact Is
found in note written by the Prefect
of Studies of st. Johns College, Brooklyn.
to the President of the Carnegie Founda-
tion." in which he said:
You will not be able to understand
how this institution is maintained almost
without revenue. The explanation is the
self-saerifice OF twenty men who devote
their lives to the work without remuner-
alton. These men do not, as far as
know, expect any assistance from the
Carnegie Foundation Whether they will
be eligible or not will be matter for
you to determine. In any case they will
probably never accept any assistance from
the Foundation"
Certainly the colleges of the Roman
Catholic Church will not come under the
dominion of any secular board whatso-
ever, however great may be its proffered
| gifts or however glowing may be its gold
en- promises. Protestant institutions and
the institutions of the States should note
! the basis Of the independence of Catholic
| institutions and pluck up courage for the
contest with the Board which seeks to
. determine the character OF American ed
ucation." Their faculties are as rich In
self-sacrifice as the faculties Of Roman
Catholic colleges, and with such an asset
| in their possession they may bid defi-
ance TO all opposition.
The hope of the country at last will be
| found in the small colleges which the
people whom they serve support. The
: over-rich institutions, which have become
| independent of all civil and ecclesiasti-
! cal oversight are not doing the best ed
vocational work now, and they never have
done it. The UNCONVENTIONAL college
which these plutocratic boards so depre-
ciate has done more for the country than
| all the obese and apoplectic institutions
which assume to look down upon them.
| OF the seventeen presidents of the United
States who were college men. twelve were
| graduats of UNCONVENTIONAL schools. So
4, were six Of the eight college men who
have been Chief Justices on the Supreme
/ bench Of the United States. Webster
/ came out OF Dartmouth college when IL
4 was UNCONVENTIONAL to its core, and Long
! fellow came out of Bowdoin befre that
! institution renunced its faith in order to
get on the Carnegie Foundation" Haw-
4 thorne, Sydney Lanier, John Hay, Eiihu
Root John c. Calhoun, Alfred II. Col
/ quit L. Q. c. Lamar, and the present
Secretary OF State. all came from church
schools The UNCONVENTIONAL college can
/ safely compare products with the output
A, Of any secularized or subsidized institu-
| ton.
| Moreover. the small colleges OF both the
/ states anu the OAuA@AACo hAsS NA~~"
ments In the annual gifts of their constit-
| uencies which the endowments offered by
| The General Education Board" can in no
wise equal For example. the Methodists
Of Georgia give to Emory college annual
| " about 5000, which is equivalent to the
| interest on an endowment Of 100000. The
State Of Georgia appropriates to the UNI
\ versity at Athens far more than this.
| Why should these gifts of our own people
| be subjected to the domination of any
/ outside authority? Why should our edu-
Gators stand like mendicants with hats in
hand for small gifts from alien sources
when they have such constituencies be-
! hind them? Why should we despair OF
| our colleges, and ignobly surrender our
| educational Independence and academic
| freedom for conditional gift from the
sor's pension from the Carnegie Founda-
tion?' Why should we barter away our
birthright for mess of potage from the
predatory trusts?
We are in no danger unless we can be
bought. We are not in desperate straits
unless our people are desperately mean
spirited and mendicant. / can not think
so I'll of my people. They are not going
to sell out OF surrender. They are going
to take care of their own colleges and
preserve their own civilization. They will
do this at all cost, and cost what II may
our people are well able to pay the bill.
1t is a time for large views and cour-
ageous self-sacrifice. for fearless fidelity
and daring generosity For one 1 conf1S
IDENTIFY expect our people to resent any
effort to allure their colleges away from
them. They will both keep their colleges
and care for them. Any other course
would be unworthy of the traditions of
the past and would dim all our hopes Of
the future.