The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1909-05-11

rons One Of the ardent supporters OF
this educational movement thus oe-
scribed some who flOcked to the meet
ing of The Conference for
in the South" which met at Athens
Ga, a few years ago
unfortunately for Southern
reputation for good breeding,
there was at the Athens Confer
ence, for example, a swarm OF
educational and institutional
mendicants who seemed to i'm
agine that every Northern man
was a millionaire philanthroplst
waiting to be informed about the
pressing needs Of the South. Ihey
disgraced themselves at the time
If there were at Athens any con-
siderable number of men who thus
diSgraced our section, the 1act IS d
symptom of a disease among u edu-
catiOnal authorities which cannot De
caUter.zed and cured too Qulckly.
What must be the degrading influence
upon the students Of II colleges IL
teachers and trustees thus PROSTATE
themselves at the feet of supercilous
wealth and arrogant O~ppulence? NO
degree OF poverty can excuse Sucn
me~ndicancy. We do not need money
four our colleges SO badly that we
can descend to such methods to OBJ
ain it.
In truth, we DO not need to beg any
body to pay for the education of our
sons and daughters. We are quite
able to attend to that matter our
selves. We have not as many rich
men and women among US as other
sections have; but We nave some peo-
pie Of mean and they oWe 1t to them
selves and to Their section to take the
lead in endoWing and e]ouipping our
colleges so as to enable them to DO
their work Well without coming under
Obligations to ST Anglers. | would not
haVe our people of wealth to do all
that is needed; it is not best Tor the
freedom and independence of a col
lege to come under too heavy Oblga-
lions to any n man or woman. If
the late Jay Gould had founded or
endowed a college it would have been
next to impossible to have warned
successfully the students Of such an
institution against the evils OF stock
gambling, just as the institutions
Wh:ch draw their support from the
funds of General Education Board
Will he impOtent TO condemn effective
lN the ~iniQuitieS of the Oil
Company or the enOrmities of &c pro-
tectiVe tariff from Whicn the Steel
Trust has drawn its countless millions.
IN the case Of Professor BelniS ct the
University of Chicago a few years
ago the country had q sample case Of
what becomes of a professor of polit-
zeal economy whose teaching fails to
agree with the views and interest Of
the mar who POUNDS and maintains a
college all by himself. We want no
such institution in the South. We
want our colleges to be dependent
upon the people whom they serve. and
under no commanding obligation to
any one man however wise and virtu-
Gus he may be.
While, therefore, our rich men and
women must lead in the work Of en-
doWing n eNuipping u Institutions
Of higher learning. the bulk of the
great work must be accomplished by
the generous cooperation of all the
people. Our people of moderate
means by a multitude of Snailer z lis
follow the lead of our Waalth;er
people with their larger donations in
putting II colleges beyond want and
the temptation to mendicant
to the ambitious General
Board" striving to "determ-
inc the character Of American educa-
In truth, it would not be best for
our colleges to grow in wealth faster
than the people whom they are set to
If one of our institutions
should be made suddenly as rich as
Harvard or Yale the scale of living
such a college would so quickly /
r.se as that its benefits would be put
beyond the reach Of most of the peO- !
pie among Us who seek college train
for their sons. Free tuition would
not offset the rise in the price of
board and the increased social ex-
pense which would instantly spring
from such sudden enrichment. Our
colleges need help and much help, but
do not need to get above our peo-
Die.
In addition to all these considera-
ions o1ySt no = r, - fnI oro{l,0 30
which we have by which our case
S greatly relieved. We have self-sac-
ifcing educators among us upon
whom we may rely with confidence to
'purn all seductions which lead in the
of e%nslaving our institutions
If learning to the d~ictatorial domi-
ration of The Genera Education
Board" They cannot be bought,