Omaha daily bee., 1909-01-26
SERIOUSLY CONSIDERED.

Mr.. Bryan has himself cleared away
some Of the fog enveloping the pro-
posed school Of civics or politics,
which he in endeavoring to force upon
the university regents by pressure OF
his democratic Legislature. He ad-
mits that his idea is TO establish a
school at the expense OF the taxpayers
OF Nebraska. In which he will be n
Of the I lecturers, but offers the as
surance that in no case would he ex-
pect or accept compensation for his
part In the work OF instruction. What
he really has in mind is disclosed by
this incidental remark:
We ought to be able TO attract students
from other countries. and how could we
better help the Orient and the republics to
the south OF US than by educating the more
ambitious of their young men and sending
them back to apply American IDEAS and
ideals in the working out Of the problems
that confront their people7
This argument brings an entirely
new element into our university man
agement. The foundation Of the Uni
versity OF Nebraska consists in an en-
dowment OF school lands. and the pro-
ceeds of their sale, given to the state
at the time of its admission into the
union. to be used for the education OF
its youth. It's other income is derived
from student fees, subsidies from the
national government for experimental
agriculture and appropriations direct
out of the state treasury.
While students from outside Of Ne
braska have not been barred, the real
purpose kept in view so far by the uni
versity authorities has been TO provide
higher education for the young men
and young women of this state, and to
regard the university funds as trust
funds for the beneft of Nebraska chill
drcn rather than for the benefit of stu
dents from other states or foreign
countries. In a word, the aim has
been TO teach those subjects in the or
der OF their Importance most calcu-
lated to equip the youth OF Nebraska
for their after-life pursuits in this
state. That is why the greatest stress
has been laid on scientific agriculture
and upon branches which make for
useful citizens in an agricultural com
munity.
To spread his peculiar ideas Of poll
tics to ''other countries" at the ex-
pense of the farmers of Nebraska, Mr..
Bryan would have us build up a
school diverting money which should
be used for the education Of their sons
and daughters and make Nebraska as
sumo alone the burden of volunteer
missionary for "the Orient and the re-
publics to the south of u.s." It goes
without saying that students from
these distant lands would not come to
Nebraska in preference to other richer
and more renowned American univer-
stiles, wen assuming that they wanted
to study in this country, unless Ne
braska offered them something better
or different from the other schools.
Mr.. Bryan's idea, evidently, is that the
fact that he Is one of the lecturers
| WOulu dlOn6 uidN lHGcS btuutttlG-
which, of course. Ia quite possible
but to support him with other world
famed professors and instructors to
make the University Of Nebraska the
world center of higher education in
civics or politics would require the
centering of all the university's re-
sources at that one point to the neg
lect and detriment Of instruction in
other arts and sciences needed to Ia
BILE our youth to develop the resources
OF our own state to the utmost,
Irrespective, then, of the way which
Mr.. Bryan has taken to force the uni
versity regents to accept his scheme,
a school of civics or politics for the
purpose he outlines is, for the present,
impracticable for a state university,
and particularly for n located and
financially conditioned, as is the Uni
versity of Nebraska.