Evening star., 1909-06-09
and the degree of doctor Of divinity o
Ulysses Grant Baker Pierce.
President Needham's Address.

Columba-a national university, to he
created by congressional legislation solely
for graduate studies. and university in
the true sense. covering undergraduate
and well as graduate studies and Offering
to the people OF the District the same
opportunities for a thorough education
and the higher education as those enjoyed
locally by the people of the states
The George Washington aimed to he
this kind of university and to perform
this high and useful function for the
people of Washington. II might be that
the development of the university along
these lines had proceeded too rapidly: IL
might be disclosed In the future that the
sustaining power of such a university did
not locally exist: but the imperative need
OF the community for such an educational
institution for its young men and women
was obvious and unmistakable. and the
university had been and was now strug-
Cling with high purposes toward the ac-
complishment of noble and useful end.
important in the last degree to the local
public welfare.
In explaining the growth of the univer-
sity from the college, and commenting
upon WaShingtonS 8 educational needs. Dr.
Needham said:
In the United States. and perhaps II
is the general rule everywhere. uni
versity is a growth and development from
a college. There are few exceptions. but
generally the root. or IL I may change
the figure of speech. the heart OF every
university is its college of liberal arts.
This is true because the college Is the
place where those subjects are taught
which give breadth of view. depth OF
intellectual activity and an intellectual
discipline to the student. which form the
true foundation for all specialized work.
This result is obtained BY the study OF
the language and literature of the civil
lied races. past and existent. in the
worlds development. Without such study
there can be no wide vision, no sound
knowledge of the aspirations and ideals
l,nI NNy1l ltSh n la hos n
human race. Without such view no
man he broad in his sympathes. or
learned, While primary and secondary
education Is the foundation of all or
ganiZed education. the knowledge of the
literature and the history of the world
in arts and in sciences Is the center OF
all higher intellectual culture
The organization of the college should
be such as to give broad and fundamental
training in subjects essential TO the pur-
suit OF graduate and professional work.
1t should be thorough and deep rather
than diffused. and include from three to
six topics In mathematics. physics. chem
istry. geology. biology. Greek. Latin.
German, French, Spanish. history. po-
litical economy. philosophy and psychol-
ogy. with good laboratory work in chem
istry. physics and biology The spirit OF
the college should be strong and COM
pelling. forcing the student to self-activ-
ity in the requirement of knowledge. The
spirit of scientific investigation should
prevail. tnuS arriving al the truth along
the stepping stones of facts.
Such a college becomes the center
of university life and activity and from
| 1t the true spirit of education and cuI-
ture emanates. The appeal for such
! college in the District of Columbia has
been almost irresistible. We have
population made up very largely of
people who are i'm the government en-
ploy. One hundred and fifty thousand
of the white population of the District
lylah ia Ia lon Sa1
| ries paid by the government of the
| United States. The heads of families
are officers of the army and navy. men
in the civil service and in public life
! These people are of high order
intellectually. Their sons and dauEn-
ters are of a high grade. and it may
| be said without reflection upon other
communities that this city furnishes an
1 unusually proportion of pupil material
of A high order for college. technical
and professional schools. The fathers
are very generally college men: the
mothers have been well educated. many
| of them i'm the schools for women in
| the states. and they desire to have
their children receive a college educa-
| ton.
Advantages to Students Here.
The salaries paid by the government to
the greater number of its people in the
District will not permit OF the expense
! of $1,000 year to send son or daugh-
| ter to a college, but if there be a unver-
| sity within the District doing the regular
| line of college work, with good teachers.
and in addition to the college of liberal
| arts has undergraduate technical and pro-
| fessional courses leading to the bachelors
| degrees in the sciences il is possible then
| for them to bring the financial expense
within their ability to bear and give their
/ sons and daughters the benefit of such
| higher education. Every state in the
1 ,A..v,+
| institution, and some of the states have
| more than one college or university.
| Higher education along technical and pro-
| fessional lines is becoming more general
every year. Every man who expects tn
! become an engineer in any of its divisions,
an architect, a teacher, a lawyer, or a
doctor, a dentist or a pharmacist must
| have the opportunity to prepare himself
according to modern methods he goes
out with a serious handicap. In fact, in
| these strenuous days when the great in
dustres cannot teach apprentices and
allow a man to wholly learn his calling
while serving it it is imperative that he
| have the advantages of higher education
| to fit him for specialized work. In the
| District of Columbia we have few indus
| tries or commercial enterprises that offer
opportunities for our young men. The
doors of the government service are being
slowly closed to the District. The rising
generation therefore has little hope for
| successful living unless they can secure in
| the District "A thorough education and
training in all the departments of uni
versty work. This is the only way in
which they can fit themselves to go into
the states and obtain satisfactory posi-
tions
This university has for many years
faithfully served two groups of students
represented upon this platform today.
First those who give their whole time To
securing education and come to us
direct from the high schools and other
schools
second class are those who are employed
| tween the hours of and half past
o'clock in the day and can only take class
work before and after the hours of their
employment. The work for each group
has been done by the same professors and
teachers. and in each case has been
equally thorough and good. The stu
dents are admitted by the same stand
ards and are required to do the same
quality of work. In equipment and fit
ness to do the work assigned them they
stand upon equality. the only differ
ence being that the average age of the
group made up of those who have en-
ployment and can give only part or
their time to classroom work is little
higher than the average age of those who
come from the preparatory schools.
Unifying the School Bodies.
For some years the university carried
on the work for these groups in separate
colleges, one doing its work in the day
time and the other in the evening. thus
| isolating each group In fact. all the