Los Angeles herald., 1909-12-14
Washington Memorial Hall
Bv Frederic IL HaSkiR

concentrations for the establishment OF
the national university.
Those who are presenting the inter
ests of the George Washington Memo
rial hall see in the national capital the
ideal meeting ground for the men of
| science, of letters and of art In the
activities of the various bureaus they
see more results than could come from
| the researches of an institution with
hundred million dollar endowment fund.
| AS stated by one of them, "Albeit with
out name or proper domicile, without
charter or definite organization, there
| is today in the national capital a fed
eral institution Of knowledge more eff
| cient and more useful, occupying a
higher and broader plane, than any
| other institution in existence. It's pa
! irons are the founders and builders OF
| the nation; its chanceilors, past and
! present, are such masters as Henry,
Baird, Maury, Powell, Newcomb and
Langley, whose fame is as broad as
civilization; its regency is the federal
executive, legislative and judiciative
combined its faculty includes nearly
| all American creators of knowledge its
| fellows are q thousand picked post
graduates and its preparatory schools
comprise the organized universities and
| colleges OF half hundred common
| Wealths."
This Is even more true today than
| when it was written n few years ago.
| Since then che scientific activities of the
! government have doubled, and never
before has it spent so much time and
money in discovering important scien-
tific truths and applying them to hu-
man needs. With the government rep
resenting the greatest organized effort
| to further the interests Of science to
| be found in the whole world, and
with Washington as the home of the
! Smiths onian institution, the National
| Geographical society, the Carnegie in
stitution, the library Of congress. the
capital 10 already the center of science
in the new world,
The senate Of the United states has
| standing committee on the University
| Of the United States, with a member
! ship Of nearly q dozen. Senator Gug-
| senheim of Colorado is its chairman.
There was a day when it seemed that
| this committee would realize the pur-
| pose Tor which it was founded. But in
late years IL has served no other pur-
pose than to give a committee chair
| ndnship to some senator, carrying with
| 1t the usual perquisites Of a committee
chairman. 1t has made several re-
ports favorable to the establishing of a
| university, but none of them has been
! within hailing distance of enactment
into law.
In 1902 Andrew Carnegie gave $40 000,-
| o0C to the creation of the Carnegie in
| stitution of Washington In discussing
the gift Mr.. Carnegie said that it was
| his first thought to fulfill the expressed
/ wish OF Washington by establishing
/ great university. lie said that ii cost
/ him some effort to push aside the
! tempting idea of a Washington univer-
sty, founded by Andrew Carnegie. He
! ls.-r,e4 Of Il 70,
/ ton in establishing the Carnegie in
stitution was not to be construed as in
any wise hindering the future founda-
ton Of national university.
1t is expected that all Of the great
! philanthropists of the country will be
ready to give literally toward the pro-
| posed Washington Memorial Hall of
| Science. Already many of them have
! Indicated their deep interest In the
| project by allowing their names to be
used in connection with 1t. Everybody
realizes that Washington, besides being
an ideal convention city from the
standpoint OF the scientist, is also
strong in it's appeal to the patriot.
| Given a great han where the largest
organizations could meet in comfort,
| hundreds OF such bodies which now
meet elsewhere would go there, and be-
sides furnishing a clearing house and
J
! fill a long felt want as a general con-
vention hall.
The proposal to build a great science
| hall will not be open to the objections
| urged against the national university.
| che need Of such hall is admitted by
| everybody. Not so with the national
university. Many believe that every
| educational need is met by existing
| facilities of established universities,
and that to establish national uni
Versty would be to injure those now in
| the field. IL is also asserted that such "A
university cannot be established except
| by an amendment to the constitution,
! and that this fact was recognized by
Jefferson himself; although Chief Jus
tice Fuller has dissented from this view
| by heading the board which has led the
| fight for the establishment of the uni
versty 1t is said that religion would
| interfere with the establishment of the
university; that If one religious theory
| wac taught the adherents of other
| creeds would be angered, and If no the
Clogy was taught there would be equal
criticism, and that the same would be
true OF political economy. Whether or
| not these objections and kindred ones
are we'll taken, the fact remains that
they have a potent bearing on the sub
| ject, and have prevented the establish
mcnt of the university. But the friends
| of the washington Memorial Hall of
! Science project say that no objection of
any sort can be urged against it.
TomOrrOw-King of Grain Crops.