The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1909-07-03
~AspANeERous a

wheeling I~ntelllgencer, is afflicted
with dangerous sspnsm OF economy.
}The attack; seems sudden and severe.
Indeed. 5wttath mercury in the nine
t~aas,$one cannotthelp fearing for the
possible result. says the Morgantown
EPost Chronicle. Already there are
alar1nings symptoms OF aphasla. paresis
}or5 some Kindred malady. Otherwise,
how c~ouldat1e distinguished patient
Seriously suggest that the State un!-
Ferstty be abolished?
So far as can be- gathered from a
recent editorial. three considerations
}aeemss to have brought our friend to
this sad state of mind. i. Somebody
Says tleresIs one department In the
university in which there are two In
|~structorss and onlyF five students anil
another department with only three
fstutrnts. 3: In surrounding States
there are populous cities to wIicil
West Virglnlans are drawn for spe-
ciaI4 INSTRUCTIONS The Institution a.
Morgantown Is not likely to become
EasYa1e. Harvard or Princeton.
Now, as to the first %considera-
ton 1t would be Interesting to know
who the 1ntelllEencer's informant is,
and To- what departments he refers.
1.-THE university authorities tell JUS
that theyS know of no such depart
lments, and in the absence OF better
~geYIdence than the 1ntelllgencer pre-
sents. The Post-Chronicle is Justified
In asserting taat there are no such de
Epartmenlts. tt Is doubtless true that
aome3depnrtments are larger than 9TH
(ers. but that Is no reason for abandon
ling the smaller ones. Every sensible
{MeithaHtSkeeps on his shelves some
goods for which the demand is not
very great. And every good unlver-
ssity acts In the same way. For exam-
pie. Harvard has for many years main
talned a fine divinity school at great
] cost. Last year twelve instructors>i in
divinity taught thIrty-tour students
all told: But Harvard is not alarm
ed at this meagre enrolment. On
tue coptrary, Sac has recently add
ed six AndoYer professors of divil-
ity, thus making eighteen instruc-
tors Tor thirty-four students-less
than two students apiece. What hor-
lrible extravaganza! We advise ou-
friend to see to 1t that Harvard
abollshes her3: divinity school at once.
But the second argument is quite
as strangely illogical. Suppose sur
rounding States do attract some o.
our students. What or that? Are
not their farms and factories AMI
churches and commercial enterprises
q equally5 attractive to our young peo-
ple7 But who would be So !diotir
as even to mint that. on that &c.
count. we should abandon our West
Virginia farms and factories ana
churches and commercial enterprises?
II the existence of a good thing In
in State is to prevent its establish
ment IN another. there Is an end TO all
\ progress, and even to all civilization,
for that matter. No. no.: the argument
shows that West VirgInIn should I'M.
prove her Institutions. but not aban.
don them. Our Wheeling friends has
surely something wrong in tae crown
Of his hat.
As a further and conclusive arsu'
ment for abandoning the State uni.
yerslty. our lucid contemporary sug.
Eests that West Virginia university
is not likely to become a Yale. Har.
ward and princeton all combined.
Don't be too sure OF that. What has
been done may be done. And our uni
rersity has already become n Yale,
I Harvard and Princeton NIL combined.
a That Is to say. 1t now does more and
II haf#ar u,nrt than m ono nf fhnra yam,