Los Angeles herald., 1909-12-14

I55vFEEsS0l NE hundred and ten years ago
lHSyMESI today death claimed man
lE Il WI whose hearts desire was the
lA E foundation in the city of
Ia y Ml Washington of a great ma
kkkgelEil tional university, broad,
liberal institution which
should be a fitting capstone of the
American educational system, and
when that mans will was read
it was found that he had left
a legacy which he hoped would form
the nucleus of a fund for the estah-
lishment of such an institution. mat
man was George washington, and yet
after the lapse of more than cen
tury, his desire is not fulfilled.
But IL plans now in the process Oh
execution do not miscarry, before an
other Washington's birthday IS cele-
brated provisions Will have been mace
for the erection of great memorial
hall, which, if it does not prove an en-
tire substitute for the university, VIII
at least accomplish many of The ends
that Washington believed would be ac-
complished by a national university. II
will take the shape of great $2,OoU,OO0
hall to be devoted to the uses OF an
scientific, patriotic, educational NJ
erary and art organizations throuGiout
the country. They all VIII be invited
to make headquarters IN the nal ,isn1i itLiu
dollars will be added to support IT.
rims will Washington's hope that
great Foundation be laid for the pro-
motion Of science and literature anu
the diffusion Of knowledge be reallzed;,
The finances of the enterprise VIII VIII
be managed in fashion that WI. WI
claim the interest of the child with
tbe dime as well as the man Of wealth
with the thousand dollar bill. Every
contributor Of a dime will be given a
hutton which declares his ownership
Of one of the bricks in the propoSeu
building. 1t is expected that chlldteh
everywhere will wish TO express Iheir
patriotic devotion to the rather OF ms
country by possessing themselves OF a
deed 10 one brick in a great memorial
IN his memory. If the movement sue
ceeds. and the names of those con-
nected with 1t give earnest that 1t Will
WA shington will become the sclehlilc
capital of the nation, even as 1t -
now the national seat of government
II is expected that the learned so
cieties of the country will be the
Ia rgost contributors. since the hall Will
be an lnestimable boon to them IN 'ielr
work.
This question of a great national in
stitution to lead and give direction 10
the thought of the country is as old as
the constitution itself In fact some
advocated making sure of the estab-
lishment of a university of the Unlted
States by inserting clause III the
constitution creating such an 1hstltu-
tion. By 1895 it had reached that de-
gree of fxedness in the minds of the
people that they were willing TO give
freely toward it's establishment. In
1895 Samuel BlodEctt. author of the
first American work on political econ
omy, reported to congress that he had
$4,000 subscribers to n fund for the
establishment of the University of the
United States. and that $50 900 had al
ready been paid in.
What became of that 1000 no enc
seems to know. 1t may have been
turned into the federal treasury, or it
may have been used up in administer
ing the fund-this often happens But
the fact remains that If that SIG, 600
had been managed as n trust fund, at
5 per cent compound interest, without
cost of administration, It would today
amount to the munifcent sum of 81,
100000. one of tho Indications that
there was dissatisfaction with the
work at that time is the fact that I'm
the succeeding year congress -efuse1,
but by n majority of only one. to au-
thorize the association to receive and
hold funds.
There has been a wide mlsunder-
standing Of the $4,000 bequest left by
George Washington for the founding
of the national university at Washing
ton. It was not a gift from his estate
at all, but indirectly from the state of
Virginia, and was in Che shape of
stocks that afterward proved to be
worthless. It happened in this way:
Virginia undertook to aid private en-
terprises in constructing inland water
ways In the issuance of stock for
this purpose the state asked Washing
ton 10 accept as a gift certain
amount Of stocks of the James River
company, and another block of stock
from the Potomac company. He re-
piled that while he appreciated the
great honor, yet he could accept 10
gifts for himself; but that II they
wished him to accept them as trus-
tee to convey them to some educa-
tional Institution at his death he would
do so. The James river stock went 10
what is now Washington ana Lee uni
yersity. and the Potomac company
stock was bequeathed for the founding
Of a national university. 1Iut the lat
ter stock was worthless. II was based
on the prospective navigability OF the
Shenandoah and Potomac rivers, above
Georgetown, which was never realized,
although a few attempts were made 20
send hat-bottomed boats up these
rivers. The circumstances relating 10
the bcouests, and the real facts as TO
the value Of the stock bequeatned,
have been overlooked in every report
made TO congress giving the history OF
tba legislative course of bills and rec