Evening star., 1909-05-19

ton whose rank among universities Is
extremely high there has always been in
policy the main idea Of building up an
institution which would add to Washing
toms claim to be an educational center.
Purpose Of Retrenchment.
With educational work in the university
being carried out on the high plane which
has been reached, George Washington is
tees feel is worthy Of loyal local support.
1t is WashingtonS nOn-denOminational
university, and Washington has shown
pride in it-a pride which can be measured
by the fact that this year there are 573
out-and-out Washingtonians, enrolled
there By that is meant 573 young men
and women who can claim no residence
city but Washington. 1t is the one chance
which thousands Of Washingtonians have
to receive collegiate or university edu-
cation. and If the endowment which is
sought for does not materialize the in
evitable outcome will be that much Of the
good work of the university will be lost
to the city. Some Of the schools will be
closed and the students simply dropped.
The institution may be compelled to re-
vert to night-school basis.
Recognizing the conditions. the trus-
tees have started to retrench to the low
tanning the present high standing. There
has been no secret that the university
needed money.
This Is what President Needham said
in his last report. dated November 10.
1908:
TT is apparent that the university can
not go forward on its present policy of
advanced work with increasing numbers
of students without provision for the an
nual deficit"
This bare statement preceded the sensa-
tions that have been raised recently when
the knife began to reach the bone in the
economizng and cutting-down-expense
operation. The fact is that there will be
sistent with keeping in existence a uni
versity OF high grade. Wherever a salary
is cut or a man dropped it will be, in the
Judgment of those responsible. to the best
interest of the university. Some of those
who have studied the affairs Of George
Washington for many years and who
are today willing to give their time and
counsel that the university may be the
best in the land. deprecate the criticisms
that have been made on the administra-
ton. but at the same time say that the
louder the cries Of those who seek in this
way to advertise the slim purse OF the
university the more they advocate the
very thing which the university is doing,
George Washington University has an
enrolment of 1927. Princeton Univer-
sity, exclusive of students in the Theo-
logical Seminary. has 1901 students.
johns Hopkins mas 12O, Dartmouth mas
938. Other well known universities. such
as Lehigh. Virginia, Amherst, Brown,
Bucknell and Western Reserve. have en-
rollments ranging from 459 to Oil.
In the graduate work George Wash
ington University stands sixteenth among
the universities in the enrolment Of stu
dents In the past decade, and is twelfth
on the list of higher degrees conferred
during the last eleven years where the
subjects have been in the natural and
exact sciences. This work is growing,
and some time will be the crowning fea
ture Of the university work OF Washing
ton.
There is tremendous demand and need
for a great university in the Capital city.
With the thousands of students that pass
from the great public school system and
those who graduate from private schools
here there is enough Of a demand for
such a university as George Washington
has aimed at being, and when there are
added to that the thousands Of men who
come to the capital Of the United States
to find higher and professional education,
such as that Of medicine or law, it will
be seen that the university, IL taken care
of. well endowed and with ample facilities
and buildings, would some day enroll four
thousand or more students.