Watertown leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1909-1911, 1910-06-24
PRESIDENT OF UNIVERSITY TELLS
GRADUATING CLASS OF ALMA
MATTERS NEEDS.
DANGER IN POLITICAL CONTROL
Value of Institutions Work Cannot Be
Measured in Dollars and
Cents.
SCORES PERNICIoUs INTERFERENCE

| MADISON, Wis, June 22-The dan
gers to state universities resulting from
| political control, from the demand for re-
turns measurable in dollars and cents,
and from restriction of freedom of teach
| ing, were pointed out by President
| Charles Van Hise of the University of
| Wisconsin in his commencement address
| to $50 members of the graduating class.
| In times of unrest and change like the
| present, when new and important issues
are arising, DIR. Van Hise declared, men
of learning who know the past, interpret
| facts broadly, and have no other pur-
pose but the greatest good Of the greatest
number, should be absolutely free.
Times OF unrest and change are not
times for the university to trim its sails,
| he asserted. The state has a right to
| demand OF the university expert service
| in valuing the public utilities; it has the
| eqnal right TO demand expert service in
| politics and sociology.
The strength Of the state university
| lies in its close relation to the state.'
| said Dr. Van Hise. THE state demands
of it service; the university feels pc
culiar obligation to the state in which
it is situated. 1t is the duty of the staff
| of the state university to be at the serv-
ice Of the state along all lines in which
| their expert knowledge will be helpful"
| Continuing, he said:
The state owns the university, and every
citizen feels himself to be a stakeholder In
| close relations which are the strength OF
the state university, are also the most Sc
rious dangers: IT, These ns are that the univer-
it may be hampered in its work.
Danger of Political Control.
To the danger Of political control the
| state university Is especially exposed in its
| youth. A number of such universities have
suffered from politics in their early his
this country that as the states have deve-
| oped, the danger Of political interference In
less. At the present time there is no se
| rous danger Of political control In any OF
the older and stronger state universities.
The other danger-interference with the
universitys work-has two aspects; first, it
may be demanded that teaching which looks
| toward material ends shall be strong while
! the humanities are allowed to remain weak
| and undeveloped; and, second, freedom of
teaching and investigation may be inter
| fered with
| It is natural, indeed inevitable, that the
| people shall demand that effective teaching,
research, and extension of knowledge shall
in other fields from which financial retur urn
may be shown on the Investment: These
| demands are right, and should be fully met
by the university; but the people should
! for men and women. Why should we wish
| to produce more wheat and cotton? In or
! clothed But "the life Is more than meat
| and the body is more than ratment."
Universities Must Make Men.
Shall the people demand Of their univer-
| sity that it provide for their material needs
and neglect the people themselves in
| yelopment? The university authorities must
| insist that man shall not become subordi-
| If the people will support state uniyer-
| sity in which these ideals obtain, then can
| il truly be said that democracy is a sue
The remaining danger Of the close asso-
| citation of the state with the university is
! tne possibility Of interference with the
| freedom of teaching and investigation In
! general such interference is likely to be
| Indirect rather than direct, and Is therefore
| eli the more insidious A sentiment will
| be developed or situation arise in state
sucb that the professor feels that he is NOT
| free to teach the truth as he sees it.
For my own part, have no doubt that in
| oil the states in which the state universities
| are strongly established, the overwhelmino
majority Of the people are in favor of ali,
| solute freedom Of teaching and investiga
tion, but frequently the deep-seated. don't
| there are always some who would place 1inni
tations upon the field Of the university. ''-DA-
| 4 university must insist that the ,bo,
| domain Of physical and human phenomena
| belongs within its scope,-pure science an'
| piled science, politics, morals, religion are
| proper fields of study for a university "ie
No part Of the domain of human eynor,
ence knowledge. or ideas can be set off az
| forbidden ground.
! before him in the light Of pure reason VIII
| no thought but to find the truth, who'll
| uninfluenced by popular sentiment or no.
| sion Shall the university be free tn ta p"5
| that a certain practice in agriculture ~
| wrong and to advocate new and imnrovoSS
| practice, and the same principle not ami
| in politics and in morals? Such a nositin1
| would be intolerable.
No institution which does not handle the
| huma mites in all their ampliications nndar
| the same principles that 1t handles the nura
| and applied science, is worthy of the name
| of university.
| Must Not Force Teaching of People.
| The staff of the university, on the other
hand, should be free. from intellectual ar
Fogance, and devoid Of any attempt to force
| their Ideas upon the people. The university
professors, above most groups of men,
| should recognize the complexity Of the facts,
i lutte; and so, without fear and without
| bias with frmness but with profound hu-
mility, present their Ideas to the world to
| jected If found inadequate.
| The state university should not be fol-
| lower, but leader, and in all fields The
| ade OF this Twentieth century has led to
| many new proposals in all fields. The con
| seryatives have sometimes been disturbed
| because questions have arisen which in the
| past have been regarded as settled
| With reference to such questions 1t has
/ some times been said that the university
should keep off; that it should let the bat
| tie be fought out by others without any
| attempt at leadership. This position the
| university authorities and its friends must
| firmly resist.
| tant issues are arising, when old convictions
| are being questioned, men Of learning, men
I Wisdom IF tho