The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1911-10-03
SMALL COLLEGE
HAS BIG PLACE
DR.. coWLlNc, PRESIDENT OF
CARLETON COLLEGE, DELIv-
Erred INSPIRING ADDRESS TO
STUDENTS OF FARGO COLLEGE
THIS FORENOON.

"The main work of the small COL
lege is teaching and the formation
or character" was a statement made
by DR.. Cowling, president OF Carle-
ton college, In an address at Fargo
college this morning. The subject
his remarks was The Advantages of
Small College, and ia the short
space of fifteen minutes DIR. CowIing
made II very clear that such institu-
tons had a very important mission
to perform In our modern civilization.
In speaking of the history of higher
education In this country. DIR. CowIing
said that the early colleges as Har-
ward and Williams and Mary were or
ganized to I'LL an important place
between the high school and the uni
versity. They were small colleges, in
stituted not with the primary object
to advance science or maintain the
standard OF culture and learning, as
our big universities aim to do, but
with the avowed and main purpose to
teach and form character.
The speaker, before coming to his
main subject. pointed out that the
work of the big university, which is
primarily for the advancement of sci
ence by research work and the main
tanning of the standard of culture and
learning. Is altogether legitimate and
has its place in our educational sys-
tenn. He did not under estimate the
immense Importance OF the uniyer-
sity which turned back to the country
far more than is tied up in its endow-
ment and equipment
Harvard was a small college," said
DR.. Cowling, and that type of college
has spread over the whole country, and
you are one Of them. Those eastern
colleges have now passed beyond that
type and are now large universities,
but the small college and the ideals
for which they stood at first still exist
and form one of the largest factors
in our higher educational system.
Il don't believe college should have
more than 500 students" continued DR..
Cowling. THE attempt to introduce
the German system Of higher educa-
ton few years ago pretty near put
the small college out Of business and
they have had a hard time. But be-
lieve the small college stands for two
things, which repeat every time I
try to convince a business man that
S~ASJ nAcO AACGu blOnGNs HHLt LIlaI
Is small and can teach better than the
large university. Teaching can be
done more effectively in class of
twenty than in a class of 300." The
speaker then dwelt at length on this
point and by comparison with Yale
where he spent four years.
and illustrated how the student gained
In coming in personal contact with the
professor in the small college, and the
loss of this in large university like
Yale, where the student is lost in the
crowd
Then again, you have a different
class of men and women and profess
sors in the smaller institutions" was
another point given in favor Of the
small college. "They are interested
in teaching and not in MAX
ing a reputation for themselves by
writing book or making some start
ling discovery in the sciences.
THE second thing for which the
small college stands is the religious
atmosphere. The fundamental prin-
ciples of our civilization must be bas-
ed on christianity, and in laying this
foundation the small college can do
WIZ WAAIh LAAS A444N q SHY can never
hope to do.
Remember that Of all the vast num-
Der who start in our public schools,
only 10 per cent Of college students
ever get a degree. Remember also
that SIS per cent of the men mentioned
In the last Who's Who are college
graduates.
Il would advise every college stu
dent" said DR.. Cowling in conclus-
ion, ito get four years Of arts. You
will be all the better doctors and law
yers for the four years spent as an
undergraduate Get your college
training right here in this college
Don't come to Carlton. Don't come
to the Minnesota university. You
will miss some of the. pleasantest
memories of your life If you do so.
These are the advantages of the small
college. The superior teaching and
the christian influence. That's what
we base our argument on. Now 1t is
for you to stick on the job and stick
to 1t right here