Evening star., 1911-06-04

ApiI 4Os 1SUO. more tndn nvo years ago.
the damage suffered by Stanford Univer-
sity has not been repaired. This Is due
to the restriction In the will of the late
Senator Stanford. which allows only a
small proportion of the annual income to
be used for construction purposes. and the
trustees have been bound by It, The
total damage suffered by the beautiful
and unique group Of buildings is esti-
mated at $2600 600: under the present
revenues the building fund is about $3.50
600 year. hence 1t will be several years
before the repairs are completed.
All tho buildings that were badly dam
aged have been taken down and the
material that can be used
Injury Done again has been carefully
Rn;1d;rc. sorted. marked and piled
up in the neighborhood.
The memorial chapel. which, as everybody
knows. was one of the most beautiful
OF all modern structures, is now
beginning to show something like its
old form. The steel skeleton Of the
dome has been completed and the brick
work is going on slowly. About one-half
OF the old material may be used again.
It has been picked over and identified.
and marked with wonderful ingenuity
and care. particularly the mosaics. which
were the pride and glory Of Mrs. Stan
ford. and made the chapel more glorious
In her opinion than the Temple Of Solo
mon. Perhaps one-half Of the mosaics
can be used again. None of the stained
glass was injured, but otherwise the
earthquake did not discriminate. Several
features Of the chapel might have been
destroyed without causing any sorrow
to the living, but they remained unin-
jured.
Perhaps the most offensive features are
the personal inscriptions which defaced
the interior Of the chapel. I once count
ed the name Of Jane Leland Stanford in
of Leland Stanford in fifty-seven. while
every relative Of the family living or
dead, had at least one.
Mrs. Stanford was a noble woman. Her
soul was filled with the loftiest aspira-
tion and the most benevolent purposes.
She was overwhelmed with q desire to
do good. and to uplift her fellow men, but
her ideas were not always practical
While one must admit that she had the
right to carve her name and the names
Of her relatives upon her own property,
she could have been protected from the
criticisms that are always directed at
the display Of bad taste.
AS I suggested, the earthquake did not
the monumental arch which furnished an
entrance to the most stately quadrangle
OF all modern scholastic architecture,
and spared grotesQue-indeed, a pitt
ful-exhibition Of vanity and affectation
in the form of life-size bronze group
showing Mrs Stanford kneeling at the
feet Of her husband and son, which bias
phemous students call "The Father. Son
and Holy Ghost"
The beautiful gymnasium. which was
312 by LEO feet, with an 'I" l16 by 200
feet. and surpassed all other buildings
of the kind ever erected, was totally de-
stroyed, and the material Of which II
was built is now piled up around the
site. The original cost OF the gymnasium
was half a million dollars. and 1t will be
restored precisely as It was before.
The library. also as near perfection as
such q building could be. and costing
s6OO.Oo for construction, without includ-
ing the expensive and artistic decora-
tions and the ingenious equipment that
had been planned for It. was entirely de-
stroyed. but It will be rebuilt according
to the original plan. and Of the same d.
mensions. 3O5 by 1914 feet. The reading
room will be surmounted by dome 40
feet high and 20 feet in diameter, and
surrounded by stacks OF steel sufficient
to accommodate a million volumes.
Earthquakes, like death. love shining
marks.
The low red quadrangles. with their
Moorish arches and overhanging caves,
look more like ha-
Moorish cienda in Spain, or q
al:.s Moslem monastery In
AIcuitectuIe. the deserts Of North
Africa. It Is as different from the ortho-
dox order Of scholastic architecture as
the campus Of 1900 acres in the valley
and the foot hills differs from the elms
of New Haven and the undulating hills
Of wiliiamstown. The effect could not be
obtained anywhere else. and in appear
ance, az well as in character, there Is
more individuality In Stanford University,
perhaps. than in any other great educa-
tional institution. The theories and
methods Of education practiced by the
faculty; the rules and regulations that
govern the students; the habits and Gus
toms Of the ndergraduates-andw we must
not forget the forceful personality of the
president-are without precedent or 1ml-
tation. But, taking everything into con-
sideration, the public can a1ord 10 over
look eccentricities, vanities and affecta-
tions that accompany an endowment OF
thirty millions Of dollars for the manu-
facture Of useful citizens. and regard
Stanford University as the most impor-
tant educational experiment that mas been
attempted for q century.
The students endeavor to make the In
stitution typical of western freedom and
independence; they have Invented their
own freaks and customs, and some OF
them are quite interesting. Having no
tradition to follow, and being proud of
their youth and isolation. they have en-
deavored to form rules OF procedure that
are as different from those Of other in
stitutions as possible. and In some cases
have succeeded.
For example, the seniors wear the cos
tune of the cowboy, sombrero and cor
duroys, which are very appropriate. The
juniors dress like tramps. They call
themselves plug uglies." and wear stin
white hats decorated with photographs
showing the owners fraternity, his
achievements in the classroom and on the
athletic field, his adventures. his ambt-
ton. and the incidents of his academic
career. after the manner OF the Indian
warriors.
The athletic contests, the base Dali ana
foot ball games, have often been dis
graceful exhibitions OF
Students and what they call rouen
house," and the shouts
Athletics. and 3eers Of the parti-
sans Of the players have created panoe-
mon,um which has completely destroyeo
~. ar,ovment OF the spectators. HeaI1-
. .nc thiS president Jordon has undertaken
,ns nafor,ns and will prohibit all games un,
iess ~ is stopped. But after shainelu'
less :. - discourteSy and hOodium