The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1911-11-23
FIRST LETTER OF A SERIES.

1
tion of series Of letters relating Il
certain school matters that seemed Il
me to need public attention and which
could not be reached by the ordinar.
, methods of procedure. My first series
related to high schools. AT the end O
that year announced that my mex
series would relate to the state uni
versity. This is the first of series Of
letters in continuation of my original
plan.
THE STATE UNIVERSITY.
The public wants to help the uni
versity, but it does not know bow to
do it except to give it money, mo- ey,
and let it have its own way The uni
versity is the child of the state, be-
loved child, and spoiled child. The
people of the state when they were
poor and when the state was new,
created the university. There were
then no alumni to deluge with frantic
appeals for aid. Alumni were unnec-
essary, for the university was an ideal
and faith ia the hearts of the people.
They saw visions and dreamed dreams.
They knew some of the older and
wealthier states did not have state
universities. Why did the pioneers of
Wisconsin want one for their very
own? Certainly it must have been be-
cause they had an exalted opinion OF
the value of higher education in re-
lation to the general welfare. They
might have said, let those who want
higher education go where they please
and get it and pay for it. But they
did not; and all honor to them that
they took the unselfish, broadmnded
view of so vital matter.
From that day to this, the state has
cherished and even pampered the uni
versity. In the generosity of their
hearts they preferred to err Oh the
side of lberality and freedom rather
than on the other; and that was well.
1t would be surprising, however, if
under such treatment the university
| did not overreach and become a head
strong, self-willed child of the state.
| 1t would be little less than miracle
if it did not become aggressive and
dictatorial, the final outcome of which,
if carried to its logical issue, would be
domination of the state by the univer-
sity,-the parent by the child. e
That we have been approaching such
a condition of things by more rapid
strides than most people dream of, is
my candid and deliberate opinion.
That the university may in part be
unconscious of this trend cheerfully
concede; but that it is wholly so can
not for moment believe. Those who
think that the university wants to
make the laws of the state, interpret
them, and execute them, are no doubt
extremists, but any one who has
studied the trend of things for the past
few years, must, | believe, see that
they are not so far from the truth as at
first blush might appear.
The intolerance of adverse criticism
which has been manifested by the
university is an unfortunate symptom.
Directly or indirectly, all who adver-
sely critic!se the university are put 10
confusion or rout. The result is that
the public, in the main, is kept unen-
| lightened except for the kind of news
| the university wishes to nave the pub
lie read. There is naturally growing
timidity on the part even of regents
and members Of the legislature in OPP
posing anything the university wants,
or in advancing anything that it dis
tinctly does not want. 1t will be
readily understood that in general,
| concrete illustrations must be omitted,
| for the reason that in order to be
sufficiently definite, they must he per-
sonal. | shall venture to give one
| illustration which is recent, and which
is comparatively from the personal
element.
At the last meeting of the board of
regents, the university presented a
recommendation to the board, asking
concurrence in "A plan that was already
consummated except for the approval
Of the board of regents, to the effect
that certain civil service positions in
some of the commissions at the capitol
be turned for the current year, into
paid fellowships for university stu
dents, the university to make the Sc
lection. | think it is safe to say that
no member of the board was entirely
satisfied with the proposition. Objec-
ton was raised that we were thus
side-steppihg the civil service COM
mission, and furthermore, that some
Of the students were to be brought in
from outside the state. But the board
was told that the civil service com
mission had given its consent, and
that the commissions had approved of
the plan, and the students had been
selected, and that nothing remained
but for the board to express its approx
al, and the board did. No newspaper
in the state so far as ! am aware, ever
mentioned this action as news item.
'erhaps it was not worth mentioning,
and perhaps it was wise procedure,
but it should be noted that policy of
rather wide-reachirg significance, as it