Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-10-07
Significance Of $780, 900
University at Saskatoon,
PROVINCE is FL0URISHING
Saskatchewan Has Been Making
Rapid Strides in Last Few Years.
FIRST STUDENTS IN YEAR 1909
Large Grounds Were Purchased.
Department of Agriculture Will
Open Next January.

was Mr. nt C1r's habit to prepare his mat,
sity. inasmuch as he often travelling. some
times in far distant lands aud with uptrust-
worthy c"m nm nsrnfn, behind him 1t is
never failed and now at the time ~ his death
there are in hand several letters prepared and
dates assigned for publication in ' sceoranee e
with the he custom 1 OF years The Star feels that
should he printed just though Mr.. Curtis
were living. It will therefore continue until the
end is reached the publication of this series Of
Curtis letters despite the fact that death has
fallen SO swiftly to put an end to career that
has few parallels for usefulness
BIZ WILLIAM E. CURTIS.
Special Correspondence OF The Star and the
Chicago Record Herald.
SASKATOON. Canada.
ANY person may be excused for incre-
dulity when I say that the people of the
province Of Saskatchewan. with a popu-
lation Of 341 ,521 by the last census, have
founded a five-million-dollar university at
the town Of Saskatoon, which Of itself is
no older than the average children in the
kindergartens Of the United States
There is a strong conviction that the
census which was taken in July will dis
close half a million inhabitants but even
that population could scarcely be ex-
pected to maintain more than half-mil-
lion.doIlar university. What would John
Harvard, or Elihu Yale, or Thomas JEFF
ferson or John Witherspoon have said
if they had been told that in this year of
our Lord the dwellers upon prairie that
was absolutely bare ten years ago
should employ a celebrated firm of archf-
tects to design group of TudoresQue
buildings costing a million dollars thou-
sand miles west of the great lakes to fur-
nish the instruction demanded by the
sons of the farmers VINO nave taken up
homes in that vicinity?
The Saskatchewan University Is the big
best and most significant thing l nave
seen in Canada. 1t Is one or the Dlggesl
and most significant things that ever nap
pened. Taking everything into consid-
Grafton, it is greater than the University
Of oxford or the University OF Bologna,
or the University Of Leipsic, or the Uni
versity of Berlin or Paris. 1t represents
an investment greater than any educa-
tional institution that has been 1oundeo
since the beginning of the world. AL
though the founders have mortgaged the
future to pay for it, ii represents an in
yestment Of nearly $50 for every man,
woman and child in the province.
Explanation Of President.
When I asked President Murray why
Saskatchewan should attempt univer-
sity upon such large scale. he replied:
perhaps the best answer is to be
found in the presidents first report. IN
which he compares Wisconsin with Sas-
katchewan. Wisconsin University began
to grow about forty years ago Today II
has $50 instructors. more than 4,OOO stu
dents, an annual income Of about $1,OOO,-
600 and buildings costing at least S4,-
100000 1t reaches in its extension work
100000 people and saves the state at least
81 500, 600 annually by it's discoveries. Wis
consin's population was about 100000 in
1860 and each decade it added about 3OO.-
COO Its area is 5000 square miles. Sas-
katchewan's area is five times as great
10000 square miles-with population
least 10000 in 1911. If Wisconsin ac-
complished so much in forty years. is it
madness to expect the same of Saskatche-
wan?
To-day Saskatchewan has more than
$50 students in the universities and col
leges Of eastern Canada and sixty stu
dents in Manitoba and the east.
Thirty years ago universities and ag-
ricultural colleges had to prove to the
people that they were useful. Today in
of the universities and agricultural col
leges Of eastern Canada and OF the west
ern states, there Is not farmer or busi-
ness man who is actively hostile to high
err education.
LAS early as 1880 the people of Sas-
katchewan appealed to the Dominion par
lament for land grant to found uni
versity. There were at that date WITHIN
the territory about 200 schools. with an
enrolment of 1,OOO children and an ex-
pendfture Of 10000. The Dominion gov
eminent answered that the request was
premature. and not until the country had
been divided and created into Separat tie
provinces could question of that nature
\ nd al 70 dealt with
Plans Are Made.
The next year the university gradu-
ates residing within the territories were
summoned to a meeting to discuss plans
for university. In 1891 eastern univer-
sites were requested to hold examina-
tons in various centers in the territories.
Twelve years later, in 1903, the legisla-
tive council passed an ordinance provid-
ing for the organization Of a university
for the northwest territories. At that
date there were about 1000 schools with
population Of 10000 ana an expenditure
of over $780, Nothing, however. was
done until 1907, two years after the
country had been divided and erected
into separate provinces. In that year
both Saskatchewan and Alberta passed
university acts and began actively to or
ganize universities.
The University OF SaSkdtcneWan re-
ceived it's fl: st students in 1909. That
year Saskatchewan alone, about one-half
the old territory. had over 1900 organ
ICED school districts, of which nearly
LOO were in operation, with an enroll
ment of $4,000 children. an expenditure
of over 81 100000 on teachers salaries and
total expenditure of 81, 5OO.O 600. School
districts were being organized at the rate
of one every day in the year, Sundays
excepted.
From the first it was decided to place
the university beyond the influence of
political parties. For this purpose the
university act placed the ultimate control
in the hands of a convocation consisting
of university graduates resident at that
date within the province The convoca-
ton elects the chancellor and twelve of
the seventeen members of the senate.
which has oversight of the educat ional
wo. X of the university. The senate, in
turn, appoints five members OF the board
of governors, the government appointing
three more: the president being the ninth.
The governors manage the business af-
fairs of the university. This organiza-
ton Is unique. and has the merit Of hav-
ing succeeded In removing the university
from the suspicion of being controlled by
political interests.
Non-Sectarian Institution.
1.-THE university is also non-sectarian,
and 1t has embarked on a policy OF
gathering about 1t a number of affiliated
tnanlnuino1 Sabnn1c IN, hot = ho