Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-04-05
The Nations Educational Center.

The recent luncheon speech Of Andrew
D. White. In which he rode his main
hobby, Washington" struck the bull S
eye in specifying to meet the capitals
urgent needs two projects OF city deVel-
opment. He would build here memorial
convention hall, impressive in size and In
fine architectural lines; and he would es-
tablish or develop here a great university
The first project would practically per-
feet Washington as the convention city,
the meeting place Of all kinds OF organ
ICED Americans in convention assembled
II would make the capital the successful
host of a continuous and ever-increaslng
stream of delighted visitors from the re-
public and for international assemblages
from all the world. In connection with
the campaign for the George Washing
ton memorial this subject is Of keen and
Immediate interest to many public-spir-
tied Washingtonians.
The second project. suggested by Dr.
White, affects the permanent character
and status Of the capital and thus rises
higher than its mere equipment for the
more satisfactory entertainment of tran
sient visitors. It Is natural. and 1t Is OF
vital concern to Washington, that the
city develop as a national educational
center. The makers Of the capital have
In effect banished commerce and manu-
features from the nations city, in order
to conserve the attractiveness Of the CAPT.
tai as place of residence. and they are,
In consequence, under obligations to pro-
mote any form of industry Qike that of
education) which will bring desirable resi-
dents to the District and increase the
local means Of self-support without dis
coloring the buildings or tainting the
atmosphere with clouds Of soft-coal
smoke.
The benefit to be derived from the de-
velopment Of the capital as a great ed
ucational center is not confined to the Ten
Miles Square, but is national in scope.
DR.. White made forcibIe reference to the
completeness of the capitals equipment
In libraries, museums and laboratories,
and IN the experts in all branches of
knowledge available as teachers or lectur-
0rs, that causes Washington to be with
out a rival in preliminary endowment Of
the machinery of education and in the
possession and enjoyment of what may
be termed the educational plant. More
over, Washington, as the capital, is a.
school OF patriotism in the very nature
Of things, in its national exhibits, in it's
object lessons of the workings of the ma
tional government, and in the students
atmosphere and environment. AS George
Washington in effect proclaimed, it
teaches good Americanism as we'll as
the arts and sciences.
In his appraisal of the capital as the ma
t1on's natural and most conspicuously ap-
propriate educational center DR.. White
agrees with George Washington. who put
his views on record, and as far as he was
able endowed higher education at the seat
Of government. He also agrees with
President Grant. who in a message to
Congress made specific recommendations
along the line Of George Washington's
opinions. In agreeing with Washington
and Grant DR.. White disagrees with the
ueutenants who administer the vast edu-
cationa benefactions Of Carnegie and
Rockefeller, who have decided that the
capital Is not a suitable and At educa-
tional center even for the education Of its
own youth, and that higher education for
the people OF tho Ten Miles Square should
be furnished by Johns Hopkins or the
University Of Virginia.
Tho tremendous power, both con-
structive ana destructive. exercised In
the university field by what without
dierespect may be termed the Car
negie-Rockefeller educational trust,
makes its decisions matters Of vital
concern educationally to every COM
munity in the land.
II there were any appeal from the
heutenants OF Rockefeller and Carne-
gle to Carnegie and Rockefeller them
selves Washington would make it, and
would rely as its advocates upon
George Washington. Ulysses g. Grant
and Andrew D. White.