Evening star., 1912-07-07

r
- -~ will be discussed
next Tuesday by the National Education
Association at It's fiftieth annual meeting
in Chicago. This university. according to
bills new pending before Congress, is to
be a national foundation. created by fed
eral authority. supported by the almost
unlimited resources of the general gov
ernment and utilizing, as a part OF its
euuiprnent. the Library of Congress and
the federal collections of scientific ma
terial in Washington, which as q whole
are greater more valuable and more di-
verse than any like accumulations In the
world.
II was such a university that George
Washington dreamed of, recommended
repeatedly and made provision for in his
will, and that has been advocated by
eleven Presidents, as well as by great
numbers of other statesmen and by al
most innumerable leaders of the coun-
try's thought
In the university now contemplated
none are to be eligible for enrolment eX-
cept those who already have been grad
uated from colleges of f1rst-rate standing
and who wish to carry on useful, original
research work in a semi-independent
way The faculty of the university will
comprise the foremost scholars, sclen-
fists, thinkers and men OF genius In
every branch of human endeavor.
The work of the university, as planned,
will not be to instruct youth fresh from
school, in jejune truths or the small
change OF science and the arts. On the
contrary, the national university Will
confine its efforts TO making original con-
tributions to the sum of human knowl-
edge. II will start its investigations al
the point where the work has been laid
down by others on account OF death, or
physical, intellectual or financial hmita-
tons; and concentrating wealth and
brains to a point impossible for any pres
ent day institution, it will bring its re-
searches to conclusions the sfgnlncance
of which can now be only dimly con-
jectured
The Importance of Investigations such
as these to American science, scholarship
industry, art and letters, as well as 10
living conditions in tits country, may be
judged. say the friends of the national
university plan, by the effects upon Ger
many which followed the foundation OF
the University of Berlin, an institution
similar TO that which educators OF lnis
country now agltating.
The University of Berlin was establish
ed only little over hundred years ago,
but in this comparatively brief space IL
has shown accomplishments the diversity
and value of which are indicated by
mere enumeration of some of its faculty
members. Among these are Fiehte, one
of the greatest of the philosophers of the
absolute: Savigny. the jurist, Schieier-
macher. who is still dominating force in
theological thought: Boeckh, Wolff.
Theodor Mommsen and Curtius, the classi-
cists: Hegel. the philosopher: Meyer. the
economist; Niebuhr, Ranke, Treitsc>ke
and Aommsen, the historians. Harnack,
the historian and theologian, Virchow,
the physologist and politician, and Helm
holtZ, the physicist.
so many illustrious names in any single
century of its existence: probably no
other single center Of learning has added
more 10 the knowledge, the health and
the earning power of mankind-and es-
pecialiy of Germany-than has the uni
versity which maintained these scientists
and leaders of thought
The most important event in the his
tory of modern Germany" says David
StaN Jordan. president of Leland Stan
ford University, has been the founda-
ton Of the University of Berlin. There is
no trade or handiwork in Germany that
has not been made more effective by the
practical application of Investigations
made In the great university. There is no
line of effort in which men have not
grown wiser through the influence OF the
noble body of men brought together TO
form this institution"
1t is a university of the caliber of the
University of Berlin, which will not COM
pete with but will complete the work Of
our present institutions Of higher learn
ing. that is to be advocated next Tuesday
before the National Education Associa-
ton. Those who will address the educa-
ton body are President Edmund j. James
of the University of Illinois. whose sub
ject will be The National Association Of
State Universities and the National Uni
President
OF the University of Wisconsin, who will
speak on "A National University, a Ma
tional Asset: an Instrumentality for Ad-
vanced Research; President James H.
Baker of the University of Colorado.
who will discuss a National University
as Related to Democracy and President
William o. Thompson OF the University
Of Ohio. 10 whom has been ssgned the
topic. Ways and Means: the Next
Steps"
Additional force will be given to the re-
marks OF these advocates OF the national
University plan by the support of some
20 university presidents and former
presidents who have already approved the
project. This number Is exclusive OF the
heads os state universities, who are prac-
ucalfy unit for the proposed institution.
among the more prominent colleges and
universities whose presidents or former
presidents have approved the plan are
Harvard. Yale, Columbia, Johns Hopkins,
Princeton. Cornell Chicago Leland Stan
III a.
The support OF the National Educa-
tion Association the greatest organi-
zation OF its kind in the world. will, it
Is anticipated. insure added considera-
ton for the bills introduced into Con-
gTess little while ago. which def
nitely provide for the establishment OF
national university. One of these
bills was introduced in the Senate by
Senasor Gallinger; the other went be-
fore the House on the motion of Rep
resentative Mckinley. manager of the
campaign for President Taft's renomi-
nation.
The Gallinger bill calls for the incor-
poration of the University OF the
United States. whose purpose il shall
be TO provide facilities for the higher
and highest possible instruction ex-
clusively graduate in the whole field
of knowledge; to promote the
advancement Of knowledge by means
OF original research and investigation
10 provide the instruction needed To
qualify students for important posts in
the service of the state or nation and
Tor the practice of such callings and
professions as require for their pursuit