Newark post., 1912-11-20
The Influence of
the Morrill, Act
{ continued from DaQe g.

ter of industrial education and antedat
ing any important movement OF that sort
in this country, have been a great force
to ,iemocratize American education and
that they never could be true to their
foundation principles if they represented
anv thing else. In the writer 5 opinion
this j. a Fundamental reason why the
Land Grant Colleges will never find bed
of roses underneath the shadOwing pro-
lection of a corporation. They have been
founded, supported and stimulated by the
people. They must eventually look not
only for their support but for all their
protection to the same source. The Stand-
ards Of these institutions will be APPROX
ct 10y the people and will not De subjected
to the formal requirements of any out
side organization. Personally, | believe
it to he humiliation for any state insti-
tuition and especially for any Land Grant
CO,lcgr to accpIt the EcnetcCnce of the
Garnegip Foundation for the Advance
mrnt Of Teaching, upon the condition
that the standard or methods or any
thing else. shall hc measured by the
rOumdatiOn
am saving these things for the pur
po.r Of emphasizing the fact that democ-
rI,,j IN rnurdtiOH is 4 tHHdcmfRtW chdT-
n,tfl livfir 0f the L0ud Grant college and
tLat thc Hecd& IF the pc0Pic are the guid-
ina AUirttx for the state inStjtHtt0RS and
these two ideals have practically revolu-
tiOniZrd the education of the last fifty
wears. To surrender these two princi-
p!r, would he nothing short Of calamity.
THE Tendency, THEREFORE, TO OPERATE
AZ INSTiTUToN FOR THE SAKE OF MAIN
TANNING >TA%DAKDS Is ALI WHuNG As
SEE IT. An institution il to he operated
for the good it can 10; for the people 1t
can. ..fyr; Tor the science it can promote
and for the civilization it can advance,
Nv main contention is that the ideals of
the Land Grant Colleges are. just as
quoted above. essentially different from
the ideals Of the importer education that
round its organization in New England.
We are dealing with a native product,
home born, home trained and We propose
to keep it distinctively American. The
measure. therefore, of such institutions
j. always to he public service, increased
efficiency and the maintenance of the best
things in American life.
30 uog think | go too far in saying
that the close sympathy between the great
American public schools amt the state in
-titutiuu~ j. due to Il common IdpaiSm
ami that in the last fifty years there has
hrrl a steady approach to a prevailing
idea in the Land Grant Colleges; namely,
that the american College should find its
way TO the liberal education Of the indus-
triad rlt--,.~.
Now ii is noticeable that "ll other than
states Supported institutions atc cuI h@-
sizing for Inc past ten ycalS the tNrt Of
Jhr.r democracy and the fact that tNoir
oIucatiuu Should end in rutIj' service.
,.D Not regard il as an a"ri3tuj that
t.a-s, sentiments have cropped O@t after {"
2rl""@tiOu OF Ell icTicHcg HIIh surh instl-
tur5u,, q. are represented IN this usSoria-
tior. / kHoE also THAI the cmDhHsI, i
~u.Hr-.ur- pat upon III" art that the col
h-o -honti teach pre-. alc'i nCm for ICat-
rg~hlr hnt it is also distinctly u0tireahic
especially through The South, the West
ami Northwest, that the state supported
Institutions have taken the vnprrI areI
man aUd made u leader Of him, a lcadcr
however, who all the way through il
thoroughly democratic and thoroughly
american in his sympathics and in his
services
TO sum up: the influences of the Lam
Grant Colleges upon higher education
uould among other things, include tho
following: First, they have greatly stim
uIated the interest Of the people in high
cI appropriations. | shall not troubl,
YOU with the figures since it is a matter
OF common observation that the revenues
provided for higher education in the sev
cral states have already passed the fond
est hopes and the most vivid imagination
Of the men who organized these colleges
These appropriations have not been re
glired by law, they have come by reason
of popular interest. They have been lin
tied only 10y the state : ability to pro
Vide. They have rarely, II ever, been the
occasion of popular discomfort politica
overthrow or corrupt management. The
Young men and young women enjoying
the benefits OF these institutions have. il
a large majority of instances justified the
expenditures. The institutions them
selves apart from the education provided
for the students have demonstrated theii
capacity for public service and have car.
ried to the people al uplifting message
while frequently serving organizations OF
the state in the most effective manner
This spectacle in itself has aroused the
nation to wider interest in higher etu,
cation. 1t will be unfair to intimate that
they are beyond the reach of just criti-
ci>m and equally unfair not to recognize
the uplifting service both to higher edG.
cation and American life.
Second, the debates clustering about
the passage of the Land Grant Act, cOu.
pied with the experience Of the colleges
have set a precedent and proved the wis
dom of Federal Aid to education. The
fact that certain limitations have been
put upon the expenditure OF money pro
vided by the Federal Government is to. be
interpreted as directive and not as set
ting n limit to the Federal government 5
activities. | am out of sympathy with
the theory that the Federal government
may promote industrial or vocational III
casiou exclusively. 1t has been urged that
the public welfare clause Of the constitu
ton may be construed to include thi:
type of education, the inference being
that it could not include other types as
We'll. The steady growth of the Fedora
government S power to secure revenues
Will find its complete justification in tn,
fact that portion of these revenues may
lie used in the cause of education for tn,
purpose of developing people able t.