The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1912-08-25

The Q0tyoH1tey OF Cincinnati 10 uni
| vssxAlly regarded with special in
/ tsrsse BY reason OF its unique posi-
eior a. = municipal institution. A
| number of artdciss have appeared re-
Gently IN the leading ma gaxfnss and
neWvpapars Of the country, and they
al declare that the University Of Gin
ctnAatt n the best tye of municipal
university In the world. The Popular
| Science Monthly for July, for ex-
ample, has this TO say:
AT It's recent commencement exer-
cises, the University OF Cincinnati
| celebrated tho opening OF its new
| engineering building The university
itself and its cooperative engineering
course are among the most interest
ing and promising experiments now
| in progress in this country Cincin,
matt is the only city which maintains
municipal university. The state
universities are the best witnesses
that can be called in favor Of oar
democracy. An institution such as Tho
University Of Wisconsin, literally
supported by the State and repaying
MANIFOLD this support covering the
whole field Of university work from
| the most special research to the most
| practical extension OF knowledge
among the people, has demonstrated
what democracy can do for uni
versity and what r university can do
for tho State which maintains 1t. But
| centr0 hxation and great size have
their dangers. 1t seems to be neither
Ges,rs BILE nor possible for the nhi-
vers,ty Of n State TO provide education
| for all Its citizens. There are at
present about twenty thousand stu
dents II. the universities and colleges
! OF the State of Ohio. The number
/, has doubled In the past ten years and
| Will probably again double in the
course of a decade; within thirty
years II may be expected to be be-
! tw cen one and two hundred thousand.
| Under these circumstances 1t seen,s
to be necessary that not only the State
| but also the larger cities should main
| tain universities. The University o.
Cincinnati has demonstrated that this
| ~ feasible. At the beginning there
| may be neglect or political intrigue.
but these are sure to be automatically
ortgrown a. IN the caSe Of the State
univerMtieA In the end the univer-
Gty - liksiy to become a center Ct
civic pride. providing higher educa-
| ton locally and co-ordinRting the
| libraries, museums and other tnsti-
tutions Of tho city.
| The University OF Cincinnati In June
| dedicated mot only its fine engineering
| building, but also a gymnasium, The
| two buildings having been erected by
| the city At . cost of $4,000. At She
same time President Dabney was able
| to announce that gifts from private
citizens were the largest in nLr.bsr
ars the greatest in amount--about
| $3.50, 00o--'ever received. There Is no
reason why private citizens and alumni
| should not give a. literally to a NUM-
| cipal or State university As to a pri-
vate corporation. and We may expect
to SEQ q still more remarkable growth
OF 6tAte-supported institutions ~ the
alumni increase In numberA in wealth
and In power"
The New York Times. OF July 10th.
has an editorial based upon President
DAbney's address at the National Fdu-
cational association In Chicago. Com
menting approvingiy upon his state
mant Of thu necessity Of the municipal
university 70 educate all the people
| ana train experts for the service OF the
| city ,ths Times says:
The masses In the great cities are
| excluded from the opportunities OF
| higher education, save a. they grasp
them as bounty from the wealthy in
en- to promising poor scholars are all
very well. II 10 more democratic. DR..
pabney thinks, to provide the means
OF instruction and training at pub
io expense, since 'the city must look
| to tts own young men and women to
do its work" Tho citys university
| should be the brain and directing force
OF Its schools and Of Its entire intel
| lectuaL scientific. industrial, and So
cfal Life. Il should cooperate with
tho local establishments. the schools,
| libraries. museums, social settlements.
hospitals. and factories. training men
| to ssrve the practical needs of the com
munity. The city's ohief business, as
he sees It. IL not to gain population
and wealth, except as incidents to
| gaining or training men to know how
TO shape its laws, customs. and affairs
according to the bsst lights Of knowi-
| edge"
Tho municipal university has. how
ever. An even higher Significance than
this. It represents not merely the lat
est effort OF the city to educate its
own population, but 10 the embodiment
Of the highest ideals of American de-
mocrary. looking to the establishment
Of equal opportunity for all.
Historically speaking. the Unfver-
Mty OF Cincinnati - tho result OF city
effort and State legislation un-
paraileisd In this or any other coun-
~.
inR upon private endowment or church
support. the University Of Cincinnati
represents the unselffsh efforts Of
great numbers OF citizens for the
public welfare running back over
many years. IT. purross and aims
are. in fact. the nobiest expressions ri
the liberal and l,cmeratlc spirit OF
the pioneers who shaped the civiliza~
ton Of the Ohio valley.
AS early an 1907. only four years
after Ohio was admitted to the Union
a. . State. an act was passed incor-
porat ting the Cincinnati college. Its
development thereafter Is closely in
ter-wovan with the growth OF the city
In 1S14, the Cincinnati Lancaster
seminary was organized by T. num-
Der OF philosophical ciuxenz In
1919. the Medical College of Ohio
received It's charter. and. In 1898. The
Cinctnnati Law school was founded,
at a time when there were but three
other law schools In the United States.
In 1912. the Cincinnati Astron omical
society was formed and an observa-
tory built and equipped by public sub
scription. an unparalleled instance OF
the devotion Of the people of an
American municiality to the interests
Of science The observatory Is now