The Daily Missoulian., 1913-01-10

| 4
ways attempts to secure consolida-
| ton. Because DIR. Duniway failed Is
no reason that his plan is wrong or
that the present plan is wrong In
commenting on DIR. Duniways plan at
the time, the Montana Lookout of De-
cember IL. 1908, says: No one who
can rise above the sectional dollar in
terest fails to see the advantages the
proposed change would entail''
1t seems to me that there is little
to be gained in dwelling upon the mis-
| takes made by anyone in the past,
whether it be the state board of edu-
cation or the legislators of 20 years
! ago. All admit that it was mistake
to divide the institutions for higher
! education in Montana into four parts
| The only question on which thinking
/ people seem to disagree in the matter
| is the practicability of correcting the
mistake at this late stage The Bill
lings Gazette, from which the writer
quotes freely admits the advisability
| of consolidation. All the state papers
admit the same thing when the plan
was first proposed.
! The writer quotes at length from
| the Columbus Journal, whose editor
| takes fling at all big" things. 1t
| certainly will be conceded that things
| sometimes get too big. but the argu-
| ment does not seem to be at all ap-
| plicable to this question. There is no
J one who would not prefer the educa-
| ton for the teachers profession which
| is offered by the University of Column
| bia to that offered by the normal
| school at Dillon, yet Columbia might
| be said to be dangerously big with It's
| 5000 students Neither will any one
question the superiority in an educa-
| tional way of a life lived in an atmos-
| phere of a great university where all
| professions are represented to that
| lived in an atmosphere of a small in
| stitution devoted entirely to one work.
1t was because the people of Ontario
realized the advantages OF many
sided view of life, such a view as is
! furnished by mingling with men of all
professions, that they adopted this
principal of consolidation. Around the
University of Toronto are gathered
even the great theological schools of
the province. And they are directly
affiliated with the university. This is
as it should be, for man to be an in
fluence in the world today must know
the men of other professions; must
| know and sympathize with all men.
There would certainly be many other
smaller colleges for all who prefer
them to the larger Institution, and I
! am as certain of their good points as
| is sold Timer" But the work of the
state is not properly the founding of
small colleges 1t is the duty of the
| state to see to 1t that at least one real
university is provided for it's citizens.
| 1t would be impossible for a small
college to carry on the multitudinous
talks of great university. 1t would be
| impossible, for example, for a small
college in Illinois to conduct the expert
ments in agriculture which have re-
F., suited in largely increased yields Jf
/ corn and other crops to the state in
the last decade. Such is not the work
| of a small college. Yet the small col
lege flourishes at its best in Illinois.
The work done in the small colleges of
| Illinois, Wisconsin and Minnesota is
recognized as equal in every respect to
the work done in their state universi-
ties. But they do not do the work of
the state universities. The people of
/ the United States are coming more
and more to believe in the great state
university. This is self evident They
are even coming to look with suspi-
cion upon the private institution IL it
becomes too large They feel that the
big institution of learning in the state
should be in the hands of the people,
and not in the hands of a private in
dividual.
l heartily agree with "Old Timer
tnat the educational institutions
should be given substantial support,
| and should not be compelled t, beg
for such support But l believe the
| impartial student of this question who
studies conditions in such states as In
diana and Iowa. and then compares
these states with those of Minnesota,
Wisconsin and Illinois. will come to
| the conclusion that the consolidated
university is better than a number of
i rival institutions, each striving to
grow into real university, but each
! finding it impossible to do SO for lack
| of funds.
AS to the matter of finance that
problem certainly will be no greater
| eboI lHc one IitStIileu To-Day Tor lne
| proper support of the four institutions
| already in existence. 1t Is not so much
a question of Can we afford to con-
solidate?" as it is a question of "Can
we afford not to consolidate?" 1t Is
safe to say that a tax of mill for
united institution would go as far as a
tax of 1k mills under the present
| system. We should not look at this
| question in a short sighted way. It
is not matter of year, but Of cen
! turies. That was the trouble 90 years
ago in regard to these institutions. If
the people who settled the question
| then had looked more to the future
than to the present year they would
| have settled the matter differently. A
state that can afford to pay $3.50 900
| for an institution like the Warm
| Springs asylum can afford $1,000, 900
| for a greater university. IF a perma-
nent tax is voted. insuring the future
support of such an institution, a bond
issue could be secured by that tax.
The state is lending money derived
from the public lands at Az per cent,
and could certainly afford to lend II AT