Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1913-12-23
IS UNIVERSITY
WORTH WHILE?
Recent Troubles With State
University Leads to Study
of Institution
QUERY Is DlSACREEABLE
Nat. u. Brown Asks If It Is
Worth Investment of Half
Million a Year

At this time when the University of
Washington and it's troubles are being
given considerable attention by the
press of the state, it might be well for
the people of the state to consider the
question: Is the university sue
cess? Has it done and is it doing any
real good for the state? Is the invest
meat of 100000 a year good one?
OF course such question and the con-
sideration of it causes great pain to
the cultured portion of our society
but it is time that the people consider
ed it. A million dollars biennium is
too large a sum to spend merely for
sentimental reasons.
The appropriations made by the legis-
lature each biennium for the Uni
versity of Washington is by far and
away the largest made for any depart
ment of the state government. The
entire administration of all the con-
stitutional offices does not cost as
much as does the Seattle institution.
Are the taxpayers getting any return
on this vast expenditure or is it only
like it should be considered to very
great extent money thrown away.
So small a percentage of the young
men and women of the state take ad-
vantage of the University that it
seems unjust to make the taxpayers
pay for their education. OF the TO-.
900 children starting in together at the
primary grades but one graduates
from the state university. That is
a very liberal allowance. Many who
have interested themselves in the
question believe that the average is
but one in 10000.
The parents of those 9,999 children
who do not 60 to the university must,
however, pay their share of the taxes
in order to give the ten-thousandth
child higher education. 1t would be
fairer if the youth that represented
the 10000 with whom he started to
school was sent on through the uni
versity because he showed himself to
be deserving of a college education
was one whose early school work had
shown him to possess brain that
could make use of the training re-
ceived at the university. But such
is not the case. He usually goes in
to the university because of some
marked accomplishment in athletics
or because his parents have the with
al to allow him to spend four or five
more years in idleness. There are o.
course many at the university who
are working their way through but
they are in the minority.
One of the charges brought against
President Kane by the board of re-
gents is that he was unable to con-
troll the student body. From reading
the University of Washington Daily
and other publications in which uni
versity news is featured, it seems to
me that the students overstepped
their bounds not because of Presi
dent Kane but in spite of him. They
seem to have no comprehension o!
what they owe the state. If restric'
tions are placed upon them thew
simply disregard them.
If the Daily published by the stud
ents of the university is any criterion
by which to judge the student body
the university has not accomplished
it's purpose and forms a needless burd
en- on the taxpayers. 1t has becoml
ultra-social, the educational feature
playing second or third fiddle to the
athletic events. the varsity BALI ano
other dances and fraternity and soror
ity doings No educational articles
are featured in the daily, except rare
ly, but social events and football
games are given banner heads. Take
the so-called varsity ball" recent,
held at the gymnasium at the campus
In spite of the fact that this ball was
held on state property, in a state
building, it was formal" Full even
ing clothes by both girls and mer
marked the occasion-and those
students who could not beg, borrow
or steal a dress suit remained absent
Again there is the socialistic tend
ency at the university. This is en-
couraged by no less eminent
member of the faculty than ]. Allel
Smith, who the Seattle papers de
clare is prominently mentioned TO
the presidency. Mr.. Smith, so far a
am able to learn, is close studen
of economics who has decided tina
the beautiful socialistic doctrines ant
theories if invoked into our moderl