Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1913-05-02
Small Colleges in Danger?

In recent editorial we called atten-
college and the probability of its be-
coming municipal institution, the
property of Akron, o. Now we have
at hand an article by Professor NJ. G.
F'rampton of Pomona college in the
college quarterly on The Educational
Crisis In this article he declares that
the small colleges ara facing a serious
situation; that they may be- forced TO
yield to the popular clamor for voca-
tional training.
In Buchtel's case the college had in
creased largely in numbers but not in
resources. 1t became simply impossi-
BILE to 60 good work with the endow-
ment at hand. The proposition to turn
it over to the city of Akron and re-
eeive thereby an enormous prestige as
well as financial backng-a public
service institution. swapping some of
its OLD traditions for lease of life and
efficiency
Professor Frampton says:
With this problem of scholarship
comes the even greater one-the al
most Herculean task of unif ying about
| Il high IDEAL of life d student body
Imade up of two DISTINCT types of stu
dents. those who desire d vocational
Education and those who desire q lib
eral one. How great this task may be
| IL suggested by the words of the Joint
Committee on Requirements at Cali
fornia which says. in part explanation
of the new ruling, that the changes af
feet subjects practically all be-
longing peculiarly to the field of sec
iondary education considered as an end
lin itself" This means that part of the
lstudent body will consist of those who
have no desire for the higher educa-
ton and that this part must somehow
be SO handled rs not to prove drag
IN the scholarship and ideals of those
Whose ambitions are greater. The pos
Isible effect on scholarship we have al
Iready seen. The possible effect on the
ideals is even more porteutous. For
1.-THE new element in the college will by
Inc means be the small minority. The
percentage of students offering units
lin vocational subjects and in one yeal
lof foreign langua ge is advancing il
: this State by leaps and bounds. De-
Ispite the many restrictions placed by
Pomona. as we have seen. upon th'
Hist of accredited entrance subjects 3
lper cent. of the class of 1915 Offered
: units in such subjects, 49 per cent. o
y the class of 1916. Two years thus saw
Y lhalf the student body offering sucl
y units at entrance. or course, many o
;, these students do desire higher edu
e tcation; many had enough units with
4 out those under discussion. But re
/ move all restrictions, as California ha
lust done, and the percentage of stu
dents DESTROYS of the higher education
II will be threateningly large, ! sa
u lthreateningly because if the judgmen
, of the California committee is correct
d the ideals of this large new elemen
= will be materialistic. They will be In
: terested in those things chiefly whic
Y tell for quick practical success in life
:. And with large element in the stu
T. ldent body holding such aims, the tas
r of holding the ideal of the whole to tn
~ level where the colleges have proud
\ held ii in the past will be one to caus
{, even the optimistic to hesitate
nj There is the situation which We bt