The Ronan pioneer. [volume] (Ronan, Mont.) 1910-1970, 1914-10-30

maintains a separate agricultural col
lege, and New England is full of 9TH
or higher educational institutions. 1t
but when it had as small population
as Montana it nevertheless had it's
Yale, and Harvard, and Bowdoin, and
others which have made New England
the intellectual as we'll as the Geo
monte center of the United States.
"There was a day, not too remote,
when the local community could be
we'll supplied by private and denomi-
national schools. In that day, while
education was altogether literary and
comparatively inexpensive, with the
growth of modern scientific and tech
nical education, with the development
of the high schools. this is no long
er possible, and if the state does not
provide for it the people will be de-
Erived of the possibilities of a school
of higher learning within any reason
able distance
Consolidation Not Cheaper.
1.-THE general assumption that the
cost of higher education will be less
ened by the consolidation of the
schools into a single institution is con-
trary to the fact. In chemistry,
physics, botany, zoology, engineering,
agriculture. and almost all of the mod
7 ern subjects, the cost will increase
in proportion to the numbers. The
number of square feet of floor space
per student, the number of instructors
required, the amount of apparatus
necessary, and the amount of mate
rails to be used vary in direct pro-
portion to the number of students. AS
the tendency is so largely toward
scientific and vocational education we
can readily see that the saving by
consolidation would be very slight.
1t shows itself mainly in the admin
istrative field, and yet not so much
here as people generally suppose, for
while it reduces the number of chief
administrative it increases the num-
Der of subordinate ADMINISTRATORS
proportionally.
lhere are Otho" reasons why con-
solidation has a tendency to increase
the cost, rather than to diminish it.
The average layman would not I'M
derstand this so we'll as the col
lege man, but as institutions grow
larger the demand for the minute
subdivision Of courses increase, and
the giving of many courses with
very small number of students in
them, is one of the vices against
which the larger institutions must con-
stantly struggle. An extreme case of
this comes TO mind in the University
OF Chicago, where the entire time
OF one man was given over for the
year with a class of two people in
Middle Gothic. This is by no means
an extreme case in the very large |
institutions, and is a tendency in all |
of them, tendency sufficiently great |
to overcome certain possible eco
nomic conditions in other directions.
Need More Colleges.
"There can be no denial that when
we take into consideration the cost to
the people of going to and fro to a
remote institution, that the total cost
to the commonwealth is vastly great
er in a great state like Montana
where the institution has central
location 1t is On this basis that the
city high schools are scattered
the city, rather than being
located in some central spot. The
cost of going to and fro is greatly
reduced thereby.
In one respect an educational in
stitution shows the same law as light;
the intensity decreases as
the square of the distance increases.
If you will carry this figure out, you
will see that the light of learning
would permeate the state vastly bet
Ter by having number of institu.
ions, than by having single one.
81 believe that the separate insti-
.utions, each having separate boards,
serving without pay, except for &C.
,ual travelling expenses, would give
you the best service. 1t is curious
act that it is possible for an institu- .
ion to avail itself of the highest sery .
ces of the best men of the state with .
out compensation, for the manage .
nent of its educational Institutions, .
1t so desires, and in this way the .
may be entirely separated .
rom the political game, combina- I.
ion greatly to be desired i.
Some Rivalry Beneficial. !
Much is made frequently of the
mall rivalry between the several in.