Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1914-11-12
LETTERS FROM THE PEOPLE
whit the Educational Commission WINS
Expected to Accompiish--More
Caution Urged.
To the Editor of the Free Press


In the resolution providing for the APP
polntment of the educational commits
sion, We find the following This COM
mission shall report at the earliest pos
sible date on the several rights, duties
and obligations of the University OF Yer
mont and State Agricultural College,
Middlebury College, and Norwich Univer-
slty with such recommendations as will
prevent unnecessary duplication and con-
seuuential financial waste" 1t would
have been well for Vermont and its edu
cational progress had the commission
confined its recommendations to the work
outlined for It by the Legislature. The
commission was not asked to follow the
lead OF professors from other States and
rival institutions, to declare broadcast to
the world that Vermont is too poor to
furnish complete education from the
kindergarten to the college for those
of her children desiring It. For II is
false. The commission was not asked TO
spread broadcast over the Union that our
agricultural college is a failure and its
trustees recreant to their trust. For 1t
is false Take a list of it's graduates and
you will find as high a per cent. OF them
vice of the United States as instructors
in the various State universities, and as
farm superintendent. as from any other
agricultural college In the land. 1t needs
to be better We are going to make II
so. But not by robbint Il of Just sup-
port, from the State. In advocating the
withdrawal OF state support from the
agricultural college, the commission shows
great solicltude for the elementary school
boy, but II fourishing agricultural college
in the State Is just az necessary for the
future welfare Of that boy as a good
common school. Vermont needs to de-
velop the sort Of agricultural school we
have at Randolph but such school is
secondary in character, trains a younger
class of students than the college, and
is no more a competitor Of II than the
school for army recruits is competitor
Of West Point. The type OF school at
Randolph and as it is being developed In
other States is very similar to the trade
schools for Industrial lines. It has come
to stay but the agricultural college Is
needed to supplement it, in training men
OF broader vision. not merely as teach
ers of agriculture but as citizens to re-
tendents. to lead those less fortunate to
better things. On page ll3 of Its report
the commission expresses it's inability to
tell what Senator Morrill, would say to-
dav were he alive. as to certain expen-
ditures. Yes. were he alive, what would
Senator Morrill,. Father of the land
grant colleges" say. when he heard that
an educational commission in his own
State advocated the withdrawal Of State
aid from its agricultural college Of which
he had been trustee for a generation. and
at time whom 1t was doing a greater
work than at any other period in its
history? Vote to make the agriculture
college stronger
The commission was not asked to de-
clare to all mankind ha our medical
college is a decadent institution, and I'M
worthy OF further State support. 1t lie
unfair 10 its faculty. It Is unfair to Its
graduates. found In nearly every city and
village in Vermont. Aren't they faithful
in ministering to the needs Of their COM
munities? Isn't their skill and success
equal to that of the graduates from other
States? Aren't they our own hoys? We
are proud of them. 1t is not fair to the
medical college to refer to the falling off
in attendance when the standard Of adj
mission was raised, The same thing has
happened to the institutions in all the
States when the standard has gone up
but II has been only temporary.
The commission was not asked to dis
cuss the matter of State scholarships
but it assumes this right and advises
these scholarships be abolished. AL
thoughtful citizens will agree these
these scholarships should be made com
petitive, placing every boy and girl on ar
equal plan In winning one, but not tc
abolish them. Or better still to provide
state scholarship for every boy anc
girl In our State, desiring a college train
ing. 1t is a mistake TO assume a gooc
common school is any more necessary tC
the prosperity OF a State than a gooC
college. True. larger numbers attend tn
one than the other but IT was Sheridan a
, Cedar Creek that changed defeat int
victory. not the frightened thousands al
ready there. Vermont sorely needs NOR
leaders. men and women trained In ne
own institutions who will be loyal to thu
State. The tendency of boys and girl
! educated in the colleges of other States
a
proud of the leaders Vermont has fur
nshed to the States at large and THU
has been going on for century. Isn't 1
about time we began to keep our hes
at home7 Students trained In other col
leges are ignorant of what ours can do
and tend 10 underrate the worth Of hom'
institutions. ! remember being presen
at a meeting Of the late Senator Morril
and the late Judge Crosby Miller botf
!, over 50 years old and both trustees o
the University of Vermont at the time
Judge Miller remarked. with much feel
ing on the utter lack of appreciation b,
r many of our people OF the work beinl
done by Vermont colleges Senator Nor
rill replied II regret It's We hav'
-, never given our higher institutions ade
q quate support. But I have patience L
y hope that with increased aid from tn
I government" and the larger graduating
f take up their work in the various com
a munlties. We shall come to have a Stat
% sentiment strong enough to give the uni
r versity all the financial assistance neces
4 sary to provide a college education 70
r all who may wish to come here" In tn
= commissions report, page 95. Senate
t. Morrill, is quoted as saying, THE funda
< mental idea was to offer an opportunit
q in every State for a liberal and large
Q education to large numbers not merel
. 30 hoo tA gn1a 20 ~