The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1914-06-26
Three Cities After University

Sucn tnat they Will rally 10 the cause ana
furnish the funds which we need.
Three Cities After University
I'VE are aware of the fact that a great
deal will depend upon the offer We re-
ceiye from the places desiring the uni
versity. Birmingham. Atlanta, and, 1
learned day before yesterday, Columbia,
S. c., all are engaging In similar cam
paign for the university Either of these
places from geographical standpoint
would be suitable. AS to the other par
ticulars, I don't know.
II have been asked how much of an
offer ought to be made to give a good
chance of success to any given place.
can't answer that question. The COM
mission has never acted upon it. There
are a great many questions that enter
into the matter of location. | would say
however, that the general consensus of
opinion in informal discussion in our com
mission was that should have from
the place which secured this location an
offer of an adequate campus, necessary
not only to the present uses, but to the
future development of such an instf,u-
ton as we propose to found; that in addi-
ton to that we ought to have an offer of
at least $1,000,000 We think that that
would be necessary to give us a good
start in this great enterprise That's a
great deal of money but in comparison
with the need and benefit to be derived
it is not such large demand.
What are the advantages of having
the university in a community? We can
look at that from two points of view,
both of which will appeal From the
ethical standpoint, from the effect upon
the life of the community and the worth
to a community II is more than the
human mind can grasp. Now we come
down to the other side of 1t. Is 1t worth
anything to community from purely
business standpoint? Does It pay to have
an institution and what does it pay?
believe If you would consult today the
fortunate cities in America that have
universities you would find that the same
amount of money put into any other
enterprise would be inferior as an invest
| ment. You employ a great many profess
| sors and they are high priced men. Sew
| eral business men are necessary to ham
| die the business side of the work and
| they are high salaried men. Large num-
bers of young men are gathered from
| all over the country I'm this instance
, from all over the SOUTH and they spend
money with the people in your COM
munity Say that you have, when such
an institution is in full operation, 1000
| young men in all of its departments. and
| such an estimate is very conservative.
Each of these young men spends not less
than $500 a year, and the estimate of ex-
| penditure Is far below the average
Much Spent in University City
| Every cent of this money is spent in
| the university city That goes for some
| tfing to eat, for necessary articles in
| the school work and adds that much to
| the regular revenue of the city
| II judge that in all Greater Birming-
| ham you have few enterprises which
| have pay rolls which circulate much more
than the university would in the COM
munity year by year perpetuaily.
1t is paying proposition in another
way. There is hardly a university city
| In the United States in which you will
not find large numbers of people NOV
| ing into that community for the purpose
| of educating their children and having
them at home. 1t is a source IF increase
| in population which is not to be despised.
| 1T is paying proposition to the man
| who takes the broader and higher view
and looks to the benefit of.the comrnun-
ity in the ethical aspect. 1t is a paying
| proposition to the man who takes a COM
mercial view. Either way it pays
| Regardless of where the university is
| located the commission is not going to
have anything small. 1t will be a univer-
| sty of which the entire south can well
be proud. We propose to have first
class institution or none. We are build
| ing Tor all time and you need not be afraid
| OF any shoddy work on the part of this
commission establishing this institution.
Will Be Nonsectarian
I'm regard to the UNCONVENTIONAL char
acter of the university itself. There is
a vast difference between denominational
| education and sectarian education. People
\ sometimes confuse those two things The
fact that this is to be the university OF
| the Methodist church, south, does not
mean that 1t Is to be a narrow, sectarian
| institution I hardly know Methodist
institution and we have many of them
that has not in its faculty. in it's teaching
| force, some men who are not Methodists
We do not propose to let our denomina-
tioral preferences interfere with free
| dom of education or breadth of education
If we are to command the patronage OF
our own people this institution In the
work of education must be the equal of
! any institution to which our Aeople can
send their children. The day his passed
when church people Will support their
educational institutions regardless, and
\ justly has that day passed. We will con-
| troll the conduct of this university but we
will not lay down rules as to the re-
| ligious preferences of the students there
"Of course, from our standpoint it is
essential that in one department of
the university our beliefs be taught.
That's the theological and biblical de-
| partment. We make our preachers
there and you can see the reason for
having that department given over to
our faith and tenets. But even there
we have things which other denomina-
| lions agree with us upon. We have
control of that department absolutely
Church control of the other de-
partments does not make the unutter-
| able folly of trying to teach medicine