The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-12-20
ROCKEFELLER AID TO
GROWING COLLEGES
Report Shows More Prosperous
Schools Arc Favored i'm
Giving.
ECONOMIC REASONS RULE

Economic considerations chiefly have
shaped the gifts OF John D. Rockefeller's
General Education Board. and the college
situated In prosperous and growing COM
munty with good standards and wise
financial policy has ever been the one 70
receive money help-noarly always in the
shape OF endowments. This much is re-
vealed by the second lnstalment OF the
General Education Boards report. made
public yesterday.
The board has been in existence nearly
a dozen years and in that time has dis
pensed many millions " dollars TO such
colleges as met it's approval. In that
time u has been subjected to considerable
criticism for not making public reports.
A big report covering all its past work,
is to be issued January /. Meantime the
board is Issuing abstracts Of the main re-
port. This second instalment deals with
It's policy as 90 gifts
The three main features IL says, "of
the policy OF the board in making gifts
to colleges and universities are:
preference for centres OF wealth and
population as the pivots ~ thu system.
Systematic and helpful cooperation
with religious denominations.
Concentration OF gifts In the form "
endowment"
Regarding the conditions when the work
began the report says:
"Of the hundreds Of colleges and uni
versitics struggling for existence a. the
time the General Education Board was es-
tablisbcd. thlrty-fpur, privately founded,
had cndowmentS valued at 100000 1r
more. OF these thirty-four twenty-three
were situated In cities and growing towns.
The eleven situated less favorably had
q Lea, sd. al D..
5000 students the twen,y-three more
favorably situated had S72 600 600 OF en-
dowment and almost $4,000 students.
THE 400 that had less than $500. 900
endowment each Were nearly all situated
In rural communities, where they were
waging sad struggle for means and stu
dents
Moved. therefore. bv the foregoing
facts and considerations. the General Edu-
cation Board has 10y preference selected
for assistance Institutions situated within
u field where students could Toe easily pro-
cured where the fostering care OF a pros
porous community could I've counted on.
where an appetite for knowledge and cul-
ture could be readily stimulated and
grathed Al the SANE time. it has not
passed by older institutions Otherwise To-
Gated.
~ second factor Of immense importance.
particularly in the carly days OF develop
lntnt. - Nhr l'td'i'NS'ip VI u tp'l'Ee 10
religious denomination. II has been
already pointed out that religious bodies
have very uuwisc.V ovcrmut.plicd col
leges. thus scattering students and re-
sources.
But on the other hand. they are en-
titled To the credit ~ having founded
and maintained most ~ our vaally sub
stantial private foundations. Their 10y
atty to the college has a. rule not
ceased even where the denomInatioual re-
latonsnp no longer holds
yale. founded and long controlled ~
Congrt gationalists, is sim their prde even
though In scope and ideal It has littlc IN
common with the small college established
to provide an educated ministry for the
denomination. Princeton owes as much TO
preshyter!ansm Brown 20 the Baptists.