Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1914-03-19
The School and Community
Needs Topic for Discussion.
"I1ducation and the stnte" the Theme
of the Opening Address by Presi-
dent r. J. Alley Of the Uni
vcrsity of Maine.

the university in the Science hall Thurs
day. He sho ed how the State is the
most At and effective agency for the con-
Quoting of higher education, and prophe-
sled that the State universities would
reach higher development than any one
now dreamed of. He said In part:
In democracy, education of all the
people Is a necessity. The growth of free
education has had an interesting history.
Not very far back the elementary schools
were private. There was much opposition
to public education at first. Still later
the secondary schools were private. They
played a wonderful part in the history of
the country. 1t was then argued that
secondary education belonged only to the
select few. But finally all opposition to
public high schools was overcome. The
growth of the high schools in the last
twenty-five years has been remarkable.
Higher education like the other two
branches has been thought to belong to
private initiative and private support The
first founders of private colleges were lib
erty-loving and disliked aristoc1cy Yet
they could not break away from the idea
OF the aristocracy of intelleCts. And still
many people measure the scholarship OF a
speaker by the difficulty which they have
In understanding him.
When the United States began opening
up the great northwest territory, there
was written in the ordinance an encour-
agement for education; one-siXtoenth of
each section of land was given for educa-
ton; and In Ohio two townships were
given over to State colleges. The
States which were carved out of this ter
y int hot
visions for public educational system,
from the elementary grades through high
er education. Thomas jefferson had the
same idea in founding the University of
Virginia He considered it one of the
three things in his career of which he was
most entitled to credit
We have changed greatly in our notions
of the questions of State Police protec-
ton was at first held most important.
To-day we look up the duty of the state
from an entirely different standpoint. We
believe that it Is the business of the state
to develop the best that is in us, and to
give every child chance to make himself
understood.
The State used to pay little attention to
the poor and feeble-minded. The State
now considers criminals differently. The
State looks beyond the present. This is
seen in the realm OF education. The State
Of Illinois, for instance, has given two
and quarter millions annually for high
| er education.
Our age depends upon knowledge as no
other has. In the early DAYS OF orr his
tory. before competition was developed,
when resources seemed unlimited. the
| need Of scientific knowledge was not as
necessary as now. Amidst rapidly chang
ing conditions we need leaders: we all
need the subtleness of mind and adjusta-
| bllty to adapt ourselves to such chang
| ing conditions.
Pioneer days in America developed al
extreme individualism. This tended tC
| give suspicion to the man of "bool
| knowledge 1t took over 80 years for mer
who had faith in scientific farming t
| make an impression on the agricultural
industry In the last ten years men hav,
begun 20 believe less in themselves and
more in knowledge. Chemical knowledg q.
| Is the biggest asset of Germany" say!
a German. We are all resting on knoWl
edge as never before.
Higher education should not he the ex
elusive privilege OF any organization OF
|
church should come into the excluslv,
control of higher education. Greater still
would be the calamity If controlled by
private wealth. The conservatism of ex
elusive church control and the caprice o
the individual are both disastrous.
1t is sometimes argued that if highe
education is taken on by the State that TIN
market for scholars would be glutted
some think that you can have too man,
scholars, that some men know too much
| There isn't any danger of having to-
many men who know, or having any on
man who knows too much.
| Mr.. Pritchett OF the Carnegie F'ounda
ton said a few years ago that the Stat
universities and the great public schoo
system Were the greatest evidences of on
| civilization. Higher education as carrie'
on by the State Is one of the greatest eX
hibltions of freedom which l know sal,
the speaker. The State is impersonal, i
has no pre-conceived notions, it has no
the caprice OF the individual The indi
viduals who compose the State are al
ways changing. The state Is the sponso
of freedom as is no other organization o
individual.
Education to-day has como to have
three-fod field; to acquaint the peopl
with the knowledge that the world nov
has, and to teach them to apply It; bu
it exists also to simplify and clarity tn
present knowledge; then 1t exists furthe
for pushing the boundary Of knowledgc
Man to-day has great curiosity. TIL
universities offer the best chance to sat
isfy this curiosity. Practically all knowl
edge comes to have a practical value. In
diana. Iowa and Illinois have gained 3
much in the knowledge OF simple India
corn, that the gain In wealth in thos
three States in one year will supper
the State universities for quarter OF
century.
Universities to-day have many time
the number of students that they had
quarter Of n century ago. In 1891. Stan
ford University was opened. All the news
papers said that the education field wa
filed. They now have 1000 students an
the University of California has grow
from 400 to 1000. There isn't a Unite
supply of mSterial upon which institu
tons can operate. They create an appe
lite for knowledge. If all the educationf
institutions in the country should doubl
their capacity, there would still be youn
men and women who badly needed NOR
education. The gain I'm numbers of one ir
stltution properly conducted means a gal
in members for all neighborlng instlt,
tons,
The State better than any other agenc
, can perform the three-fold task. l yer
ture TO predict that hiphsr education