The Ronan pioneer. [volume] (Ronan, Mont.) 1910-1970, 1914-10-30
CONSOLIDATION WILL
INCREASE THE COST
Washington State College Head
Speaks From knowledge Of
Montana Conditions.

Montana into one institution located
at one spot, declares President Il. A
Bryan, president of the Washington
State College, who announces as his
conviction, after studying the plan
that consolidation in this state vii
not prove economical, and will be less
efficient by far. President Bryan is
we'll known in Montana, where by III
vitation he has delivered commence
ment addresses at both Bozeman anG
Mlssonla during the past five years
His letter, which is a complete study
Of the Montana plan of consolidation
from an educators viewpoint, follows
Il realize how difficult a matter il
is for person living in one part OF
the country to make suggestions as r.
the local educational problems of an
other part of the country, where thu
conditions are wholly different. How
ever. after | have lived in tie West
FOR some tWenty-0ne years, in a state
admitted by the same enabling act as
that under which Montana was ad
mitted, | have no hesitancy in giving
my views upon this subject. You say
n your letter that the opinion of a
arge number of college men is being
quoted favorably to the consolidation
OF the three state institutions al
Nissoula, Butte and Bozeman. One
great difficulty with the opinion of a
great many college men in such mat
ters, is that it is based upon the ideal
OF the greatness of an institution for
the sake of the institution rather
han upon the ideal of service to the
conmonW calth in the matter of high
81 education. If our aim was to make
The largest, richest and most widely
known institution, our policy might
be one thing, while il the aim is to
render the highest service in higher
to the people. of great
commonwealth, the solution of the
problem might be quite different An
other cause for the variation in the
Judgment of men on this matter is
due to the fact that many of them
live in states which developed their
system long ago, in a pc
Rod when many denominational
schools We're being established, and
before the final development of the
great system of national and state
education had been matured.
81 unhesitatingly say that | believe
It would be mistake to consolidate
he three existing institutions in Mon
ana into one institution, located at
)ne spot In the long run it would
lot be economical; it would not he
nearly so efficient, and it would be
necessary and inevitable that large
lumber of small and struggling in
titutions, with private and church
should spring up in vari-
'us parts of the state, costing the
'eople far more, and rendering them
ar less service.
Some Duplication Necessary.
"'The criticism that these institu-
ions duplicate each other in the mat
err of instruction is entirely super
cial. 1t is assumed when the state
lent is made that they duplicate each
ther that such duplication is neces-
ariy wrong, and ought not to be- AS
matter of fact, this conclusion is
ntirely erroneous. They do, and |
lust duplicate each other. My neigh
oring city of Spokane has two high
ehools, the North Side and South |
ide high schools. Each has large
lculty, large buildings and large
luipment and each is the exact du-
licate of the other. Why? This is
one in the interest of economy and
fliciency. Every great city in the
nited States presents a similar con-
ition. In the state of Ohio there are
fly degree granting institutions, in
ldiana nineteen, in Illinois between
venty and thirty. Each of these in
itutions is, in many respects, the
lplicate of the others. While these
went to the extreme
the number of institutions estab-
shed under private, state and de-
auspices, yet there was
ever any objection made on the
'ound that they duplicated each 9TH
), for the educational elements are
e same, and are universal, and must
} used wherever education is given
mean that the elements in language
udy, literature study, science study,
I'd mathematical study, are univer-
lily necessary, and wherever there
a school these must be used. Why,
all these years, have we heard no
jection, on the ground of duplica-
IN, in the elementary school, or in
e high school, or in the normal
hool, and now do we hear it in the
after Of colleges and universities?
ontana is a state of great area,
eater fancy. than all of New Eng
nd, where state lines count for very
tie. How absurd it would be now
+ the New England states to abol-
1 all of their schools except one,
the ground that they duplicated
oh other. There is an agricultural
llege in Rhode Island, which is not
1.r,