The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1914-12-29
UNIVERSITY SHOULD
BE UNIVERSAL

bound to say our university at Gaines
ellie is ornamental. Judging by the
reports of work accomplished we
strongly suspect that it is useful as
well. We are glad that we can say
this for the people of Florida have a
large amount of money tied up in the
university plant and will have to fur
nish a large amount more as the
gears go by, to keep the present plant
UP 10 its greatest efficiency, without
which all our university money is
wasted.
No matter what individual opinions
may be, the majority of sentiment is
that the state shall provide oppor-
tunity for higher education without
cost to its children. AS we have the
university with US, too firmly estab-
Aished for any change in the system
of public education to uproot it in a
generation or two, anything that can
be done TO popularize it, and increase
the area of the distribution of it's
benefits, will help the university and
lcip IHe people 100.
The only argument advanced
against the state having a university
maintained out of the public pocket,
Is that too much of the peoples mon
fesF rs spent for the benefit of too few
81 the people. This has some virtue,
but it is always difficult to find a
place to cut off the supply of public
money for special purposes of re-
stricted scope. Who will say that the
state board of health shall not spend
money to kill rats in seacoast towns
open to bubonic plague infection, be-
cause the inland towns with healthy
rats receive no benefit? We have to
look at these things broadly. 1t may
cost a thousand dollars to graduate a
boy at the university, but if that boy
should discover a way to get rid of
cattle tick at minimum cost and trou-
bic. the benefit would be shared by all
n proportion thousandfold the cost
= of the university. France was paid
back all the money spent on univer-
sites when Pasteur, a graduate, dis
covered a cheap way to kill the mic
robe that soured all the wine.
But if we must have a university
let us do all we can to make it uni
versal. If we can't make it universal
by bringing all the people to the uni
z7e1-sity, why not do it by taking the
university to all the people?
We claim no kin with little Jack
HOrner, and do not present this idea
as a plan of our exploring thumb. We
simply call attention to a plan now
being followed by other universities
notably the University of Chicago and
the University of Wisconsin. We be-
Tieve they call it extra Mural Work
or extension work.
There is no reason why our univer-
s7ty should not go outside it's walls;
IN fact, it has already done so. Far
n1er7s institutes long ago broke thru
the campus fence and are now being
held everywhere a crowd can be
gathered as far as the funds will per
init. Great work for agriculture has
been done by the outside work of the
university. Very well; let US make
the university work for those unluck!
persons who needed not the call Of the
sol, but who are worth improving
even if they are not so much to star
with.
As it is now, a man can write to the
university and find out what is making
!, 7 90 ca
man can write to the same place anC
ind out what is making his children
die. The university can now tell yol
ali about the citrus canker evil, thu
potato bug pest, the foot rot, witt
plans and specifications for gettinI
-Eerslty can go the same route witt
the legislative evil, the corner loafe
pest and the community dry rot.
To this end-making the universit,
universal-we suggest that the eXten
sion work already being done by tn
university be extended to include:
4 department of general informa
non and public welfare, which shal
include:
4 division of publicity,
A division of legislative aid,
A division of emigration,
\ division of employment,
A division of opportunities,
a division of distribution.
* this way the university may co
lect 1nforma on everything tina
ps,.oorv,- RI owe IF proparp