Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1915-02-12

VI euuCdJlOIi, IL WAS HdIurdl 10 Apply
the extreme ideals of democracy. So
college education was made a part of
the peoples education. This method
secured a close organic union between
lower and higher education, and so far
forth was excellent. But the pl tactical
working of the system has proved diff
ficult and sometimes disasterous, owing
to the inevitable and baneful influence
of politics. Therefore colleges in the
older States, as in California, are
struggling to get free from this COM
plete State control by obtaining charter
rights to limit such control and protect
themselves against the demagogic and
intriguing politician, whose new tricks
for mischief are liable to appear with
every session of new legislature. This
relationship of the college to the gen.
eral school system which the Carnegie
Foundation recommends under the name
of Estate ownership and control" may
be called the political conception, the
evils of which are too well known to
need specific illustration.
Thirdly we have the philanthropic
conception, which is a union of public
and private support of colleges that
places the colleges in distinct organic
relationship with the lower schools,
and at the same time protects
them from the dsorganizaing and
corrupting influence of politics, in
herent in the Estate ownership and
control conception. This is the most
natural, inspiring and fruitful method
of correlating higher and lower educa-
ton. 1t is the method of all COM
munties for carrying on philanthropc
and educational enterprises, like hospi-
tails, libraries and museums. Such a
combination of public and private re-
sources insures common interest, as it
bestows a common benefit. The man
who pays tax of one dollar for higher
education, and the millionaire who con-
tributes fifty thousand dollars are
working together for the higher in
terests of the community and State.
This is the general form of college
relationship in the Eastern States, and
to it we owe our best elements of social
and educational progress. But-with-
out offering any reason OF explanation
this method the Carnegie Foundation
condemns.
Let US now consider more closely the
attitude of the Commission iowa
higher education. The first fact we
observe is that the Commission has
no conception of complete system of
education at all. At least it reveals
none. Thirty-five pages of the report
| (one-fourth of the whole) are given to
a futile and irrelevant investigation Of
the question whether the historic Ira
/ Allen university is State incumbrance
or not, and not a single page or a single
line is given to an investigation of the
relations of higher education TO the
general system of education. More than
this, with the exception of higher edu-
cation in agriculture, there is not a
education. 1t is ignored, as "A matter
of no Importance to the State. And
still more. the Commission proposes to
disestablish the colleges, sever their
present relations with the State, drop
them entirely out of the system of edu-
cation, and put them back into the
medieval relationship.
In this short-sighted hostility to high
er education the Commission has merely
followed the dictation of the Carnegie
report. The conclusion of both reports
is that there is no necessary or vital
relation between higher and lower edu-
cation, that the State can get along
just as well without colleges as with
them, that the people have no interest
legations to them.
| The Commission proposes to make "a
trade arrangement, contract, with
two of the colleges to furnish ION
reasonable terms high school teachers
at so much per capita. By this method
of bargain and barter the State is to
pay the colleges only for 'speciic ser
vice rendered" that is, service that can
be measured by an office clerk. If at
any time an economical Board of Edu-
cation should think the price charged by
the colleges too high, it would transfer
its business and purchase its teachers
from some outside competitor, like the
Oswego Normal School, or a New York
agency. In this commercial arrange
ment there is no recognition whatever
of an organic connection between the
colleges and the schools.
In passing few words must be given
to this tremendous tempest in the Ira
Allen teapot, which appears to be a
troublesome obstacle in the way of