Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1915-11-05

all the homes in the commonwealth,
who have the ambition to learn and the
willingness to serve. A New England
State impoverishes itself in the sphere
of higher education which singles out
one Institution as peculiarly its own.
1t has a claim upon all of them, and it
is yet to be proved that any will deny
their part and responsibility in the
common work.
The suggestion that some form of
official State control of an institution is
demanded if it is to share in public
funds was not born in New England
and is not correctly informed of New
England ideas. 1t is the spirit that
counts in such a matter and the letter
is of little moment. What does a SEN
sible Yankee care how seven or ten or
twenty men were designated to the
government of a college-wbat does he
care how they were elected or chosen?
If they are patriotic, if they administer
their trust with true public spirit, they
may derive their title how they mayf
whether from a Legislature or a gov
ernor or by natural selection from their
predecessors. 1t is the quality of their
administration which counts with the
people, not the method of their choice.
There is a tradition of a certain JUS
tice of the peace in the town in which |
live, euphemistically known as Judge,
Judge Wooster, who was wont to main
tain an argument strenuously and then
at its conclusion to observe-"How-
somever, | may be wrong; often am.
| do not wish to prophecy what will be
the permanent New England practice
in the relation of higher education in
New England to the State. On the
financial side, which | suppose is the
theme of this conference, | do not main
tain that the method | was asked to
present is the final solution of the prob
lem. | can conceive a situation in any
one of our States in which all it's col
leges or universities might regard them
selves sufficiently equipped and endowed
for their work, in proportion to other
needs of the State, educational and in
other spheres, and might voluntarily
r%elinquish all claims to State support.
1t may be a question in several of our
States whether the pressing needs OF
elementary education, especially in
rural districts, do not bring the duty
home to the conscience of those respon-
sible for higher education so to increase
their resources from private means
that the State may be relieved of fnan-
cial responsibility for them. | can
ever conceive of a millennium when there
will be formed in some New England
commonwealth a Board of Trustees for
public funds for higher education,
designated by the commonwealth for
the administration of all general funds
for college and technical education,
whether received from the United
States Government, or the common
wealth, or bestowed upon such a board
for general higher educational uses
within the State by the philanthropy of
individuals. | willingly concede that
the financial side is not the main mat
ter, but | do maintain that whether
with public support or without it the
, New England college has nc right to
any other ambition than the service of
the people whose ideals and whose
sacrifices have made its existence pos
sible. In that | am sure that | am not
wrong. If so be that the college shall
serve without hire, and its service be
still as true and its heart still as close
to the great heart of the State, all the
greater its glory.