Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1915-01-29


many. Spain and France have been
Kept in balance by the Pyrenees.
Physical geography settled the coll
iese and university question by COM
mon consent, and almost without
argument in the state of Washing
ton. Consider the situation. In
1889, in Western WASHINGTON, from
Blaine to kalama, in trough be-
tween the Cascades and the coast
curtains, was populous strip
with many cities and towns and
meager bits of agricultural lands in
cultivation.
Along the eastern border from old
Colville to old Walla Walla was
narrow and po9uious strip. with
many small country towns and a
vast and rich agricultural territory.
IN the center Of which was Whitman
county, then and now our greatest
agricultural county.
From the center OF gravity of
these strips and settlements to the
center OF gravity of the other was a
distance of about 400 miles. Be.
tween these strips lay broad and
high mountain range-the Cascades
cutting the entire state in two,
north and south.
Adjoining this mountain barrier
on the east, and crossing the entire
state parallel to it, lay an arid and
semi-arid plain extending from the
base OF the Cascades on the west to
Adams and Whitman counties on the
east.
This broad strip OF mountain and
plain separating the two populous
strips was more than 25O miles
wide. In the census OF 1890, the
state of Washington had a popula-
ton of $4,000 plus. Of this num-
Der only $4,000 lived iii this broad
belt of mountain and plain and it's
largest town was Ellensburg, with
ZOO people, its population being
somewhat swollen in the hopes OF
receiving the location of the capital
of the state at that point.
Under these circumstances then,
and under the same conditions now,
it would be inevitable that by com
mon consent the university. being
in the western strip, the new institu
ton should be in the eastern. The
entire question of location, organi-
cation and functions, were under dis
cussion for the first two sessions of
the legislature, and whatever was
done was done adysedly. 1t was
almost equally certain that the col
lege OF agriculture and mechanic
arts, and the scientific school should
be united into single institution, as
they We're.
Commission OF Technical instruction
At this time there was no thought
OF such a thing as technical instruc-
ton in the University which was
still dominated absolutely by the
traditional educational ideals of the
past. But there was thought of tech
nical education (Which is industrial
education with a scientific basis in
the state school system. For the
new constitution, after declaring
that Education is of paramount inn
portance TO the state" provided that
the public school system should con
siSt of the com mon schools and such
high schools and normal schools
and technical schools as shall here
after be established. " The thought
was further emphasized by the pro-
vision for the college of agriculture
and mechanic arts, and the scien-
tific school, in the Enabling Act
and the acceptance of the provision
thereafter, by the state. 1t was still
further emphasized when immedi-
ately upon the converting of the first
Legislature in the last days of 1889,
a bill was established for the estab-
lishment of a Commission of Tech
nical Instruction, and for its in
quiry into schemes of technical edu-
cation in other parts Of the United
States. and in other countries; and
its organization of the Agricultural
College Experiment Station and
School of Science. Of the State of
Washington; and defining broadly
its duties. among which was the
training of teachers of science,
thereby turthering the application
of the sciences to industrial pur-
suits.
No one who studies the situation
can doubt the purpose of the state
to cover the whole broad realm OF
the new education, as it applies to
the entire range of science, technol-