Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-01-31
NATIONAL

Sltr out OF the men ana laboratories
and books which Uncle Sam has gath
cred at WASHINGTON is one Of the new
est and One OF the oldest before the
American people to-day.
1t Is new because a bill has just been
introduced into Congress BY Rcprcscn-
tativc Tess. of Ohio, which pro vidcs for
the founding of such Il university: and
it is old because George Washington
recommended 1t in his first message
10 Congress-
In fact, George Washington ala moro
than recommend il. The most stlbstnn-
iial Request in his will was an appro-
priation of $4,000 to aid IN the found
ing OF this national university, which
seems TO have been a plan very close
10 his heart. Now, the advocates OF
the project in Congress to-day are
asking what has become of that $4,000.
IL was evidently paid over to the Treas
ury OF the United States, and all ac-
count OF II in some way lost. Yet IL
must be still! among the national funds.
anu furthermore, il has been drawing
interest for something over "a century
Representative Fcss calculates that ;his
littlc ncstcSG, beQucathcd by George
Washington 10 the American people,
must amount TO about St,Q0OO0O to-day
trusting Mr.. Fcss for the mathematics
II would seem that in n .cry real sens.
the Treasury Department owes the
american people $1,000, 600 to be used
for national university.
Wnshlnsston's Grcnt Enci!itTrs
There are few Americans who realize
what wonderful facilities for such an
establishment thcy have at Washing
ton. Any university consists OF men
books and laboratories The govern
( mcnt has. in the ilrst place. the Library
-! Congress ana numerous highly spe-
cl"lized Libraries belonging to the var!-
GUS departments Ia those departments
1t mas exports upon almos, every SCI
cncc and art. ana laboratories worth
millions OF dollars.
Mess You have come to WASHINGTON
ana explored Intimately among the
government departments Won have M
conception OF the interest and variety
OF their activities. II you are. an iron
manufacturing, for example ard want
TO know tho modulus OF tcrsion OF an
iron hhr OF certain diameter, You
can =" out 70 tho bureau OF Standards
ana isnd man vino is a leading au-
thority on tho subicGt and a laboratory
whlch Is AZ good as money can buy
If YOU arc Interested in raising fur
hearing animals. YOU can 20 TO the
/ biological Survey and lind a man who
dcvotes al! his time to studying the
subject. lie IS competent 2oo!ogist
of scientific standing, but he is also a
practical fur farmer. He Will take You
out TO tho geological gardens in Rock
Creek Park, and show YOU a large col
lection OF minks aud martins which
he is raising on corn bread and skim
med milk. T YOU are an astronomer or
mctcorologist. Uncle sam has some
of the best ohscrvatoricS in the world
! for studying the stars and the weather
Eut. perhaps. YOU are Interested in
none OF these things. Perhaps YOU arc
| just Il home excepting person, interest
! cd IN cooking and dnrning socks. Very
well. Uncle Sam is s.ill with YOU The
| Department Of Agriculture has an cx-
| pert chemist who dcvotcs all Of his
time to dcvisinr new rcCipcs for jel-
| lies and jams. He has learned how to
| make strip out OF cider and preserves
| out OF orange Feelings.
VAST Educational Resources.
1t would be impossible in. one short
| article to give you any idea OF the
! wealth of Uncle Sans educational re-
! sources. The medical library OF the
| surgeon general is recognized all over
| the world as one OF the most complete
| collections Of it's kind in existence.
! European physicians come to the Uni
ted States to consult IL. Our Depart
mcnt OF Justice has almost equal ia
| cilties for the study Of legal problems.
| Our great western irrigation projects
! and the Panama Canal are striking
| proof of what government engineering
| can do.
SO Uncle Sam has all the constituents
| of Il great univcrsity--thc men, the
| books, the laboratories. Furthermore,
! he has in an unusual degree OPP
| poTtuHllE lpT tnc lppuctliOn OIL every
! thing practical that his students evolve.
| The criticism levclcd against univcr-
| sites in general is that they arc too
theoretical and tend to make knowl-
! edge a pursuit in itself quite apart
Y from it's value to men. But Uncle
| Sans scientists and thinkers are in
| daily contact with the practical prob
| lens Of great nation. The United
| States OF America is their field of eX-
! pertinent. No student under them
| would have much chance TO become a
| slave OF theory.
4 very important provision Of the
| Fess plan is that the national uni
vcrsity shall be entirely post grad
| uate institution. The United States
| has already a number of excellent uni
! vcrsitics. ana 1t would be out of the
| question for the government to enter
J into competition with these. SO ii is
provided in the measure now before
| Congress that Il student must have :,
| masters degree before he can enter
| the national university. Thus its
| work would supplement rather than
conflict with that OF the other uni
| versitics. And this fact has been rec
| ogniZcd by educators throughout tho
country. The plan has been Endorsed
| by the National Association OF the
| State Universities and by Il number OF
| the larger endowed institutions, in
| Guiding Johns Hopkins. Harvard. Chi
| cago, Leland Stanford and Cornell.
Needs Only CO. Ordinnt ton.
Since Uncle Sam already possesses
all OF the facilities for his great uni
versity, tho ono thing necessary to