Evening star., 1917-01-05
UNIVERSITY Center
PLAN ABOUT READY
Proposal for Higher Study in
Washington to Be Adopted
Next Month.
NO LEGISLATION is NEEDED

ana tfe making otDtne Sapildi Sits
the center of higher education in the
United States has been brought vel
toward completion by a subcommittee
supported by some of the great uni
versities of the country.
Final plans are expected to be adopt
ed within the next month or So, wher
the subcommittee, composed of Prof
Dana c. Monro of Princeton. Prof
Charles A. Beard of Columbia Uni
versity. Albert Bushnell Hart of Har-
ward, Gai!lard Hunt of the Library OF
Congress, and Waldo c. Leland of the
Carnegie Institution of Washington
meets here.
The movement is being supported by
Princeton, Yale, Harvard, Columbia
Berkeley, Chicago, Johns Hopkins and
other universities which have graduate
schools, and the center will be foI
the use of graduate students and pro-
fessors of universities of North ano
South America; but under special ar
rangement, it is designed to admi,
foreigners also.
The idea originated with Prof. r. NJ
McElroy of Princeton. who is now in
China. The chief government treasures
in the shape of historical archives and
manuscripts. the enormous resources OF
the Library of Congress and the scientific
collections of the Smithsonian lnSutu-
tion and the National Museum will be
made available to scholars. No legisla-
ton will be asked of Congress. as the ex-
listing law provides that these and simi-
lar collections shall be open to students
under proper regulations.
There can hardly be much doubt that
the proposed university center for high
er studies in Washington will mate
rialiZe, according to Mr.. Hunt.
The committee of five recently sub
mitted tentative constitution for the
center to representatives of universities
meeting in Cincinnati.
The tentative constitution provides that
the government shall be by council
composed of representatives of the con-
tributing institutions, and that there
shall be governing board consisting
Of five members elected annually by the
council. There shall be an advisory
committee. on which shall be invited to
serve the Secretary of State, the Secre-
tary of the Interior, the librarian OF
Congress. the secretary of the Smith
sonian Institution and the director of the
Pan-American Union, or such represen-
tatives as they may respectively desig-
nate.
Report of the Committee.
The report of the committee, in part
follows:
1T is unnecessary to dwell at length
upon the very great resources afforded
by the various collections in Wash
ington to students of history. politics
economics and allied subjects. The Lii
brary of Congress is especially rich in
the published public documents not
only of the United States and of the
several states, but of foreign govern
ments as well. Its collections of Amer
lean newspapers and of printed works
relating to America (including Amer
icanal hardly Snrn1cSPd in
certain special directions, by those of
any other library. In the field of car
Biography and maps it leads all other
American libraries. while in the field
of cultural history it's collections of
music and of prints give it a leading
position.
Especially notable are it's manu-
script collections. which far exceed
those of any other American library.
Not only does it possess such groups as
the records of the Virginia Company,
the Peter Force papers. the archives of
the Continental Congress, and the per-
sonal and official papers of Washing
ton, Jefferson, Madison, Monroe. Van
Buren, Jackson, Breckenridge aid many
other national figures, but it has also
the commercial papers of large busi-
ness houses, the original Spanish ar
chives of New Mexico. and the equiva-
lent of nearly 1000 volumes of tran
scripts of documents relating to colo
MAI anu TO early
America, from the archives of England.
Spain, France and Mexico. these tran
scrips being but a part of the collec-
tion of this class of material which is
in process of formation.
THE collections of the Library of Con-
gress are supplemented in special fields
by those of the libraries of the various
executive departments. notably the de-
partments of State. War and Navy, and
the bureau of education, to which should
L ~
Use of the Archives.
"As to the archives of .the government.
It is sufficient to remark that they con-
stitute the fundamental source of nearly
all phases of national history since 1888,
and that the archives of the land office,
of the office of Indian affairs. of the CEN
sus bureau and of other bureaus in the
of Commerce and Labor and
If the Interior. as wellias the archives of
he Post Office Department, are as indis-
1ensable to the student of certain phases
IF regional and local history as they are
% the student of politics and economies.
FINALLY. should be mentioned the
National Museum, with it's large and
'apidly increasing collections of Illus
rative material.
Such then are some of the resources
# the capital resources which are still
90 little known and used but the ap-
,reciation of which is rapidly increas-
ng among scholars. The intention OF
he government, as evidenced by the
lct of Congress of March g., 1901 and
" the consistent policy of executive
'fficials. is to make these resources
yailable to students One of the
objects OF the proposed CEN
er is to effect an informal co-opera-
ion between the government and the
Universities for the fulfillment of these
Intentions. i
such a center as is proposed will be
n effect Washington adjunct to the
apartments of history. political science
nd economics of those universities
which cooperate to establish and
naintain it "
Another important feature. and per-
APPS not the least valuable, the report !
ontinues, would be that of community |
ife One or more suitable houses in |
he immediate vicinity of the Library |
f Congress would be rented. Here /
would be provided separate arrange /
lents for men and women, with private |
non,S and comr-,en livln~ rooms