Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1918-06-19

A!6A y Inc po8lGOnS you nave
hitherto filled acceptably n not only
guarantees Of the performance Of this
la more exacting task. What this
university now is 1t owes to the past
with its achievements and its lessons;
what it may become in the future lies
largely in your hands. The past with
Its fulfllment is. may we hope. but an
earnest Of the future with its promise.
DIR. Thomas Franklin Kane, with
relying faith We vest in you the presi-
dency Of this institution Of learning.
rich in clinging memories and honored
with its share of contributions to the
ffeld of scholarship. with the reason
able expectation that its name and
fame will grow in enduring achieve
ment with your years Of service.
DR.. Kane Responds.
President Kane then responded in
part as follows:
President Crawford (and Friends):
l prize the confidence Of the call to
this great service. I appreciate be-
yond expression the messages this
day Of greeting and good will.
I am not unmindful Of the response
bility. o of the obligation which
this welcome brings.
Looked at from one angle, the work
ahead Is easier than it seems; looked
at from, another. it is more difficult
than would appear. It is easier than
dt otherwise would be for some def
mite reasons. The university has
been under good leadership from the
first. The foundation is solid, the lines
are true. With genuine devotion tho
building has been consecrated to the
cause of learning and service. One
OF these leaders, President Sprague,
gave the final message of his life to
the university on commencement day,
two years ago. The name Merriield
stands among us for a rare quality OF
interest and service. President Nc
Vey gave the university the best Of
his abilities until a call came for
what he thought a larger service. His
interest is still with us.
Furthermore, men are still serving
the university who were main sup
ports through both Of these admin
istrations. The deans, of three of our
colleges have worked in the univer-
sity well over twenty years, and their
work is every year the stronger from
the ripeness and richness of this ex-
perience and Of their lives I am not
thinking of three men. or Of the
deans alone, meeting their response
bilities. but as we'll Of tho large num-
Der of persons in the university whose
work and devotion up to the
challenge of these standards.
Next to the faculty, the alumni
know the university, and are ready
all over the state. I find. to repay the
debt they feel, in loyal service.
The task, too, is easy in a new
state where so much Is to be done
and the promise is so great.
In u new state, likewise, made up
Of the best from older communities,
the standards arr for the best, and
there is a willingness for cooperation
and support to the institution that
demonstrates its service.
These things, with the general good
will. would make an ordinary task
easy.
The responsibility appears. and the
service is dinicult. for the man who
is sensitive to the challenge Of Merri-
field and McVey, who understands
what a university Is capable of.
manned as this university Il, and who
knows the service this university
should give In the development and
advancement Of this state. /.
AS this future unfolds to me, the
responsibility is YER great. The state
must have this service. The UNIVERSE
ty must give it. in full measure. Ev-
en- SO with the support and co-opera-
ton Of you all, I am willing to accept
the responsibility.
Let us then together look at the
work before US, the work Of a state
university, that we may all under
stand the obligation Of this day.
The state has accepted the respon-
sibility for a complete system of edu-
cation, with definite plans and pur-
poses.
Interesting Statistics.
Even interested az we are in the
work OF the state school system, I
wonder IL we realize the rapid growth
OF the plan of education by the state.
In 1887. thirty years ago, there were
$4,000 students in the country in the
public (city) high schools and 49,
900 in private high schools. Getty
high schools alone were at thai time
shown in the U. S. commissioners re-
port). In the intervening thirty years
the attendance in private high schools
ma increased, in round numbers, IS
per cent, 90 that there was an enroll
ment in these high schools, in 1915,
Of 165,135. On the other hand, the
attendance In the public high schools
is more than eighteen times what 1t
was in .'S7, a gain Of over fifty per
cent on the original number each
year, making q total enrolment in
the public schools In the country in
1916. in round numbers. Of 1,50o,-
600. or 80 per e N Of all high school
students.
To such an extent has the state
accepted the responsibility of second
AIRY education.
The increase of the part that the
state institutions Of higher learning
play in the work Of higher education
Is correspondingly striking. In 1918,
Michigan was tho only state universal
ty that had an enrolment above one
thousand (1,677). Minnesota had
four hundred (412) students, Cali
fornia five hundred (641). Wisconsin
six hundred 654).
There were nine thousand (S,401)
students in all the state universities
listed in 1878. token together. In
in191e there were nearly one hundred
and nine thousand C107,237) students
in the state universities. In 1875
the productive funds Of the state uni
versities ware given a. eight and
three-quarter million ($s,MS,S03)
dollars, and the total income Of these
institutions was n million eight
hundred seventy-hve thousand ($1..
S74,s40) dollars. The increase in the
income provided for the state univer.
stiles In the thirty years may be illus.
trated by saying that there arr
eight different state universities the
income of each one OF which equals
the total income Of all the state uni.
versities thirty years ago. Two OF
three, Of them have an annual income