The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1919-04-15

with less than the Jeffersonian idea Of
education as great unified force
moulding national character, free to
all, obligatory upon all, extending from
elementary school to university, finely
organized and perfectly cooperating
as one great whole.
z. The present curriculum, which is
In its essence 400 years old, must be
revised so as to eliminate obsolete
material and work up in practical
forms, material adapted to the needs
of modern life.
Must Re Trained
The teacher, whether he or she
teaches In the primary school or the
university, must be scientifically train
ed for his task, better paid, and, in the
case of colleges. with sufficient leisure
from routine to do scholarly research.
Speaking technically and specifically
of universities, I may say that sub
stanual salary increases must be pro-
vided for the American college profess
sor or the very existence of UNIVERSE
ties as homes OF science and learning
will be threatened through the intro
duction into their service of an in
ferior type OF personality and training.
It is getting increasingly difficult, in
the face Of present economic facts to
induce young men of talent to enter
this great career. Universities exist
10 train for leadership. Any deteriora-
ton of teaching staff will be fatal to
this high purpose,
3. No university or college. in the
future, will long endure which is not
III fairly close teach with the COM
munity to whose needs it must min
lister. I stand on the principle that
a university's chief task is, first, to
teach its own students faithfully and
well. not primarily for their sakes
as individuals. hut as a means of state
and national enrichment Secondly,
it must discover and vitalize new
and old truth, and then somehow it
must get out and touch and mould
the sources of public opinion by apply
ing technical guidance, Just standards.
and varied scholarship to the state s
peculiar problems OF business. health.
education, religion, and agriculture.
The university and the state must work
together in a partnership of mutual
obligation. The university must he
given chance to realize its ideals and
demonstrate it's energy. and the state
must then rigidly demand of it in
SEPARATION and guidance.
4. The guiding principle of the gen
eral policy of this university at least
should. be to consolidate and strength
en- the field it now occupies rather
than to seek mere ambitious schemes
Of expansion. Within this field
select the following subjects as fore
most in priority OF need and develop
ment
I The expansion OF the school of
medicine to the point where upon
essentially a full time basis 1t shall be
able to meet all the requirements of
a school of modern medical research
and practice.
The establishment by the state Of a
Tuberculosis sanitarium near the uni
versity has given great encourage
ment to the medical school. This sani-
tarium will strengthen the school in
many ways by reason of the clinical
facilities 1t will afford, and will enable
the school Of medicine to render
a great service to the state in the way
of helping the sanitarium to spread
abroad better notions of preventing
and combating this great social men
ace.
.. The further development of the
school of commerce and finance. so
that the Industrial leaders of the new
economic age shall here find fnstruc-
ton in the scientific and ethical as
well AS fiscal aspects of their pro-
LESSONS equal in merit to that now
given in law and medicine. Business
IL ana OuEIl TO De cpI1SlueTPQ "a great
profession, for statistics show that q
much greater number of college
graduates now enter Industrial bust
ness. based on scientific and engi-
neering activities, than into those
whose foundations are more in line
with the studies taught In the liberal
arts course. Furthermore in the COM
ing International trade conflicts. bust
ness men must show themselves as
men like Schwab and Stettinius, and
Davision, have done, to be statesmen
as well as statesmen, patriots as well
AS profit earnerS.
Ripe Field.
2. The expansion of the school OF
engineering now fast outgrowing its
existing bounds and showing Itself
most attractive to the youths of the
new era OF scientific and industrial
expansion
| 4. An imperative necessity exists for
the creation OF new schools in the
social sciences including modern and
Am erican history. general sociology
and rural economies and sociology
Southern colleges and universities are
| lamentably weak in these cultures au6
| this in the face of an almost perfect
body of student material and a raging
laboratory of social difficulties and ad
| iustments. In this connection, uni
| versity extension work needs to b
! placed upon a departmental basi:
twithin the university in order tina
/ it may function strongly and affair
positive and solid results.
! Our universities must more anc
more address themselves to keenei
| recognition of national problems,
more practical application of tn;
teaching of past history to the task!
! of the future and to cooperation il
all parts of the university world il
demonstrating the value of democratic
| principles in economics as we'll as II
politics.
| S. The subject of chemistry is M
longer to be considered a mere chair