The Washington herald., 1920-05-10
by STAFF CORRESPONDENT.

SUrbana. Ill, May 9.-"Don't make
1T sensational. Let the facts speak
for themselves" was suggested to
the interviewer. who held in his
hands one of the most striking docu-
ments ever issued from an institu-
tion of learning.
The Washington Herald represent
.ative was sitting in a modestly fur
nished apartment of a professor at
the. University of Illinois. scanning
he seventeen closely type writer n
pages of a manifesto" that laid
bare the souls of 124 teachers. In
its essence it was an appeal for
bread and butter. for decent clothes.
for the good things of life, for a
holiday once in a while, for real liv-
ing and for social intercourse, which
patched garments and a lean purse
have made impossible
In its broader aspect II was a
manifestation 10 of that new spirit OF
Independence which is gradually in
VRding classic precincts and against
which orators now and then pro-
claim.
The suggestion that unrest was
written into every line was met with
ia firm denial.
Increased Constructive Work
NO. not that" was the rejoinder.
Before you draw any conclusions
on the subject which touches upon
the individual weII-being of the
teachers in the university look
around the campus. You will dis
cover that there is no Stacking but
that instead there is increased con-
structive work being done. The uni
versities of today are adding untold
wealth annually to the world in ad =
dition to purely educational results.
Everything is being run along prac-
tical lines. Results alone count.
That being the case the Federation
of Teachers of the University of
Illinois have asked for a subsistence
share. that's all. But look around
and see il we can justify ourselves
and the university in the demands
made
The advice fitted into the original
program of The Herald representa-
tive as he made the journey to
Crbana for the express purpose of
finding out how a modern university
justifies its existence to the tax
payers. Congressional demagoguery
has. on numerous occasions. made
the colleges a breeding place for
''ismS'' of varied types. Popular be-
lief has been and is much along a
similar line. The unthinking or
those who live in the musty past
apportion the rest of the curriculum
to grubbing in Greek roots and
iconiugations. Yet even such studies
have been Justified.
A teacher of French at the Uni
versity of Illinois had spent twelve
years in searching for French IA
bles, transiating them into English
He had marshalled a ghostly array
of tales from the days of Pepin the
Short. Loves labor lost? Not at
all. Last year they started schools
for Americanizing foreigners in Chi
caGo. Unable to find any subjects of
study interesting to the citizens in
the making. the teachers finally
turned to the fables from Urbana.
The classes fed and flourished on the
ancient folk tales.
Statistics Settle Problem.
For years a professor has collect
ed statistics along a. certain subject
in the history Of the State. Like
wise for years thcSe has been in liti-
cation points as to the navigability
on the Dcs PLANES River, a more or
less insignificant stream in northern
part of the State. The professor
historical studies settled the question
-once and for all to the satisfaction
Of the United States government
which was involved in the case.
As to the larger question of USE
fulness IL Is not eontended that the
University of Illinois has a copy
right to exclusive greatness among
American institutions of learning.
The reason this school was picked
out is that IT Is splendid type of a
university, supported by State, Ed
eral and individual aid. It is one
of the few institutions which makes
no distinctions between students
outside of the State. and that in
.cludes those from foreign lands and
those inside its own boundaries. At
one time II had a larger number Of
foreign students than any college
in the country. 1t still has a large
percentage. The fees TO all are the
same and education Is practically
free.
Many Branches Taught.
In the number of branches taught
1t Is matched by few. II has an
engineering department second to
none;. its agricultural department
is known the world over: It's rol.
lege of Commerce is rapidly taxi
Ing front rank among institutions
OF Its Kind. Aside from the College