Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-03-08
STATE AIDED EDUCATION
IN PENNSYLVANIA
Provost Smiths Plea Before the Con-
stitutional Revision Commission
for More Generous Appro.
priations

priations
Provost Smith. of the University of Penn.
syivania, IN the course OF his plea before the
Const,tutonat 10, Revtston Commission for an
appropriated for public schools, normal
schools and nnavorsities. said, IN part:
T BELONG TO that group called the teach.
, ers OF the commonwealth. That Is my
business, and has been for two thirds of my
life, to teach and so everything that comes
under the head of education naturally gets
my attention. There are just few facts,
sir, that I feel 1 must get before you in this
commission before you consign these efforts
to the waste paper basket.
The first is this: We are told Pennsyl-
vania is asrich commonwealth, maybe the
richest Of all of them. and when we cast about
we find that Pennsylvania is not comparable
with some of the other commonwealths when
we consider what she is doing for education.
In this great state of ours there are 10 ,732
teachers engaged in one room or two room
schoolhouses, those little universities of the
people that you meet up here on the edges of
this county and the adjacent counties; for
some of us know all about them, some of MS
have studied in them. Twelve thousand
teachers The teachers engagedsn instruct
ing the boys and girls who never have had
u Hibh S'hooi tuuCutlOu fuOO lnlUk
of it Four thousand of the teachers of this
great state never passed through high
school course. Teachers attending high
schools, 2500; and of the 10,03S one room
rural teachers in Pennsylvania, the normal
school graduates number 400. That means
to me that Pennsylvania is lacking in teach
ing power: that Pennsylvania is not giving
the boys and girls growing up within its
borders male and female teachers who are
equipped to help them forward. Is it right
that state of the wealth that we say this
possesses should tolerate condition such
as this?
TNHERE is a report here handed to me,
l. handed to me by some one, stating what
the per capita expenditure for normal schools
has been in Pennsylvania and twenty nine
other states for five years, 1912 to 1916. 1
will not read them all, but take New York,
S103.92 let us take New Jersey, $3.50. 81
and then our own Pennsylvania. how much?
Sixty nine dollars and twenty nine cents
We have lots of money. We have it for all
sorts of things but here is class of schools
beginning with the fundamental one, which
is training the teacher or helping to train
teachers who are to go out into this common
wealth, and they are not properly provided
for.
intu' IL L may pusS " Iut IHlTu ClduSt OI
this request or article: "For institutions
of higher learning which conform to the re-
quirements of the college and university
council, or other state agency vested with
the power to determine standards of excel
lence for such institutions, at least S,000,-
000." The state of Minnesota this year
1919 to 1920--by act of Legislature has ap-
propriated to the University of Minnesota
$4,000 900 plus $4,000, 900 for buildings.
The University of Illinois appropriated for
the last biennial $3.50, 600, and then an
additional appropriation for buildings. Here
are some jottings. Take 1915; the appro-
priation of the state Of California and its
normal schools not the common schools, but
its universities, So, 100, 900; in the next year,
1917, the same amount, and in 1918 81. .225,-
600. All of those institutions are receiving,
in addition to these, special sums of money
from other sources. Nearly every state in
stitution charges a certain tuition, and that
amounts in many of the states to a much
larger sum. For instance, the University of
| California receives from students fees $3.50,
| 600, from private sources 81 ,227 900. The
| University of Wisconsin, $270,000. What
we aim to show by reading these figures
| many more might be presented, but do not
want to occupy so much time-is that for
| higher education our state, of which we are
so proud, is not doing as well as other states
| of the Union.
T SAY, after careful consideration, that
do not believe there is higher institu
ton. an institution of higher learning in the
state that the state control. BY state con
troll is meant an institution all the regents
| of which are appointed by the Governor
Our friends, there are some-here is Mr.
Munce, he and I talked about these thing,
very quietly and calmly. He is to ascertain
what the relations were. The entire pam
phlet is devoted to the subject. But jus
one or two sentences, Mr.. Attorney General
They went through the whole history of tn
thing and they write something like this
at, therefore, is the finding Of your com
mttee, respectively, that said college wa
chartered by nm act of the Legislature o
Pennsylvania approved February %, 1856
| as a private corporation" On the next page
among the conclusions is: I'm view of a
| the laws now in existence in any way gov
erning the Pennsylvania State College, you
committee finds the institution strictly pri
vate corporation" Eighteen eighty min
only one act of Assembly. Since then 1886
So with the University of Pittsburgh. 1t re
ceived in 100 $4,000 to help it in doin
what? Getting teachers, supplying book!
and so on. 1t received aid afterward froi
time to time. There is some more intimat
connection in this history in connection wit
our sister institution, State College, relativ
to the land grant act and everything of tht
| kind. We cannot find wherein the board
directors of State College has ever turne
over to the state of Pennsylvania in {,
simple the estate now held, owned and cor
trolled absolutely by a private corporation
So there we are all three in the same boa
all three doing work of which the state ma
we'll be proud.