Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1922-07-23
ny w. Carson uyan. dr..

Professor OF Education. Swarihmors
College
what do the great educational
foundations - Carnegie. RockcreIler
and the rest-really mean for Amcri-
can education? Are they blessing
or menace Arc they doing valu-
able constructive work In education.
or ar" they. as some maintain, n
dangerous influence that must be
curhed before I; is too late?
In an honest effort 10 answer such
questions as these. to understand
what II is the foundations are really
trying TO do. what their aims and
accomplishments are. the Harvard
Teachers Association. In it's annual
meeting. assembled in cambridce
Mass. ono ~ tn" most notable groups
Of representatives Of educational
founda tons ever gathered together
representatives Of the Carnegie
Foundation for tho Advancement, Of
Teaching, the Rockefeller Founda-
ton. General Education Eoard. tho
recently created Commonwealth
Fund and other cndowments active
~ engaged in education.
Philanthropy ". nrncroicnrc.
/, was pr. clyde Furst secretary
Of the Carnegie Foundation. who
made the first and most compr"hcn-
sive plea for tho foundations Trac-
ing the history OF tn" endowment
principle from the early days Of i'm
stinctivc hencvolcncc" To the present
era % wise philanthropy." that seek
TO deal with causes. character ami
conditions, rather than with mere
symptoms. Dr. Furst showed ;h.t
modern philanthropics actually in
volve n much smaller percentage Of
In. TOD 10.
imagined:
The recent annual average Of gifts
for education-ahout 0,"00. oOo--is
less than the individual income Of
number of insurance companies.
The endowment Of all our universities
and colleges taken together-pcrhaps
81, 600. 600. OO0--is less than the in
dividual resources Of several banks
or trust companies. |; has been
stated that in England in tn" time
of Henry VIII. cniowments repre-
sented n third or a half OF tho ma
tional wealth. The prcscn, wealth OF
the United States being estimated
at $3.50 900 900. 600 or s30o Geo. 600. 600
endowed philanthropirs represent
about per cent OF tn. total and
give little indication OF exceeding
some such proportion"
Adaptation 10 Public Needs.
The fact that those endowmcnts
arc concentrated. however; that the.
are usually unrestricted. ana that,
they have been. on the whole. wisely
directed. explains the record that has
been made in few years Of activity
for education. Dr. Furst pointed out
The tremendous economic change In
the Southern states resulting from
the farm demonstration work and
n - ~. al
the higher standards Of American
medical schools; the medical reacarch
and disease prevention work OF the
Rockefeller Foundation. whereby
millions Of people in thirty States
and countries have been freed from
the scourges Of hookw"rm malaria.
tuberculosis and yellow feNor"-thesn
are but few OF the services rendered.
by The rcat foundations in tie past
feu years.
One OF the points made by most ~
those who spoke In behalf Of tn"
foundations was their increasing
adaptation 10 public needs Or.
Furs; compared the Mckay hcqucs,
for applied sci-nce a, Harvard Uni
versity which the Massachusetts SUI
prem" Court has insisted must he
administered according 10 the int-n-
ton of the founder. even though I,
he a. variance with our views of
p"ilcN or eNpedi"ncy." with the ac-
lion Or Mr. Carnegie In empowering
the trustees of the Carnegie Foun
dstion 10 apply-s their .:rv.nu. i'm :,
different nau's-r From iha, specified
~ conditions changed and tho atti-
tude ~ Nj. Rockefeller. in author
izlnS the general education board ,n
use Hs FUNDS for whatever purposes
II deemed best and 10 spend princl-
pal as well income A,,.n,inr
vas also called 20 the provisions n
the Federal charters OF the educ,
'lon foundations that make them
snnject ~ alteration. amendment, or
repeal, A. the pleasure Of Conrr..s
Iiftn Encourage Gifts.
mat Gifts from the foundation,
encourage other gifts To The sam,
food causes was on" of m" points
brought out Tho general edura,inr
board, Dr. Wallace Ruttrirt ,-eej.