The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1922-02-03

House committee on education has
not met once during this session OF
congress, we were told yesterday.
Congress is in the midst OF an I'M
usually active game OF save the
pennies" and the chances of any
money being allowed for education
al advancement are SO slim thai. the
committee sees no use In getting to-
gether to discuss even bills that
were favorably reported out at the
last session. Several bills for i'm
portant educational projects have
been reintroduced, but it is not
probable that any Nof them could
get the approval of the committee,
and if they did they would never
get by congress in its present state
of mind.
Whether this is wise economy or
not is a matter Of opinion. The ma
jority in congress thinks it is.
There are three interesting pro-
jects which patiently await con-
gressional approval and funds. One
of these provides for a department
of education to replace the bureau
Of education. Another is designed
to bring domestic science within
reach of more women and girls, es :
pecially those who work in the day.
The third bill does not reach SO
many people as the other two. but
it would mean good deal to the
country. This is a measure to Gre
ate a national university.
A national university was plan
ned by George Washington. Benja-
min Franklin wanted it provided
for in the constitution, but he and
several others were overruled by
statesmen who said that the uni
versity would be established any.
way and that there was no need to
cucumber the constitution.
Washington is known to have
willed $4,000 in stock to the gov
eminent as a fund to start this uni
versity. This sum would by now
amount to 100000 at compound
interest. 1t cannot, however, be
ury department officials investigat-
ed the bequest, hoping to find out
what became of the money. The
only conclusion that could be reach
ed was that the money was never
turned over to the government, and
that it lapsed back into the estate.
Cost of the Project.
This means that to establish a ma
tional university now there must
be an appropriation from congress,
probably amounting to several hun
dred thousand dollars a year
Therefore the national university
to
Washington's idea was that the
university would serve an import
ant purpose in that it would Gem
ent the sections Of the country to-
gether Students would hear con-
gress debate. They would meet the
representatives from different
states and grow to understand the
viewpoints of the different parts of
the country.
The further advantage of a ma
tional institution OF learning in
Washington is that it could make
use Of the various branches of the
government service There is the
congressional library with it's 3,000,-
900 books and the Smithsonian In
stitution, the National museum.
Naval observatory, Bureau of
Standards and the Department of
Agriculture. In fact, every govern
ment bureau and commission could
cooperate to advantage with a ma
tionaI university.
Such an institution, of course, is
not for the, college student fresh
from a preparatory school. 1t was
planned as a laboratory for schol-
ars who should have at least a mas
ter of arts or master of science de-
gree, and with the idea that the
National Capital would offer stu
dents resources not available in
any other city.
That a national university would
become a powerful factor in educa-
ton is apparent. Yet such an in
stitution is not a necessity to the
existence of the nation, and con-
gress of late years is chary of do
atoms for worthy luxuries. So
Washington's dream, that seemed
SO near realization in his life
time. is still an air castle.
The other two bills are more
unitarian. They concern the mass
of the people more directly. The
bill for a department of education.
in particular, is wide-reaching in