Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-01-16
STARTING UNIVERSITY IS EASY
HERE FOR ANY FIVE WITH 81 so

only way to spike low grade
college is to catch it in a def
mite false statement in its mail
business, when criminal action can be
started. The corporation could be en-
Joined from doing business if false
| statement could be detected in it's
papers of incorporation, but the re.
quirements are so few that ii is very
unlikely that any statement would be
made not technically true however
false 1T might he from an ethical
standpoint. 1t is extremely hard,
Miss Mccall explained. to get evidence
of any kind sufficient to convict
Courses by Correspondence.
Most of the business of low grade
college or university established in
Washington would be by correspond
ence. Correspondence courses are
offered and none of them has any
provisions for residence work more
than barely to cover the law.
The patrons of these universities,
it was explained, usually are rural
school teachers and ministers, both
colored and white, who may have a
smattering OF education and who find
that nicely printed PHI. d. or d. ID.
has magic effect on a country school
members assume that it represents a
bona fide certificate that the holder
has the education usually dNignated
by PHI. ID, from a reputable institu-
ton Of learning and never stop to in
vestigate how easily these can be OBJ
tanned. There has existed in the past
a profitable European business which
has been brought to the attention of
American diplomatic officers by edu-
cational officials of the different coun-
tries, but they have been unable to
do anything.
An indication of how profitable the
business may become is given by the
testimony brought out in the trial
of the president of the late Oriental
| University, that receipts for a period
covering less than three years We're
! $32,47l, with practically no invest
ment. since the University quarters
also were used as a dwelling house.
| The United States Attorneys Office is
patiently gathering evidence against
| some colleges now operating here,
! which are believed to be far below the
| standards usually attributed to a
| university
! The extent to which the business
has been conducted here is shown hv
a search of the records in the Office of
| the Recorder Of Deeds. Since 1909
more than so degree granting institu.
! tons, designated as colleges or uni
I,versities, have been incorporated
Most of them have made their clea n.
| ups. exhausted the field, and now are
| out of business. Among them. of
course, We're number of thoroughly
respectable, high-class institutions
which still are in existence and doing
an excellent educational work. Others
still are operating by mail from dwell.
ing houses and obscure offices.
Some Apparently Fail.
| The names given in the incorpora.
! ton certificates on file Indicate that
quite q few of the "universities'' or.
ganized here have been the organs of
obscure religious cults or unorthodox
schools of healing. These are not to
| be found today in the quarters desig.
mated, and probably have gone out OF
| business.
No correspondence school of the best
type confers any degrees for work
done entirely by correspondence, &C.
cording to the American Council on
| Education which has obtained con
siderable data on the situation here.
There is unquestionably an "educa
tional underworld" says Miss Mccall
which is undermining the standards
of American culture,
Editors note-This is one of two
stories showing the evils OF District
Iof Columbia incorporation laws as
they affect educational institutions
Another startling chapter will appear
in The Evening Star of Monday