Evening star., 1927-09-11
j. S. CAPITAL HELD
CENTEROF CULTURE
Writer Declares No American
City Has More Promising
Educational Future.
BY Randolph LEIGH,
Organizer and Director. International
OratoriCal Contest.

ising educational future than Wash
ington. Among the 25 leading cities
in the United States it stands out cul-
turally for five things:
l. 1t has the largest per capita stu
dent population,
= 1t is the only large American
city which draws it's strength from
non-commercial sources.
8. Its library facilities are unri-
vailed.
1. As the seat of Government of the
most powerful nation in the world, it
eXerts a quickening influence on all
eager minds.
g. In its physical beauty and its
treasures of art and architecture it is
unsurpassed
Modern Tendency Defined.
The modern tendency in education,
typified by the great city universities,
is away from isolated rural institu-
tions toward great Centers of thought,
located in and energiZed by large GEN.
ters of population. This cityward
drift of educational institutions has
gone on with increased speed within
the last quarter of a century. In
many instances, however, the educa
tional institutions which have moved
to or have grown up in large cities
have represented such small part Of
the total population that they have
surrendered much of their cultural
assets to the mere rush and whirl Of
city life. In other instances they
have as a protective measure walled
themselves around within the city SO
that, sacrificing the benefits of a spa
cious rural location, they have at the
same time, by their policy of isolation
Usifh n
benefits of their urban location.
1t is of the utmost Importance from
the educational standpoint that the
ratio of students and total population
be high enough to allow the educa-
tional element to make itself felt in
the community. Washington, which
leads all large American cities in the
number of students to each 900
of the population, meets this impor
tant requirement perfectly.
City College Habit.
The city college has often seemed
to sacrifice its cultural ideals to the
commercial realities of the community
to which it has attached itself Edu-
cation, perhaps, needs the stimulus of
large and thriving community to |
keep its processes attuned to life. At
the same time it is certain that if |
education is to be of any permanent |
worth to the individual, it must give |
him a breadth of vision and a cultural |
attitude of mind which is not generally |
the product Of tightly-grooved COM
mercial community. The ideal loca- |
ton for city college or other educa. |
tional institution, therefore, would be |
one in which the grim realism of a |
large community is tempered and re- |
:. OF o1n 1,aI
other words. the American student |
who desires contact with large cities |
is likely to miss the best half Of his |
education il he seeks 1t in a commu- |
nifty which is dedicated primarily to |
commerce or industry. Great cities |
flourish on the seed thoughts which |
spring up in distant, quiet places. |
Only rarely do they produce those |
seed thoughts. The problem for the |
American student, therefore, if he de- |
sires to seek his training in a large |
community, is to find one in which |
the immediateness Of business is some |
what Offset by other and more ideal !
istic factors. Therefore, Washington, |
an essentially non-commercial city |
with a large educational population,
should be highly attractive to the dis |
eliminating student.
Library Washington Asset.
In the Library of Congress Wash
iDgton has an educational asset which |
cannot be duplicated in any other
community. Copies of every book
copyrighted in the United States are
to be found in that great institution.
Since practically every worthwhile I
book printed in Europe or the Ameri-
cas- is now offered for sale in the |
United States, this means that the |
students in Washington, having ac-
cess to the Congressional Library, can |
secure without cost the use of any
worthwhile book printed in modern |
times. These research facilities (since |
valuable ancient manuscripts as we'll |
as modern books are available in |
Washington offer a superb opportu- |
nifty to the ambitious student desirous |
OF more light for himself or of trans |
mitting more light to others.
By being at the seat of Government !
the student lInCangpiouSlv hanop,aS fa |