Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-03-03
BY THOMAS r. HENRY.

BY THOMAS r. HENRY.
The president, trustees and faculty OF
the University of the United States yes
! terday announced officially that they
have gone out of business, dismissed all
students and placed a paddock on the
assembly hall
This announcement, it is learned
from incontrovertible authority, was in
the nature of protest against the So
called diploma mill bill which has
passed the House and Senate and now
is in the hands of President Coolidge.
The news that the measure was before
the President naturally caused some
CONSERVATION in the newsroom of The
Evening Star, where the chief copy boy
holds a degree of doctor of meteorolcgy,
conferred by the university as a reward
for his industry in transcribing the
daily weather report (although he some
times gets the sun and moon tables
Mixed, and where very young re-
porter holds the degree of doctor OF
theology, because, some years ago, he
used to help the church editor. These
two wonder whether their degrees are
still legal.
But the president and the dean of
the University of the United States,
who are reporters for The Star, and
who hold some rather vicious sounding
degrees themselves, conferred upon
themselves by themselves in the name
Of their university, have assured the
boys they have no reason to worry.
They founded the University of the
United States, and they ought to
know.
The terms of the legislation about to
be signed-it is feared-by President
Coolidge are considered nothing short
OF insulting to the distinguished schol-
ars. statesmen and educators who have
composed the staff of this famous in
stitution of learning located in the
National Capital 1t would force them
to submit an accounting of their quail
flcations to the Board of Education OF
the District of Columbia and to obtain
the approval of this body before con-
ferring any more academic and profess
sional degrees. The trustees and
faculty. at an executive meeting called
Yesterday to the proceedings of which
representatives Of the press listened to
through a keyhole, were unanimous IN
agreeing that they could not submit to
any such indignity.
Decision Probably Final.
Although pressure is being brought
to bear from influential quarters IN the
world of learning, it seems prooa pie
that the decision of the university
heads is final Consequently Wash
ington, the United States, the world
and the planet Mars are doomed to
loose one of their great educational in
situations. Its inspiring structures OF
Venetian marble with their gold topped
spires, It's magnificent astronomical OBJ
servatory and its great laboratories
simply will be abandoned-as all air
castles are inevitably abandoned.
Sentimental associations will prevent
the owners disposing of them for profit.
They will be allowed to crunlble, stone
by stone, in the kindly embrace Of
time-to become a picturesque, ivy
covered ruin reminding the distant
future of the vanished cultural glories
of the past, when any bum could be-
come doctor of philosophy, or even Of
philosopher of cosmic pathology, for SIS
in hand.
The glorious history of the University
of the United States starts in the late
Winter of 1926 when small group of
public spirited citizens of Washington,
otherwise known as Star reporters
cognizant of serious deficiency among
the educational institutions of the city,
contributed not only their fortunes but
their time and labor to establish and
endow vast experimental project.
It had been called to the attention
Of this group that the existing institu-
tons Of learning here might be divided
into two main groups, according to
their methods of comforting degrees.
The first group consisted of such insti-
tutions as George Washington, George
town, Catholic University, American
University, Howard University, and a
few others. These granted academic
and professional degrees only after stu
dents had complied with certain stand
ards, done certain prescribed work,
and passed certain number of years
in supervised study. This procedure.
1t was felt, was positively archais, or
at least mid-Victorian, not at all in
harmony with the tempo Of the twentieth
century. Some OF the group even ques-
toned II the method was 100 per cent
American. 1t was, moreover, expensive
for poor but ambitious young men and
women. These institutions maintained.
without the shadow of an excuse,
libraries, laboratories and classrooms,
some OF the cost of which was passed
on to the students.
The second class of local institutions
OF learning was more ir harmony with
the spirit of the times. There we're
about 200 colleges and universities in
this group. Degrees of any sort we're
granted without any silly requirements
of study and attendance. No faculties
were maintained. No money was wasted
on libraries or laboratories. There was
no appreciate time interval between
registration and the granting of the de-
gree, provided the candidate had the
spot cash to pay for his diploma.
Authority of Congress.
Moreover, these degrees were more
authoritative, carrying, as nearly all of
them did, the information that they
were granted under authority conferred
by the Congress of the United States"
1t was found to be comparatively simple
to charter such degree-granting insti-
tuition. All that the Congress of the
United States required before granting
its authority was the depositing of a
sworn statement of intention with the
recorder OF deeds of the District of CO.
lun1bia with the payment of fee rang
ing around 81. The recorder, under the
law, had no authority to refuse to
accept the paper, however fantastic the
statement Of the aims Of the new insti-
tuition might seem to his conservative
mind.