Evening star., 1931-05-09
COLLEGE SUPPORT
!. IS HELD REQUIRED
BY CIVILIZATION
Education Council Hears
Plea by Michigan U. Off
ciaI for Lofty Aims.
SHIRLEY SMITH HITS
inefficient SYSTEM
President 0mwake Of Ursinus Sees
Return Of the Gull
tural Era.

Society must support its colleges rs
the keepers Of civilization,
This was the keynote sounded yes
te-day afternoon at the annual meet
ING Of the American Council OF Edu-
cation when university ofdcials from
ali over the United States discussed the
,,ra.snt financial plight of institutions
of learning. -
vice President Shirley w. Smith OF the
University of Michigan. now are nnding
A. more difficult to secure what tney
ask from legislatures for the paradox
cal reason that so many of their own
alumni are among the law makers.
The old-time legislator. he pointed out'
seldom was college man ana had very
little idea of what went on INSIDE tne
( college walls. He felt keenly his own
lack of education and was willing TO
/ give whatever was asked to give that
0uplIrtllnity to others. The younger
I man has had first-hand contacts ana
knows the weaknesses and lnefnclency
Of some departments OF the lnstitutlonSs'
Part of the remedy, DIR. Smith SAID,
lies with the universities themselves ana
part with reorientation of the public
attitude. He condemned the cheapenlng
of university education by such courses
rs real estate SalesmanShip, mouse.
ventilating, ETC., which he considered
entirely aside from the proper functions
for which the learned 1nstltuIlon ,.Isa Can
legitimately ask funds from the puolic.
Having men trained in such subjects,
he stressed. Is of no benefit to society
as a whole Such training is only OF
financial benefit to the individual, for
(which society should not be called upon
to pay.
Freedom Of Intellect.
.T hope" he said, "that my grand
children will see the day when college
bred men will go to work in garages
and on farms, with their chlet reward
for their college training their depth
of intellectual freedom. A horse can be
taught to earn its living. Only man
can be educated"
DIR. Smith also condemned the IN
eficiency of the university system IN
giving incapable or lazy professors
life tenure Of Office. Alumni who come
in contact with such men, he said,
naturally are heSitant about appropr1at-
ing money to pay their salaries. Uni
versities. he said, should weed out the
inadequate members of their stan be-
fore they pile up enough years OF serV-
ice to entitle them to lifetime jobs.
The college, he said, is carrying more
deadwood than any other type OF
institution.
DIR. Smith also urged more considera-
ton In the use of entrance examina-
tions and intelligence tests in selection
of those allowed to enter college.
Maturity and power" he said, come
slowly to some. There are fellows not
r so quick of mind but possessed OF that
imponderable thing called character
that eventually will give more power TO
the beck Of their little fingers than all
the brilliance of their fellows"
In order to assure the financial sup
mort of the State institution, he stressed,
the public must be impressed with the
true concept of education as the keeper
Of civilization from one generation TO
another This may be accomplished
eventually, he said. 'by new type OF
publicity man, such as has not been
born vet" Such man. he said, should
be second in prestige only to the presi-
dent himself on the campus"
Liberal Arts College.
The liberal arts college, which stresses
the cultural rather than the Immediately
practical, is about to come into its own
again. declared President George l..
Omwake of Ursinus College. and become
q more important institution than II
ever was in the past.
I'VE are coming again into cultural
comic strip age Is going and the world
again viii think deeply and produce en-
during literature, science aid pnllos.
ophy. Those who are endowing liberal
arts colleges are building better tnan
they know"
President Omwake also stressed that
the true function OF the college is not
In teach a youth to earn a living. but
to pass along to the future the heritage
of the past. The individual benefits to
some extent, and partially pays for this
benefit In tuition fees. But all society
is the greatest beneficiary, and hence
should make the greatest donation.
The financing of education must be
considered strictly according TO eco
nonlic laws said Prof. Henry G. Morri-
son of the University of Chiago, but
the place of the school in the economic
structure must be properly understood.
Thus, he pointed out, the high school
and college have a seldom recognized
economic value in keeping millions OF
possible wage earners out Of the labor
market, and thus help TO stabilize
wages
Strictly on its face value, he pointed
out, society has no more business pay
ing for any one else's education than
for furnishing free food to the poor or
free capital for business men. But
when the school is considered as a
part Of the economic structure and the
results II it did not exist considered,
the situation becomes strikingly dn-
ferent.
Need of Statistics.
Some of the liberal arts colleges have
found IL difacult TO obtain money from
philanthropy because they have failed
to set forth properly their real func-
ton, SAID Marshall Oids Of New York.
There Is need, he said, Of actual sta
tistics TO show the value Of liberal arts
training as an adjunct to professional
training. Such statistics, he said,
doubtless would be convincing to the
heads of great philanthropic founda-
tions.
Canon AnSon Phelps Stokes OF the
Washington Cathedral discussed the
contribution of boards and foundations
10 higher education.