Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1963-09-13
College Tuition

There Is controversy con-
corning the free tuition sta
tuS Of the public New York
City colleges. At present tut
ton is, in the main, free to
New York City residents, with
admittance on a selective ba-
sis using high school grades
as a criterion for acceptance.
A proposal to place these
New York City public colleg-
eS on a tuition-pay basis has
limited merit. It Is involved
too greatly with a welfare
point Of view. Tuition would
be charged to those able to
pay. Tuition would be free to
those unable to pay. There
would be two classes Of stu
dents. Those of the "af-
fluent" group; and those of
the "underprivileged" group.
In addition, as any parent or
student knows, tuition is only
a part of the cost of educa-
ton. One does have to have
all the necessaries of life
while going to college.
The opportunity for an
education should be available
to anyone having the capaci-
ty and the desire to obtain
such education. Education
should not be limited to the
affluent, to those having in
nate talent for high grades,
or to those having athletic
abilities. Neither affiuence,
high grades nor the ability to
throw an inflated leather bag
with d eftnesS can be any
measure Of the potentials Of
a person. There are no mea-
sures Of predictability for
anyone to say who will be-
come q great surgeon, q top
engineer or an EinStein.
There are too many intangi-
bles.
Education at all levels
should be available and open
to all. However, education
and training above the high
school level should be paid
for by the individual so re-
ceiving same. There should
be no scholarships Of any
kind. This should pertain to
both private and public insti-
buttons. These proposals
sound extreme and would In
themselves appear to make
educational opportunities
open to only the privileged
few able to pay for such edu-
cation. But there are ways
one could pay for education
without ha vi ng his own
funds. A. E. TOmkin.
Alice Grateful
This is to express our
thanks to the many people
who have sent cards to our
little Alice. I wish 1t were
possible to write each one
personally. but as the num-
Der Of cards and letters have
passed the 2,400 mark (be-
sides the many beautiful gifts
she has received this is i'm
possible. Alice sends her
thanks also and II each Of
you could only have seen her
little face you would realize
why words could never ex-
press how we feel.
Mrs. Ray Laws
Editors note: A letter on
this page September 3 told
OF the illness OF Alice LdwS,
S, and Wondered tDhy she
tDdS not getting cards from
friends, as she did iDhile in
the hospital. She died late
yesterday from cancer. A
story about her tDill be found
elsewhere in this edition.
Mans Virtues
A letter. headed Racial
Faults" quotes the Negro
author, James Baldwin, as
saying in The Fire Next
Time: there is GER
tainly little enough in the
white mans public or pri-
vate life that one should de-
sire to initiate"
II Mr.. Baldwin finds the
white man lacking in moral
worth. does he suggest that
the white man initiate the
Negro? / have no doubt that
many persons Of any color
would benefit by practicing
the splendid virtues so EVIL
dent in countless Negroes
and peoples of other races.
But what genuine profit
may be found in counter
felt imitation. status-Seeking
and the like2 I need hardly
add that I've been guilty
here.
Honesty, respect and sim
plicity shame artificiality
and pretense, or should.
God-given goodness. intelli-
gence and wisdom can never
be less than right, and they
are eternally beneficial 10
man. John Landers Poole.
T.