Year: 1879

Dlunder III opposing the high schools


OF Maine as when he was about to GU


the throat of that individual to remove
an imaginary evil.


But the advantages of higher edu


cation are by no means confined tC


politics. 1t gives an individual +;


wider choice Of employment and thus


enables him to select vocation adapt


ed to his tastes and capacity. 1t helps


a man to rightly perform his socia


and moral duties. In short in nearly


all the varied and complicated rela


tions of life it assists a person to per


form well his part and to command


the conditions necessary for success


What a liberal education can do fol


an individual is sometimes hkened tC


what art does for nature The rive1


meandering through the valley in its


course toward the sea is a thing o1


beauty and of use in its natural state


affording charming variety of scene,


ry-a channel for the conveyance OF


surplus water. and contributing to the


fertility of the adjoining banks. But


how much higher is the Office which


it fills and of how much more use is il


when its forces are educated by being


concentrated and made to turn the


machinery Of our mills and manufac-


tories whereby so much is added to the


comforts and conveniences and enjoy


ments of life.


The trees upon our hills add to the


beauty Of the landscape and have their


use even if they stand in their places


until they rot down with old age but


OF how much greater use are they if


educated by art into schools and


churches and homes.


For another illustration we may
take the very clay on the hill where
now Rio Grande College stands. For
ages it has been there adding to the
verdure of the earth-perhaps afford
ing fair cattle pasture. But now it
has been educated into solid substan-
tial bricks which in their combined
strength form the walls Of the college
buildings and perform part in the
traing Of immortal mind.


do not regard these illustrations
as exaggerating what education does
for a man and wish to make this en-
phatic because the usual mistake is to
underestimate the value. This is evi-
denced by the large number of men
we meet who deeply regret that they
did not better improve the educational
opportunities of their youth while it
has never been my lot at least to meet
a man who regretted the time and
money spent in procuring education.
The most effective institutions of
higher education in our land are the
colleges and Of these | wish specially
to speak.


The first three colleges founded |
within the present limits of the Unit
ed States were, Howard in 1886, Will
lam and Mary in 1893 and Yale in
100. Of these Howard and Yale are
still considered by general consent to
be in the foremost rank of colleges,
though a considerable number have
deservedly won national reputation.


At the outbreak Of the revolution
there were about eight American col
leges. But after this nation became
firmly established with education as
one of its chief corner stones, the
number Of these institutions rapidly
increased until it is now about four
hundred. This multiplicity of col
Leges has been deplored by many as
unnecessary and injurious. Seeing
the disadvantages which many suffer
from lack Of capital and assuming
that every new college exists at the
expense of those previously establish
ed, they decry the establishment of
any new collegiate institution. But
after some consideration of this sub
iect [ am inclined to think that this
matter is working itself about right
as it is. The presumption that the
money or the students of the new col
leges would go to the old if the new
were not started, is only true to a very
partial and limited extent. Often
there are other circumstances control
ling the gift besides the mere desire to
assist in general the cause Of educa-
ton. Sometimes there is desire to
assist the understanding of education
al methods by the trial of new exper-
lments. Sometimes there is a desire |
on the part of the donors, as is the
case concerning the college at Rio
Grande, to found an institution of |
higher learning where their old friends
and neighbors may be directly bene-
fitted by it. This motive leads to the
consideration Of one grand advantage
which comes from the multiplicity of
colleges, which / contend far out
weighs all disadvantages. Every live
college conducted on right principles |
is a great source of good to the COM
about it. By having educa-
tional centers all over the land the
whole people feel the influences of
them and are benefited thereby to
far greater extent than if they were
concentrated at a few points. By !
thus having educational institutions
of a high order brought to the doors
OF the people many more both of pa
rents and children are interested in
higher education than otherwise would |
be and thus a greater per cent. of the
people become cultured and intellect
ually developed. Ohio with over thir-
ty colleges leads the van so far as
numbers is concerned, and what is the
effect in Ohio? The intelligence Of
its citizens is one Of its leading char
acteristics. To-day the President of
the United States is a graduate from
one Of these little Ohio colleges. One
who is widely looked upon as the
leader of one of our great political
parties in the United States House of
Representatives is the graduate from
another of these little Ohio colleges
and Ohio men are to the front in our
national councils to a greater degree
than can be claimed by the citizens of
any other State. The large number