Year: 1875

Our correspondence from Middlebuty
College this week, has been of a bright
and hopeful character but not more so,
we think, than the circumstances justi-
fly. The college again, after an inter-
regnum of two years, has a president,
one who appreciates the situation fully,
gentleman in the prime of life, ar
dent, enthusiastic and jealous, posses
sing, as those who know him best are
confident, the talent OF growth, and
who made very favorable impression
upon all who listeped TO his inaugural
and met him socially during the week.
1t is now understood that the future of
the college is secure. 1t will not die
nor be united with any other institution
I'm the State. 1t has an endowment of
two hundred thousand dollars, more
than one hundred and sixty thousand of
which is productive. and corps of able
instructors, beautiful buildings and
grounds and everything which it needs
at present except more students. We
hope. that we shall hear no more of the
old story that has been chimed in our
ears at commencement dinners so many
times, about the continued existence Of
Middlebury College. 1t is q part of
that moral universe which, Tristan
Burgess said on the 1Dor of Congress
many years ago, Divine Providence
takes care of. The college will never
probably be a very large institution, and
it is not desirable that it should be. We
are profoundly impressed with the truth
of remark which Governor Stewart
made to US commencement day 1t
would be great calamity to the cause
of education, he said, If the modern
tendency to Capitalization should reach
our institutions OF Iearuing, aud result
in the absorption of the smaller ones IN
a few large ones. We do not believe
this result will ever be reached in this
country, and the time is approaching,
we are confident, when men who have
money to give to our colleges will real
ize the fact that more good can be done
with it by distributing it among large
number than 10y giving 1t oil to one or
two. Colleges in one sense are like
families. They are the homes and alm9
matres Of men. Noone outside OF Nor
mondom and other communistlc asso
.ciations believes that it is better for the
world that there should he in it one or
few large and strong families than that
there should be multitude of small
ones. Of course, there may be too
many colleges, but just now the danger
is in the other direction. We believe 1t
will not be many years before it will be
generally matter of pride and rejoicing
that the State of Vermont has two COL
leges instead of only one.


There is now very close and sympa-
thetic relation between the trustees and
alumni of Middlebury college. The as
sociated alumni are to be invited to nom
mate a portion at least of the trustees,
as vacancies IN the board may occur.
There as larger number of the alum
nj than usual present at this commence
ment, and they all seemed to be loyal
and hopeful. II was the general feeling
that the college has fully justified its
right to be- While speaking a good
word for this institution, as we shall
ever do, we do not in any sense dispar-
age the University at Burlington. There
is not, that we are aware, any hostility
between these two colleges, and no
reason for any They are both good
colleges and an honor to Vermont. Both
of them can, in good faith, invite stu
dents from all parts of the country, and
give to all who submit to the course of
instruction in either college, noble ed
ucation and make them the heirs of all
the centuries that are past.