of two clubhouses and the opening of fourth
floor clear out, we feel that all who come will
be able to find pleasant quarters.
THE copious rainfalls throughout Pennsyl
vania during this season, can be ac
counted for as entirely compatible with the
success of the Constitutional Amendment
ballot. Mother nature, fearing that her re
sources would be materially damaged by the
great change from the liquid form of hops,
barley, corn and rye to her own sparkling pro
ducts. has exerted her every effort to make
the supply equal to the demand. However
it has all been for nothing.
r PHE following paragraph recently appeared
A in the columns of the Pittsburgh Com
mercial Gazette :
“ The State College near Jiellefonte walked off with
$125,000 more of the State’s money yesterday. For years
past this has keen going on and what has the State at large
to show for the heavy expenditure? Almost nothing—only
the results of an ordinary good academy. The college located
where it is and with its present methods will never give the
results the money spent upon it justifies. A distribution of
the sums given it with such a lavish hand among the several
good colleges of the State, would do much for tile cause of
higher education in Pennsylvania.”
It ought not to be possible for a reputable
newspaper to give currency to statements of
that kind, without at least some slight know
ledge of the facts in the case. But the writer
of the above paragraph whether he is mali
cious or only ignorant could not have shot
wider of the mark, and it would be hard to
pack into the same number of lines a choicer
assortment of misstatements and misappre
hensions. “ Now mark how plain a tale shall
put him down.” The one correct statement
is that the Legislature has just appropriated
$125,000 for the purpose of increasing the
buildings and equipment of the College. As
to the other points, stated or implied, it is not
true that “ this has been going on for years
past;” it is not true that the curriculum of
the College is only that of a good academy;
it is not true that the location of the College
THE FREE LANCE.
is a hindrance to its work ; it is not true that
its “present methods ” are either unsound or
unsuccessful; it is not true that the money
expended here would produce better results,
if distributed among the “ several good col
leges of the State.”
It is a somewhat formidable task to com
press a reply to so many errors into a single
brief article, but we will touch upon each in
the order stated.
1. The history of the State’s action to
wards the College, falls naturally into two
periods, the one preceding and the other fol
lowing the appropriation to it of the income
from the National Land-grant, Act of July 2,
1862. During the former period, the College
was founded (1857-59) by the energy of pub
lic spirited citizens, who contributed of their
time and means to establish an institution in
which youth could be trained more directly
for industrial pursuits, than was possible in
colleges then existing. To this worthy en
terprise the State contributed, altogether, the
sum of $99,900. Meanwhile the war had
broken out, prices of material and supplies of
all kinds had advanced, the cost of the build
ing and equipment was thereby very largely
increased, and the Trustees incurred, under
authority of the Legislature (in 1866) a
bonded debt of $BO,OOO which the State sub
sequently paid, bringing its total contribution
up to $179,000.
In 1866 and 1867, the State Legislature
appropriated to the College the income from
the proceeds of the sale of National lands,
thus beginning the second period of the
State’s relation to the College. The law of
Congress under which the grant was made,
provided that no portion of the fund accru
ing from the sale of lands, “nor the interest
thereon, shall be applied, directly or indirectly,
under any pretence whatever, to the purchase,
erection, preservation or repair of any build
ing or buildings.” The State of Pennsyl
vania accepted this Act, " with all its provis-