be less than one per cent. No more Scholar ships can be filled under the law, until after the next meeting of the Legislature, when, if the sys tem were found not to work well, it could be modified in any way that experience might sug gest. [The Senate Committee on Education has reduced the maximum number of scholarships to 177, at a maximum annual expense of 535,400.] 2. The Bill does not add one dollar to the “permanent charges on the State Treasury,” It merely provides that a certain very small amount (never exceeding three per cent.) of whatever the Legislature may appropriate from time to time for Public Schools, shall be set apart for the mainte nance of Scholarships for the benefit, primarily, of the pupils and graduates of these schools. To the holders of Scholarships it remits all College charges of every kind—tuition fees, incidental fees, shop and laboratory fees, the free use of text books and, since the College is required by United States law to maintain military drill, one full military uniform, including overcoat, every two years. The direct money value of these conces sions will be from $75 to 5100 a year. Fifty counties of Pennsylvania are now represented in the State College, and the effect of this measure will be to stimulate and vitalize the public schools throughout the Commonwealth, since parents in all localities will insist upon having teachers who can prepare their children to take advantage of the opportunity thus given for an advanced educa tion. In view of the widespread conviction that the large State appropriation is not helping to im prove the quality of the Schools as much as it ought to, I can conceive no method by which a small portion of the appropriation can be so wise ly and effectively used for that purpose as the one proposed in this Bill. This matter was admirably stated by Dr. Pep per, Ex-Provost of the University of Pennsylva nia, in an address delivered at the State College last year, when he said : “Is this the time to advocate, in this audience of thoughtful men and women who know how THE FREE LANCE. hard it is to create taxable value—ls this the prop er time to advocate larger—far larger—appropria tions by the State of Pennsylvania to the cause of higher education ? My friends, it is the most fit ting moment in the history of this Republic to ad vocate that * * * * if there is one thing that is coming to be recognized in this State, and in every State in this Union, it is the truth THAT HIGHER AND IJROADER EDUCATION, AND THIS AS FREE AND GENERAL AS IT CAN HE MADE, IS the very best thing for our young men and young women * * * * Unless we can educate a great body of men and women in the methods of sober, sound thinking, and teach them to be true teachers of the people upon the great questions of socialism, how can we stem the flood of ignorance and the tides of passion which will sweep over this country, as its population increases, with a volume and force such as the world has never had to con tend with before ? * :|! * It seems to me that if we cannot afford to give to every boy and girl in this Commonwealth a good grammar school education, and then the chance of a good high school education, and then the chance of a good College or University education, we are poor in deed- 'iiot only poor in resources, but poor in ambition, and in our conception of life * * ;! '' * I hope the time is coming when the taxpayers will approve of the principle that every child of this community shall have the opportunity to rise by his or her own efforts from whatever position birth and circumstances may assign, to the acqui sition of the highest scientific or literary attain ments, so as to have the chance of enjoying the honor and emoluments that attend them. For my own part I can think of no way in which it would be wiser and more fruitful to expend a part and it would require only a small part of the cur rent revenues of the State.” 3. The suggested comparison with Cornell is unfortunate. The writer is cither ill informed or disingenuous. He refers to the State College as “an Institution already the beneficiary of the State to a large amount in the grant of substantially as much of the public lands as laid the foundation of Cornell University. This grant alone has given every county in New York free Scholarship in Cornell. The Legislature of New York sold the lands granted to that State, under the act of 1862, to Ezra Cornell for 60 cents an acre. He agreed to pay that amount to the State outright, and then to locate the lands, and hold them for an advance
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