Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 62, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 15 March 1917 — WHAT IS A COLLEGE WORTH? [ARTICLE]

WHAT IS A COLLEGE WORTH?

* If a college in worth $500,000 to a community, wouldn’t it be a great bargain to get one oir $25,000? A press dispatch from Evansville tells of an effort launched in that city to locate Moores Hill college. there and that this can be accomplished by raising $500,000. In Rensselaer all we are asked to do is to raise $25,000 for th® Monnett School for Girls, a well-founded school that is certain ‘o grow and prove Within the next five or ten years all that Moores Hill college now is. There is - a college bargain rapping at oiir doors. It is worth much more to us than iwe are asked, but this is Rensselaer’s good fortune. t It is our great opportunity. I wonder it we have been thinking, very much about the value of colleges to a community. Let us consider this in the light of some of the schools we know most about. To bring it out clearly let us use a short paragraph for each of a number of college towns. VALPARAISO—The seat of Valparaiso University, known over the world as the home of this wonderful school. A city made by its college and advertasea by its college and which has developed mainly as a result of having the college in it. Has an attendance of from 3,000 to 5,000 students. Think of the "mofiey they spend with merchants, restaurants, picture shows, transportation companies, etc. LAFAYETTE—Has other industries but the one big thing is Purdue Univeisity. Has an annual attendance of about 2,500 students, brings <in hundreds of visitors each month and each is a money spender in the city. CRAWFORDSVILLE—Seat of Wabash college. Has an attendance of only about 350 but it is the biggest thing, at Crawfordsville. When we Shrink of Crawfordsville *We consider it as the home of the famous author of Ben Hur, Gen. Lew Wallace, and as the seat of Wabash college. If you have never been there you have the impression of a fine, clean city, because it is a fine college town. GREENCASTLE—Seat of DePauw University, and also a fine, clean college city. Has an attendance of about 400.- You know of it as a college town and have a mind picture of a very beautiful city. Bloomington—Seat of the state university and that is about the only thing that makes Bloomington. When a bill was introduced in the stats legislature four years ago to combine this with Purdue and have .them located at Lafayette, there was an uprising at Bloomington. Not much, can you take our college away. Factories may come and factories may go,"but' colleges can not move. Real estate in Bloomington would have fallen to less than 50 per cent of-its present valuation and this fact was the controlling one in preventing the change. Has an attendance of about 2,300 and entertains thousands of vsiitors each year. The university is all there is to Bloomington. IRVINGTON—A beautiful suburb of Indianapolis and the seat of Butler college. The attendance is only about 300 but- it is a great thing for that suburb and for Indianapolis and its students spend much money there. RICHMOND—'Quite a city of industries but known as much for being the seat of Earlham college as for any other reason. TERRE HAUTE—Known mainly for the corruption probably that resulted in the federal election convictions, but most favorably known as the seat of the state normal school and of Rose Polytechnic school. SOUTH BEND—The great Studebaker and Oliver plants and the other industries share their honors with that great school, Notre Dame. In fact, ask almost any person what the really big thing at South Bend is and they will tell you Notre Dame and St. Mary’s. ANGOLA—Seat of the Tri-State college? Probably not so well known here but the town gets what advertising it has because the college is located there. The vice-president, Prof. Fairifold, was elected to coTjHgress last year, bringing honor to the school and the city of Angola. HANOVER- —Indeed, you would not know there was such a place were it not for the college of that name located there. Most of us know nothing about it but we associate it with the cleanliness and progress of other college towns.

RENSSELAER —Seat of St. Joseph’s college, with an attendance as large as either Wabash or DePauw and with a student attendance from many states. Probably nothing has aided in the advertising of this city so much as the railroad point to whicn all must come in reaching Collegeville, now the seat of such a splendid college., where the plain fields of a quarberief tt century ago are adorned with magnificent buildings that have sprung into shape in response to the artisans whose lives have been devoted to that cause. Also the seat of Monnett School for Girsl. This splendid institution has arrived at the point where growth is essential in order that it may respond to the demand for an increase! attendance and a wider field of Christian duty. Colleges are not built up from the money they earn. In every important instance they thrive because good and wise men and women interested in the world’s progress see the opportunity they present and make provision for them. Millions of dollars have been contributed in tiie form of endowments on many of our great colleges by men and women whose lives have been devoted tdjudictoua philanthropies. Rockefeller gave hundreds of thousands to Chicago University, Carnegie aided m education by giving public libraries, and the work of each has been a great factor in the education of all ambitious persons. It is placed up to us, here m Rensselaer, to provide a school for young girls, arid collectively iwe are asked to make up $25,000, an amount that might be given by any one of a number of j>ersons and not be seriously felt. Life is a ■ gift t 5 us, and in using it for substantial things we are only partially fulfilling the trust. We may have

cumulated vast awns, we may have educated our dependent's. and left them independent, We may have so laved that we can look with pleasureable retrospection upon our own lives, but' the fulfillment of' life’s higher purpose gives us the 'added duty if ‘ employing our fortunes in some constructive way. The way is at hand. Rensselaer’s opportunity and yours are here. . What is a college worth?' We are asked $25,000 for one. Evansville is trying- to raisfe twenty times that much for another. __—~ It is worth all that you can give and in seeking advice as to how much you can give you can ask your 'heart, .your conscience, your God. The-cause is as worthy as any ever proposed. Success will bring added dignity, better morals, improved civic pride, greater ambition and greater prosperity. Let us all show our appreciation of the bargain now offered us.