In connection with Mr. Brackenridge's donations of the building and its complete outfit it may be added that he is a modest, talented gentleman, of fine literary tastes and habits. At college he had a fancy for the abstruse sciences, and evinced especial aptitude in the study of chemistry, physics and civil engineering. Withal he has acquired a large fortune, and fully appreciating the benefits resulting from higher education, is disposed to be still further liberal to the University. He consented for his name to be known with reference to his present donations only because it might prompt others to make similar gifts. His appointment as one of the regents was remarkable as well as fortunate for the institution, he being a Republican in politics, while Governor Ireland, who appointed him, is a Democrat. It would doubtless be well for the material interests of the country if such political liberality were more generally exercised, so that gentlemen of all parties may be influenced to take personal concern in such great enterprises. In accepting the appointment Mr. Brackenridge characteristically wrote to Governor Ireland, saying: "It is the only office in your gift, or in the gift of the people of the State, that I would accept." APPEAL FROM THE COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY. The directors of the college and regents of the University have joined in an appeal to the Twenty-second Legislature for appropriations as follows: For the University: To complete central building. To heat the entire building with steam. To erect a chemical laboratory.... To erect the east wing To suplement available fund for current expenses. To equip the Medical College To pay current expenses of Medical College for two years. Total...... For the A. & M. College: $5.000 10,000 40.000 75.000 30.000 34,000 66,000 $260,000 For additional barracks $50 000 For chemical laboratory buildings and equipment 12.000 10,000 For tools for me hani al engineering department. 2,000 10.000 5,000 The appeal concludes: "In presenting these statements and in asking for these appropriations, the regents of the University and the directors of the Agricultural and Mechanical College are actuated solely by a sense of their duty to the State. They have no object in view except to promote the interest of the two great literary institutions placed in their charge, and therefore they have not hesitated to set forth clearly and plainly an estimate of the least amounts needed to carry them on in keeping with the dignity and honor of the great State of Texas." ISSUE AS TO REGENTS' TERM OF OFFICE. At the beginning of the session of the Twenty-first Legislature, Governor Ross, in violation of the precedent which had been followed for the past nine years by all his predecessors, and in face of the statutes on the subject requiring appointment of but two of the University regents at each successive term of the Legislature, sent in appointments for an entire board of eight members for confirmation by the Senate, thus officially asserting, as far as his action would go, that the terms of the members of the board had expired, but for what purpose unless to change the precedent does not appear, as he made no change in the existing membership of the board. In the minds of the friends of the University, however, his action threatened a grave crisis in its history, as had he succeeded in the effort, it would have changed the precedent, and served to place the board of regents in the hands of every incoming Governor for appointment or uismissal, and thereby have made the board a mere political office. The Senate fully appreciating the danger likely to result from the Governor's action, respectfully returned the appointments, stating that in their judgment there were but two vacancies in the board. It was not till near the close of the session that the Governor sent in the names of two appointees to fill the vacancies, which were duly confirmed, and thus what was considered a prospectively dangerous blow at the University was averted. One of the evils apprehended was that on account of the uncertain tenure of partisan boards and consequent uncertainty of any faculty being retained, the professors would feel too insecure to risk the chances of retention and would resign for better assured positions. It might naturally be expected also that the University would be liable to rather frequent political changes in its general management, and it is believed that but for the fact of the regents having one of their members, Senator Simkins, to represent the University in the Legislature and explain its interests in the matter, the result might have been otherwise. The incident too is regarded as an illustration of the propriety of removing such institutions from political control of their practical operations. The latest appointments to fill vacancies in the board of regents was the nomination by Governor Hogg of Hon. F. W. Ball of Fort Worth, in place of Hon. Seth Shepherd of Dallas, whose term expired January 1, 1891, and the re-appointment of Dr. T. D. Wooten of Austin, whose term also expired January 1, 1891. Dr. Wooten continues president of the board, which is now constituted as follows: T. C. THOMPSON. Galveston, Galveston county. Term expires T. M. HARWOOD, Gonzales, Gonzales county. F. W. BALL. Fort Worth, Tarrant county. Secretary, A. P. WOOLDRIDGE, ) Term expires Term expires .Austin, Texas. As to Governor Ross, it is due him to state that he claims that his intentions have always been friendly to the institution. As to Governor Hogg, his expressions since his election as State executive have been decidedly friendly, and the new Legislature is also believed to be kindly disposed to the University. CHAPTER IV. CONCLUSIONS. From the history presented it will be seen that the University, founded by the Republic of Texas and preserved and endowed by the State, though still in its infancy and as near a "first class university" perhaps as could be expected under the circumstances, deserves well of the State. It opens the way to liberal education and to special training in certain lines to the aspiring youth of Texas, and in so far as it holds up the true standard of education, tends to raise the general grade mark of intellectual culture. Still, it must be admitted that, owing to the inavailability of most of its largely planned endowment, it is far from being a perfect par adigm in all the essentials of university education. It takes time for university development, even under the most favorable conditions. As Dr. Mallet has expressed it, "a university, instead of being built up at once by any masterly methods of construction, has to take root and branch out and grow, like a tree, to its proper proportions; and to flourish, must have a fruitful field, light, the heat of the sun, and the refreshing showers of generous influences " Under proper management, the University of Texas should long ago have had an annual income of a hundred thousand dollars; and it has been difficult to understand the action of the State in the control of its endowment and tardiness in putting the institution into operation. The new States which have come into the Union, proposing to establish universities, may learn a lesson to advantage from the history of the University of Texas and the universities of Arkansas, Maryland, Virginia, Michigan, Indiana, Vermont, Wisconsin and others, which had to contend with State legislation and other political influences. A grave defect in the law organizing the Texas University, doubtless patterning after the University of Virginia, was the absence of any provision for an executive head, instead of having the management, as now conducted, divided between the State, the regents and the faculty. No university of the highest order has been built up in America which was not largely the work of the inspiring and guiding mind of some established chief. The University of Virginia itself is hardly an exception, for it was moulded and fashioned by Jefferson, who though not the ostensible was the real head of the institution, at one time rector; and that university is the only one of the highest class in this country which did not have in its early years an actual ruling spirit as the chancellor or president. "Never," says Dr. Herbert Adams, "was an institution more completely the materialization of one man's thought than is the University of Virginia. Not only did he evolve the entire system of education there introduced, but he actually devised every feature of construction and administration. He drew plans, made estimates and contracts, busied himself about bricks and mortar, and superintended the whole process of building." As has been seen, one of the greatest drawbacks to the progress of the University of Texas has been not so much hostility to "higher education" in the abstract, as partiality instead for the common schools as a more popular system of education with the masses, naturally keeping up indifference to the establishment of a University and serving as a pretext for the State's reckless dissipation of the University's resources and careless management of its finances. This much may be fairly concluded, that but for the wise liberality displayed in the State's landed endowment at a time when, as suggested by President Lamar, the domain was ample for the purpose, Texas probably would not even yet have a State University, unless the federal donation for establishing agricultural colleges, operating as it has in other States, had induced this State to convert the college at Bryan into a State University, with the department required by the federal statute to entitle it to national support. What the University most needs now, is to give it a tendency to the more practical in education, not in |