18683 Future of the American University 



cally no hope of betterment. In 1871, Willard Cornell 

 Fiske, professor of German and a believer in German and 



n I 



efficiency, wrote for the Cornell Era a discouraging 

 comparison between the newly founded institution 

 at Ithaca and the University of Berlin. Prussia 

 and New York State were then about equal in 

 territory and not far apart in wealth and population. 

 Berlin emerged full-fledged from the very first, 

 with adequate libraries, laboratories, and faculties; 

 there was no hesitation, delay, or parsimony, no 

 need to wait to consult or persuade the people. 

 Cornell began in the mud of a poor hill farm on 

 the edge of a country village, with a group of boy 

 professors, few books, no traditions, and no achieve- 

 ments, its growth dependent on the uncertain will 

 of a self-governing commonwealth. It thus started 

 far behind Berlin and was steadily losing. Three years 

 had passed, three laps in the course. 'The race is 

 on," said Fiske; "who bets on the Empire State?' 



Today Cornell has passed her fiftieth lap, and is 

 stoutly forging ahead; her gains in wealth, prestige, 

 influence, most of all in active efficiency, - - are 

 above cavil. Already her sway over the world of 

 thought and action outranks that of Berlin. She 

 has no apology to make to any one. As for me, 

 I "bet on the Empire State!" 



The severe limitations bounding German education 

 are shown in the subordination of the university to 

 the Kultur system of which it is a part. Once at 

 Stanford, discussing university organization, I 

 touched on the apparent anomaly that in America, 

 the land of democracy, a university head has auto- 

 cratic powers, while in Germany, the fountain head 

 of autocracy, the Rector as they style him - - is 



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