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POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY 



bequest ; the faculty would consist of 

 the present faculty of the institute and 

 of those professors of the university 

 who now give instruction in industrial 

 science; each of the institutions would 

 retain control of its own funds, and 

 the agreement could be terminated at 

 any time by either party. 



This agreement was submitted to 

 the faculty of the institute, which, on 

 May 5, by a vote of fifty-six to seven, 

 adopted a report to the effect that in 

 their opinion it was educationally un- 

 sound and prejudicial to the institute's 

 development. The alumni who voted 

 stood 458 in favor of the proposed 

 agreement and 1,351 against it. In 

 spite of this, and the further fact that 

 the faculty of the Lawrence Scientific 

 School was known to be opposed to the 

 agreement, it was adopted by the cor- 

 poration of the institute on June 9 

 by a vote of twenty-three to fifteen 

 in a total membership of forty-seven. 

 The agreement must now be submitted 

 to the corporation and overseers of 

 Harvard University, and if adopted by 

 them will be put in force, unless the 

 courts should decide adversely. The 

 present site of the Massachusetts In- 

 stitute of Technology can not be sold 

 for business purposes without the ap- 

 proval of the courts, and the courts 

 must also decide on the legality of 

 using the income of the McKay bequest 

 in the manner proposed. A committee 

 of the alumni of the institute has been 

 formed to test in the courts the validity 

 of the agreement on behalf of those 

 who have given or bequeathed funds 

 to it. 



Various arguments have been urged 

 in favor of the merger and against it. 

 It is said that the same community can 

 not support two schools of applied sci- 

 ence, to which it is replied that there 

 is room in New England for two schools 

 of different types, and that the competi- 

 tion would be beneficial rather than in- 

 jurious. It is said that it is an ad- 

 vantage for a school of technology to 

 be associated with the work of a uni- 



versity in view of the broader culture 

 given to the students, but it is replied 

 that the earnest work of the school 

 of applied science would be weakened 

 by the dilettantism of the college. It 

 is said that economy would result from 

 the merger, but this is denied. It is 

 said that larger gifts would be made 

 to the combined school, but it is re- 

 plied that the interest of the alumni 

 and other friends of the institute would 

 be alienated. 



All these arguments have a certain 

 plausibility. The case in favor of an 

 alliance would certainly be strong if 

 a new school, such as Mr. McKay at 

 one time contemplated, were to be 

 founded. But it is easy to under- 

 stand the position of the faculty and 

 alumni of the Massachusetts Institute of 

 Technology, the strongest foundation 

 of the kind in the country. They fore- 

 see that it would be placed at the mercy 

 of Harvard University, and that the 

 ultimate outcome would be a big school 

 of applied science of Harvard Univer- 

 sity, rather than a continuation of the 

 individuality and traditions of the 

 Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 

 It certainly appears that when the 

 great majority of the faculty and 

 alumni of the institute are of this 

 opinion, and when the alliance is not 

 wanted by the Lawrence Scientific 

 School, the plan would be inexpedient, 

 and for the corporations of the two 

 institutions to force it would be un- 

 warrantable. Most university pro- 

 fessors will concur with the editorial 

 article published in the last number of 

 The Technology Review, the concluding 

 sentences of which are " A partner- 

 ship between Harvard and the institvite 

 to which substantially all the parties 

 in interest consented might be prac- 

 ticable; but one like this, which is 

 repugnant to most of those whose good 

 will and enthusiastic efforts are essen- 

 tial, must inevitably result, if attempt 

 is made to force it through, not only 

 in the wrecking of the institute, but 

 also in the controlling of education by 



