The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1854-06-04

Ou + IlO6y last, the frlenu6 OF COiuuDih SOi-
lege and the relatives of the students who at
tend that institution were taken by surprise by
the sudden expulsion of the entire sophomore
class. The cause Of this sweeping measure was
the indecorous behavior Of the sophomores at
the class of chemistry. These gentlemen, it
seems, were in the habit Of firing torpedoes and
enjoying other like pastmes while the class
was in session; and every attempt to check the
practice having failed the trustees had no alter
native but to suppress the lectures or dismiss
the rebellious students. The former was OBJ
viously out of the question and the trustees
| were reluctantly compelled to adopt the latter
as the only course consistent with the character
of the institution and their own sense Of official
| duty.
The act has caused complaint in certain quar-
! tiers; the same, we may observe, whence arose
| the clamor at the rejection Of DR.. Wolcott
Gibbs, candidate for the chair OF chemistry
the students that, private reasons disabling the
| incumbent Of the chair of chemistry from full
filing the duties of his Office for the present, the
| functions were temporarily discharged by
| student of last year and that this con-
stituted an indignity which the sophs
were quite right to resent. We shall
| assume no censorship Of collegiate dignity or
honor, and shall therefore leave this PROPOSE
ton as it stands Waving its abstract merits,
| however, we must be permitted to observe that
| in the collegiate institutions Of Europe, the
temporary discharge of PROFESSIONAL duties by
substitute, generally an old student, is
not only not regarded as an indignity, but in
| many universities has become matter of
course Many of the most eminent professors
Europe has known-among others M. Guizot
and Professor Dunbar of Edinburgh-began
their career as substitutes for professors Nor
are we aware that the fact Of having learnt
history from the one or Greek from the other
while they filed this subordinate position, has
ever been considered as stigma on the name
| Of scholar.
of Columbia College had fair precedent for
rebelling against the lectures of an old fellow
student-there would yet be much to say with
respect to the mode of rebellion suitable to the
case. Gentlemen have one way of acting,
| clowns another: men evince their feelings in
one way, boys in another. When the students
| of the College de France rose in body with
closed lips and stern faces, and marched slowly
| out of the hall, rather than imply adhesion to
the suspension Of their favorite professor by
listening to his successor-it was contended
that they acted as men and gentlemen, and we
are inclined to think they did. Had they tes-
tilted their feelings by uproarious laughter dur
ing the lecture, by coarse jokes, or by firing
crackers in the lecture room, they would have
acted like boys, and would have been rightly
expelled or otherwise punished
The late sephomores Of Columbia doubtless
took this into consideration when they delibe-
rately dsobeyed the solemn warning of the
President. We trust that, now they are free
from collegiate thraldom, their private con-
science rs young lnen Of whom much was cx-
peeted bears them out in what they have done
And, after he samples of philosophy and mo-
rally which appeared in print at the time OF
tie discussion with respect TO DR.. Wolcott Gibbs
election, We should net be surprised il the poor
lads really thought they were right. They
were then told that the Trustees and Senate
were bodies entitled no no respect. aud that the
laws OF the college had been violated by the
election of Dr. Rcnwick successor. They were
admonished that the laws Of the college inter-
posed no obstacle to the installation of an in
fdel in any of the professional chairs and that
Of. other things being equal, the sublimty Of
such spectacle in a Christian land ought to
make the scale lean towards the side of the I'M
believer. Thus deceived by the false lure
Of liberation, it is not to be wondered
hot in1u fill -
and fire should have eagerly seized the
iait, and rushed headlong towards error
The calmcr voice OF practical common sense
was drowned by the shouts of the pretended
liberals, and the result Of the contest we fear
LEFT Christianity in sad minority in the col |
lege. We have now before us one OF the first |
Illustrations OF the sentiment Of insubordna- |
the students A hankering after infdelty in
the professor has most naturally led to an i'm
patience Of all restraint and contempt for all |
constituted authority among the students.
With crecds and doctrines it is not orr pro-
vince to NEEDLE; but certain il Il that ire
sigion, anywhere end at any time, is sure to be
followed ly lawlessness. The sophomorcs Of
Columbia College afford the las. ,erifcatiou of
the truth Of the statement
Their expulsion l. another event IN the his
tory Of American inGlclity. II is not Of much
importance in itself: whole classes Of students
have tccn over and over again expelled from
college without iniuring the world or doing
any harm TO any one but themselves. But,
taken in conjunction with The circumstances
which preceded it, and the excuse by which it
Is now sought to justify the Offenders, it will
certainly .joire trogue.
IBL bosroN MoBoCRATs AND THE WASHINGTON
OReASs.-By way OF counter irritation to the
abolition mobocrats at Boston, the Washington
Cabinet organs, including the official paper and