The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1871-03-29

COLLEGIATE HONORS FOR SALE
DURING some months past the Provost of the
University of Pennsylvania has been receiv-
ing from various persons in Canada aud Eu-
rope letters inquiring whether the Univer-
sity would confer degrees in dbsentid, and at
what cost At first these letters were myste-
ries, but at last their origin was detected. 1t
was ascertained that hired agent of sham
university in this city-we will not advertise
it by giving its address-was paiming off
upon over anxious Europeans and Canadians
degrees which they supposed to come
from the University of Pennsylva-
mia, but which in reality came
from the so-called University above alluded
one for a medical school and the other for
college, gave the power to confer degrees.
Finally reporter of the Press took the mat
ter In hanO and his expose of the whole con-
cerD, published last Thursday, proved the
correctness of the information before OBJ
tanned. The ''dean" of the pretending in
stitution was caught in a nicelylaid trap, and
letter from him to clergyman in England,
offering to confer any degree in the whole
list for certain price, was found in no way
to exaggerate his willingness to make doc
tors-if paid for it.
Of course such an iniquity should not be
tolerated single day longer than necessary.
The Legislature should revoke these much
abused charters without delay. Our police
should make descent on the premises, for
museum of immoral and absolutely obscene
specimens helps the financial department of
the enterprise; and every citizen should do
his share to excite proper public feeling.
When we think how many incompeteni, if not
utterly dishonest, fellows are turned loose
upon the community with a. degree of
M. ID. for which they never studied an
hour, and thus empowered to injure
for life, or even kill, such simple
minded persons as may come to them for ad-
vice, we can see easily how grave RESPONSE
bility rests upon every decent man in the
community. Such doctors of medicine (yes-
terday, perhaps, clowns or stable-boys) are
generally the wretches who by their lewdness
decoy young men and women into sin, and
then kill the former by quackery and the
latter by malpractice. But for such men
and few like-minded, though regular gradu-
ates-the terrible crimes of prenatal murder
and infanticide, which so disgrace our age
more than any preceding one, would be COM
paratively rare. To sell a strictly honorary
degree is base enough: to traffic in the lives
of our fellows is a crime against society, and
should be punished as such.
If this scandal upon our city's fair reputa
tion continue, we must expect to hear of sus-
picion and doubt attaching to the glorious
fame of Philadelphia as the mother of medi-
cal schools in the United States. The En-
glish clergyman spoken of above, perhaps too
ready to believe i'll of anything American,
says-'T cannot understand how such re-
spectacle university as that of Philadelphia
sh 1uld issue degrees through an agent in
London. This system of agency is
most discreditable, and, for the honor of both
our countries, should be stopped" Itchin g
for degree, yet fearing that he was being
humbugged, though he kaeW that the Unit
versity of Pennsylvania was too respectable
to make trade of its honors he still writes
in this vein. The medical diplomas of Phila-
delphia's two great schools, the University
and jefferson, are recognized all over Europe.
The city owes it to itself to keep Philadel-
phia's diplomas always recognizable.