New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1871-11-30
THE PEOPLES COLUMN.

L
! brief Communications Published-Lona
Ones Invariably Rycctcd-1hc Editor MOI
Responsible for the Sentiments Expressed
| i3s the COMMUNICATIONS.
| EDITOR REPUBLICAN:
| As the late dismissal of number of the
| students OF the Louisiana State University
has occasioned considerable comment. and
| the course pursued by the superintendent
has been quite severely criticised it appears
| to me that few words on his side Of the
question might put the matter on little
tairer footing with the public
believe that you will agree with me that
one of the Chief causes of the lawIessness
and crime exhibiting itself all over the
country is the contempt which the people
have for law, and the manner in which it is
executed. Rings and powerful combina-
tons are formed whose chief object is to
evade the laws. Secret organizations, ku-
Klux societies and the like combine to do
evil aud DEFY punishment SO great is this
evil Congress has seen fit to resort to ex-
IRENE measures to resist it.
Can not this contempt for established an
thority be traced TO school boy pranks Ii
our sons, while they are students at college,
can organize and combine to successfully
set at defiance the rules ard regulations OF
those set over them in authority, is it not !,
natural result that these ideas should go
out into the world with them and that they
would easily fall into the habit of thinking
that successful evasion of the laws of the
country carried with it no more tlishonor
than did their evasion of the rules of the
college! l think SO.
Boys Will be boys is venerable, but de-
serves no more respect than IL great many
other things which the present age has con
cluded to consider bad habits which ought
to lie dropped. Boys are the fathers OF
men, and as such should be severely edll-
Gated i'll respect to law-the only master
which a freeman should acknowledge. If
our boys are taught obedience to law, there
is no fear for the perlnanence OF onr
free institutions; but if they are led to be
lleve that they can form rings with d view
to defving their teachers while at school.
and that it is not disgracetul to become the
creatures or defenders of law breakers,
then II appears to NE II be quite 4 natural
result THAT, i'll after life, the teaching OF
such lesson will prove a troublesome
thing.
Professor Boyd found ring-a secret
organzation-a kuklux society-call it
what you VIII, III the university The rules
and regulations were set at defiance. and
the members of the organization sought
safety by getting up the idea among the
students that 1t was ''dislonurabe 10
ooeS certain ofUef ol the superintendent.
That officer saw the necessity for some
extreme measure which was the re
qurement of eac!, boy II state upon honor
whether he had been guilty OF this in>ubor
dinatlun or not Unfortunately. there were
tWenty-iuur who allowed themselves to be
mi>led. and they suffered in consequence.
If these extreme measures should result
in intoxicating into the minds OF the stu
dents OF cur university Il thorough and pro-
found respect FOX the laws of that institu-
ton, to my mind, it will be IL happy thing:
for. with such principles we'll grounded.
not one would ever. il after life, be touud
enrolled III rings or law breaking clipue-.
PARENT.