New-York tribune., 1876-12-29
Student AND PRESIDENT.

Certain students of Brown University have
issued q pamphlet of eight pages, entitled,
L" A Page of History: B,ing True and I'm
vanished Statement of Facts, which we
Commend TO the Attention Of AL" In this, the
President of Brown University is charged with
falsehood, tyranny, injustice, and tayorltiSm'
and with exhibiting in thousand instances
"auaities more suited to the petulant school
"boy than 10 the President of large college,"
There has been foolish squabble between
the Freshmen and the SOphomOres, and In the
acts of discipline which this has called
for. DIR. Robinson is accused of behaving
unfairly. Approaching the difficulties OF his
nosit,on. and knowing how hard it is TO man
age Sophomores, knowing something of his
excellent reputation, and having perfect conf
dcnce in his integrity, we do not propose to
consider this indictment against him at all
iudicially. Why we do not do so the young
gentlemen will better understand ten years
hence, if not before. They cannot understand
il now. not altogether from any fault of their
own, but because they fancy that they have
already finished tile education which is just
beginning, and because they have the lntirmi-
ties inseparabe from youth and ineXperlence.
But we may venture to suggest to them
that they are in college for fixed
and definite purpose, and this is not
that they may prevent the Freshmen
from wearing canes or pins, such being the
ohcnse against class etiquette which has
created all the trouble. 1t being settled, then,
that these students are mt the university for
the purpose of study, and so much we pre-
sume that we may take for granted, and it
being furthermore indisputable that the Presi-
dent is in authority over them for wise rea-
sons, we have only TO ask them why they do
not study, and why they do not quietly sub
nit to constituted authority Why do they
waste their time in writing and their money
in printing badly composed pamphlet like
this, to which not one of them dares to put
his name, instead of sticking to their
Greek, Latin, Mathematics, and other
branches of learning2 Have they come to the
conclusion. in spite of their youth, or by rea-
son of it, that they need no discipline, re-
quire no government, are perfectly capable of
taking care of themselves Why, then, we
ask again, are they in collegef Why are they
not out in the world participating in its con-
tests and running, some of them for Congress,
and one or two of them for the Presidency
Do they imagine that DIR. Robinson is their
inferior either in wisdom or a sense of justice,
OF in hearty desire for the prosperity of the
university, or in judgment respecting the ways
by which such prosperity may be secured
Do they think that he likes to send away stu
dents, either singly or by whole classesf DO
they believe that he has no higher interest in
this business than that of gratifying his own
spleen and satisfying his own prejudices
VIII they for moment be pleased to remem-
Der who he is and who they are
These students in this pamphlet complain
that Dr. Robinson is "insolent.n They should
also remember that the disObedient always Ie-
gard correction or interference as insolent.
Insolence implies want of respect; but has
Dr. Robinson exhibited anything like the want
of respect for them which in this ill-consid-
cred publication they show toward him Age
is certainly entitled to the reverence of youth
there arc forty or fifty passages to that effect
in the Latin and Greek writer's II these young
persons will study hard enough to be able to
translate them. Learning should not be des-
pised by those who have come TO learn. A
character for eminent Christian piety, honor
ably maintained for years, ought to save
man from accusations of falsehood preferred
anonymously by those who have volun-
tarily asked for his religious instruction,
The reputation Of university ought TO be
dear to those who have sought, 1t is to be pre-