St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1883-06-08
Some Press Opinions about that
Harvard Degree.

A more contemplate piece of small
malice than the refusal of that body to
confer the usual degree of LII. ID. on
Gov. Butler it would he hard to con-
ceive.- Philadelphia Times.
In point of fact Butler got his degree
shortly after the war from some fresh
water seminary, and the democratic
press, which now smOoths his wrinkled
front with fond curcsses, took 1t weird
delight in referring to him as doctor"
Butler. Harvard cannot make him less
a doctor than he is, nor, strictly speak
ing, more New York Times.
The governing body of Harvard col
lege have deliberately thrown their
weight into the scale for Governor But
Ter. All that lay in their power to do
to aid his reelection next fall they
have done. There is not Butler man
in the state who is not rejOiced this
morning, and there is not reasoning
rejecting republican, capable of calcu
lating political consequences, who is
not prQportionately disappointed
Boston Traveller.
The college has the training of young
men and it holds up to them as models
whose aims have been high and pure
Is Gov. Butler? Has he any quality
except one which he shares with Ger
tain nameless personage-industry to
be commended to the young? We do
not see any political character whatey-
er in this vote of the board of over
seers. The college has nothing to do
with politics carefully avoids that
field Boston Herald.
The decision of the Overseers of Har-
ward university not to confer the de-
gree of doctor of laws upon Gov. But
Ter attests an honorable willingness to
break a bad precedent rather than turn
the highest honOrs which the college
has to bestow into ridicule. There has
never been any good reason why the
degree, which is in its essence u per
sOnal honor, should be regarded as Il
mere appurtenance of the gubernatOri-
al office, to be bestowed without regard
to the character or fitness of the in
cumbent.- Boston journal.
If Harvard had been discriminating
in the past in the bestOwal of the de-
gree refused to Gov. Butler, many who
now speak of her action in terms of
condemnation and disgust would have
had no criticism to pass on her discrim-
inatiOn against the present governor.
They might have regarded it even with
approval, for on general principles it is
not probable that Gov. Butler would
have been selected among the candi-
dates for those titles which Harvard
has to dispense. But Harvard has not
Disseminated, at least in late years.
Boston Post.
1t would have been characteristic of
the governor to have declined the de-
gree, for the purpose of strengthening
himself with his followers, with whom
university honOrs are not of much ac-
count. The course of the college au-
thOrities may serve the governor Just
as well. But it will not please him to
be told that his character is not in har-
mony with the college motto, "Veri-
tas," or that it would have been an in
suit to the people of the commonwealth
to confer upon him such a distinction.
Degrees are very cheap i'll these times,
and Harvard's example, in the way of
restoring their dignity and worth, is
commemorative New York Tribune.
We believe that the action of Har-
ward in Withholding this degree is IA
sign of that re-awakening care in the
bestOwal of hOnOrs of letters and NOR
ais which is beginning to characterize
our educational corporations and which
ought to characterize them still more
Gen. Butler has many at
tractive qualities; he has also admira-
BILE private virtues, which win him the
respect of many who differ with him,
but in political life he is an unscrupu-
lous demagog, a humbug in his preten-
sions of reform, deliberate and wan
ton defamer of the good name of his
state by reckless statements to further
his own private ends Springfield
Republican.