Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1883-06-02
LII. ID.

The Board of Overseers of Harvard col
lege has, by vote of IL to 10, refused to
confer upon Governor Butler the degree of
LII. D. This occurrence suggests the in
quiry, What is Doctor of Laws Il has al
ways been supposed to mean man learned
in the laws, not necessarily in the laws
known more or less imperfectly by lawyers,
but in laws of some sort. OF course the de
gree does not confer the learning with the
title. When man is dubbed Doctor of
Laws it is supposed that he is or ought to be
Doctor of Laws in fact, and that the be-
stowal of the degree merely implies that
some college which delights to honor true
merit has discovered this fact and hastens to
aware, has ever openly maintained that the
degree ought to be conferred upon man for
his good fortune or his success Great sue
cess in business, war or politics is often the
very thing which has prevented a man having
time to get posted in the laws. So it hap
pens that man may be considerable of q
man without being qualified to be Doctor
of Laws, and it is simply ridiculous
to call him one when he is not one.
"A SAVbb uALfSkSAby AS q RldCc HAC10 6RhAO 40
supposed to be called spade. It is not COM
monty believed to be place where unlearned
men are ornamented with epithets which
Imply that they are very learned. Now Har-
ward is great university, and it would hardly
be presumed that she would bestow learned
degrees on men of no special requirements
Yet for long time Harvard has regularly
conferred the degree of LII. D. on the gov
ernors of Massachusetts. In this respect she
for instance, has never seen her way clear
to make all the governors of Con
necticnt Doctors of Laws. 1t
can hardly be supposed that Harvard has
kept up this practice because tho governors
of Massachusetts, have been distinguished and
successful men, as that would constitute no
reason for calling them Doctors of Laws.
She does not bestow the honor regularly up
on the Presidents of the United States, who
hold position at least eqnal in distinction to
that of governor of Massachusetts,. Harvard
has hitherto probably regarded it as a con
elusive presumption that the cultivated vot-
ers of the Hub State would not elect a man
governor unless he we're fit to be
a doctor of Laws. We say con-
elusive presumption, for Harvard has
not for mauyllong years been known to
s'go behind fhesFeturns. . but has dropped
the degree, as the rain dropasfrom heaven, on
the just and the harmed and the un-
learned. She has mors than once placed the
parchment in the hands of governors who,
unlike GoYernor Butler. could not read the
ornate and sonorous Latin OF its inscription,
but she has not yentured to intimate that the
chosen of the people was not worthy to be
Doctor of Laws. Her motto has remained
the same throughout, but she processes to
have at last discovered its true meaning.
It strikes us that Governor Butler has
reason for saying that this sudden change
was really reflection upon the people of
the State. 1t is saying, in effect, that the
people of Massachusetts, have ceased to elect
men fit to be Doctors of Laws. 1t is also
an unkind thrust at the colleges which have
thought Governor Butler it to be Doctor
of Laws without being Governor of Massa-
chusstts. The sudden change will
also be attributed to small political spite.
And this idea will find support in the fact
thst as Doctors of Laws run Governor But
,er is by no means disqualified for the de-