The Portland daily press., 1886-06-08
To the Editor Of the Press: :

10 LHc 6UttOF " Tue IT6cSs
Your correspondent "B'' in yesterday S
issue of the PRESS was inadvertently led in
to error concerning admissions to Bowdoin
College If he will turn to the college cata-
logue he will find the following announce
ment Graduate and Special Students.
Facilities will be afforded to students who
desire to pursue their studies after gradua-
tion, either with or without view to de-
gree, and to others who wish to pursue spe-
cial studies either by themselves or in con-
nectiOn with the regular classes, without be-
coming matriculatcd members of the col
lege."
Such students are plainly not members of
the college in full standing. They are not
recognized as such, either by the Faculty or
by the students.
During the past twelve years, twenty-five
such students have been connected with the
college, and have had their names entered
on the annual catalogue, fifteen as Post
Graduate Students" and seven as Special
Students
These especial students" are necer candi-
dates for the regular degree of A. B.; there
fore they are not examined, are not matricu-
lated, are not subject to college regulations,
are not connected with college classes except
sometimes as a matter of convenience for
recitations, and the college is in no way re-
sponsible for their attainmentS. That the
college would allow the presence of many
such unattached students is not likely. As |
say. during the past twelve years there have
been just seven of them besides Mr.. Soule,
who came after the catalogue for this year
was printed.
Mr.. Soule was permitted to come to Bow
dom as Especial student" When he had
been there three weeks, without doing any
thing, he was officially notified by the pres
ident of the college that he must show him
self in good faith student or he could not
remain. This was before the BOwdOin nine
had played single game. Hence, when nus
case came before the referees. contrary to
the mistaken inference of your correspond.
ent, the faculty had already "interfered, y
and President Hyde stated this plainly to
the referees. After sufficient time for i'm
followed up by withdrawing from Mr.. Soule
the opportunities which he evidently had no
wish to improve.
1t seems to me that the published reports
of the investigation clearly show that the
president and faculty of Bowdoin placed the
facts in the case fully before the referees so
that they might judge whether the young
man in question was properly member
acithin the meaning Of those ,rho framed the
rule of membership for the Intercollegiate
league. The whole question turned on that.
The referees represented the managers OF
the base ball league, who, themselves, had
adopted the phrase properly a member" as
can be seen by reference to the printed rnles.
If the other colleges in the league did not
recognize the status of especial student,
the decision might be against Mr.. SOule
whatever the meaning attached to the phrase
at Bowdoin.
Accordingly the referees were courteously
given every facility to judge for themselves,
| from the facts as presented to them, whether
the challenged player was properly on the
nine or not. Certainly no one could decide
this question for them. 5.