The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-06-08

40 this thing, IL Will be sure TO cause
most painful and sensational scene IN that
crowd upstairs. Ii the young lady must
have her diploma, send - 10 her quietly,
and without any public announcement. as
sou said last night might be done. T do
beg and implore you not TO carry out the
plan you have arranged. IL Will be a
great mistake"
Al this Gov. Atkinson smiled and re-
piled; why. Prof. Chappen ! am sur
prised at you ] always thought you were
one Of the best balanced and most con-
serVative of men, but / don't understand
you now. We, the trustees only, have the
right 10 issue diplomas. We viii assume
the whole responsibility in this matter
and viii so state to the audience In my
speech introducing Mr.. Harris
! gazed for moment silently into The
faces of the assembled trustees to see II
] could discover any sign Of yielding, but.
seeing none, / proceeded up stairs 10 open
the exercises. Everything went on smooth
Is until the time came for Mr. Harris TO
present the diplomas When Gov. Akin
son rose to introduce him, he prefaced the
introduction with a speech like this'
thereafter the diplomas of this college
will be awarded in the name Of the board
Of trustees and they assume the whole re-
sponsiblity OF the diplomas issued to-day.
That Is really the right and legal wav,
but. young ladies', you can't get your IL
plomas to-day. The form VIII have TO DC
changed so as to conform with the new
regulation. They will be prepared as soon
as possible and sent to you at your homes,
the expense being borne by the trustees
That is all he said on the subject Of the
diplomas. II in addition he had SAID rs
[ think the situation demanded he should:
There IS one young lady among the
graduates TO whom the faculty declined
for reasons satisfactory 70 themselves 10
give a diploma, but after reviewing the
circumstances fully and carefully We the
trustees, think Miss spence is entitled to
her diploma we, therefore, take the re-
sponsibility upon ourselves of giving 1t 10
her"-I say, if Gov. Atkinson had II
tered some explanation like this. which It
seems to me the circumstances clearly de-
handed, never a word of protest would /
have uttered. Mr.. Harris, after Gov. At
kinson's Introductory remarks, proceeded
to make his speech to the students, at
the close Of which, in lieu Of delivering
the diplomas, he read ont slowly ana de-
liberately the names of the graduates IN
alphabetic order, reading out Miss En-
mic Spence among them. After he hai
taken his seat. uttered the protest that
preclpitated the terrible scene. such as l
could not possibly have anticipated al
though / knew a painful sensation would
follow.
Perhaps in my protest should not have
uttered the name of the young LADY, am
sorry l did-although II really would have
made no difference, FOR everybody in the
audience would have known TO whom al
luded and the same publicity would have
been given to the name through the news
papers The protest was a complete sur
prise to every human being in the audi
ence. Not even the teachers had any idea
what was coming, for / had had no oppor-
tunity Of communication with them since
the action of the trustees in overriding our
decision In regard to the diploma; but in
making the protest I know ] represented
the feelings Of every teacher in the faculty
except possibly one or two.
II was only a passing storm. however.
The whole sad affair OF that Tuesday
morning. was absolutely inevitable under
the circumstances. Even if 1 had not ut
tered my now famous protest, practically
the same agitations would have occurred,
though in a somewhat different form II
would have been a conflagration, instead
of an explosion. as IT was. In other words,
the action of the trustees In granting the
diploma against the earnest protest Of the
entire faculty necessarily could have been
kept out Of the newspapers. AS the thing
had to come, it was better that it should
come as an explosion and be done with.