The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-02-20

college flculty are powerless to compel
men TO be honorable II the motives that
control the community of men with whom
they have TO do do not make for honor
able department. Punishments may be
inflicted, ard may restrain, but they
cannot prevail where the spirit that moves
the mrs does not give support to disci-
pline. 1t is provcrbial that rules are made
to break and they are indeed useless
where they have not the sanction and
support of the community for whose good
conduct they are framed. There Is fam
Gus educational institution in this coun-
try that Is said to have no less than five
hundred rules and regulations for the
control OF its student body but no diff
Guilty is found in enforcing them because
of the esprit that maintains among the
students themselves for their support.
We have never understood that spirit
that seems to prevail in many colleges Of
autagonism to the tenets of good be-
havior, even OF honor, that are held in
the average well ordered community. We
have never understood why, as appears
in many instances, the student body
should so often pand itself together
against the faculty as well as against pub
lie sentiment in opposition to measures
that are designed only for the maintain
ing of the good name of the college and
the elevation of the character of the indi-
vidual student. That there should exist
any such disposition is usually the fault
OF the authorities. we believe, for there
are examples enough of success in instill-
ing into the student body such principles
as should win Its cooperation for the
maintenance Of lofty standards in life and
department.
" hat men call honor is sacred thing.
II there is ever any question as to what is
known as n dishonorable transaction then
it is time that we examine the standard
by which we have become accustomed to
judging and find out IL there is anything
the matter with the standard. And we
can meyer err through fixing our standard
too high. To be taught to fear nothing
save dishonor Is splendid teaching for a
young man. That the dishonorable act,
and not the exposure OF its doing by any
mere law, or any college faculty, or any
other authority under which we may for
the time be living, is dishonest, 1t appears
to us should be so taught every young
man that the lesson may be guiding in
fuence for him through life Aud il his
every act and motive is weighed in that
scale he can make few serious mistakes.
The junior class at Brown promises, il
pardon is granted those OF its students
recently so severely punished, to use
its "best influence to prevent dishon-
esty in college work In the future"
The students are to be commended for
this promise while we can but be amazed
that no such spirit has been in them be-
fore. The fact that the faculty found it
necessary to adopt the severe regulation
which was resorted TO by the president
to punish in these cribbing cases, indi-
Gates tina, the spirit now 20 be invoked
did not before exist in the class, per-
haps not in the University, in measure
TO practically control the situation. Evil
IDENTIFY high standard Of honor and hon
esty did not control in the student body
as a whole. The individuals, a majority
of them, are we may readily believe,
men Of honor and honesty, but nothing
in all the "college spirit" that tradi-
tional college free masonry, the esprit
de corps, that in SO many important ways
count so much for the development OF
men who have the good fortune TO have
had college education, appears 10 have
exercised On influence against dishonesty.
where, II seems to Us, such an influence
should have existed and so powerfully
as to have made punishment under coll
lsge regulation for a dishonorable act
little to be dreaded by him who might he
tempted beside the shame OF II in the
eyes OF bis fellow students.
IL is because no such spirit 90 this
seems To have been inculcated in the
student hody at Brown that we have re.
ferred to the particular case in ques-
tion as severe on the students who
have recently suffered punish
meut. II seems 10 us that they
have sinned because neither they nor