The times., 1897-08-09
DR.. Kent's Review Of Undemo-
cratic Educational institutions.
ANDREWS AND BEMIS CASES
Private Wenth Creates and There
fore Assumes to Control Uni
versities-The Dis missaI of An
drews haracterized as Dirty
Work-The Professors stand.

queut Pastor OF the Peoples Church. Typo
graphical Temple, delivered sermon yes
teiday morning whose sentiments, some
times political and at all times phiiospphi-
cal,were many times applauded byt the audi
enec. His sub ject was 'OurJrniyersities and
Our Millionaires,'' a theme which W hen an
nounced immediately suggested Brown Uni
versity and what the gold seandard peo-
pie did to its silver professor.
An Interesting treatment of Dr.. Kents
subject was his collation. of various editor.
tals on the dismissal of Prof. a ndrews.
The sermon in part was as follows:
One of the stock arguments of press and
pulpit in favor of unlimited private wealth
has been the somewhat numerous in
stances in which this wealth has been
freely used in the furtherance OF vital
public interests Not d few of the great
educational Institutions Of the country
owe their existence TO the munificent gifts
OF few very wealthy men The Girards.
Tufts, Vanderbits, Corneils, Stanfor,ls, Hop
kins, Eockefellers, and others have, it has
been felt, shown so broad a spirit of
fberality and wisdom, as TO quite Justify
the industrial system under which such
possible But in recent years, as the
teaching OF these colleges and universi-
ties has come to deal more directly with
the great questions of production and dis
trii,utb0n and to- concern itself more and
more about the ethical element in po-
htical economy these IHen Of great wealth
have been showing disposition 90 claim
sort of property right in these institu-
tons. As private wealth created ur en-
dowed them, they seem TO assume private
wealth has a right 70 control and direct
them tO its cwn behOof
At all events they have been exercising
the power whether they assumed the
right or not. We all remember what
stir was made when Prof. BemIs, OF
Chicago University, advocated municipal
ownership Of gus works when the Standard
OIL Company was interested in the local
monopoly. It was denied, OF course, that
Prof. Bemis' dismissal was due TO this,
ana an attempt was made to show that
he was discharged for 1.-The good of the
SERVICE" as they say here in Washington
when they wish TO H.ake a political re-
moval But the evidence was clear and
conclusive that Prof. Bemis' attitude On
social and economic questions WIS at
the root of the trouble. Heresy on this
matter was all the evidence of incom-
petency wanted by any Of wealth IS Ininions.
Prof. BeTnis' case had hardly ceased co
be a subject for public discussion. when
President Andrews, OF Brown University,
was dismissed for a kindred reason PTesi-
dent Andrews incurred the ennity of the
gold standard men during the late cam
paiSu, because of his pronounced biInet al
iism, and his undisguised hostility to the
gold standard policy.
weighing the grounds OF justifica ton
for the dismissal OF PTof. Andrews, DIR.
Kent said, in conclusion:
The rights of individual men are not
determined by the requirements Of their
business. Their Individual business should
be determined and regulated by tiie rights
and necessities of the whole social body.
1t is their low view OF the right OF self
protection commonly held that has ruled
the trustees OF Brown University 1t was
this that shaped their demand that Frest-
dent Andrews should not pursue course
that tended to ALLEVIATE wealthy men and
diminish the revenues OF the college.
The Hartford Courant has some perti-
nent words on this peint. 1t says; ''FoT
lese president has been devoting the most
and the best of his time TO seeing how
he could get the money OF the millionaire.
1t would prove a mighty Interesting course
in economies and in morals if those etl,l-
Gated and pereeptiye instructors, heads OF
the great institutions OF learning, would
now devote a few years to seeing how
the milIi0naires themselves got their money,
ant. to cnlighten the youth OF the land on
the subject.
This, we venture 70 say, would do good
that would many times outbalance any
harm that President Andrews might do
with his silver fallaeies The sycopha ntic
course of some college promoters toward
men who become rich by methods that are
without Justification has been big factor
in the decentralization that row prevails -
OF course we admit that colleges must
have money, and that, as the Springfield
Republican says, the men TO whom the '
| must now appeal are mainly the captains of
| industry men Of positive views and fear
| full of what the social unrest of the time
| is leading to. The men who viii give o!
| their wealth freely in the interest of higher
| education and leave the ma tier of what
| shall he taught entirely to the faculty
only asking that they be loyal to the truths
| they see, and that they be ever on tht
| search for more-are very rare. There ars
| not enough OF them in the whole country
! To support single college. Hut they are
| almost as numerous as the professors an6
] presidents whose love OF truth is deeI
| enough to make them jeopardize their
! bread and butter for it's sake. And So, as
tho SnrinOfipid RpnubIiean saws the con
| clusion TO which not a few colleges seem
| to nave come is, I'VE must teach what the
| captains OF industry deem to be proper
| and safe" The extent to which the tyran
nous rule of these captains is interfering in
| the realm of thought and speech is not p
| parent in the usual pressstatenentt touching
| the causes of President Andrews removal
| One would get the impression from these
| statements that President Andrews had
| been an offensive partisan-that he hat
| sturnped the country for free silver or some
! thing of this kind. But the facts are that
| he has never made puhlic speech or pre-
| sided over public meeting or in any way
! taken public action in behalf of the fret
| coinage of silver His views We're drawr
| out In private correspondence 10y former
| students of the university, and In one oi
| two cases published by the parties receiv
| ing them. 1t was the publication of one oi
| these letters, revealing to the world Presi
| dent Andrews attitude on the money ques
| ton, that moved the trustees To demand {
| change in his policy or resignation q
his office. II he would promise 10 see thai
| no more of his letters got into print. ant