Birmingham state herald., 1897-06-27

highly essential attributes of a choice professor, buits the properfl performance of his duties, and most specially those of the chief or president, certainly require a great love Of the atruth and 4. very high moral courage To illustnates- The orr oinary professor must feel not only an affection for and particular interest in the future of the pupil. whom he. has endeav- or5d to instruct fgf @0ne, oFsanlore years, and found respectful and so industrious as to have been allowed to leInain in bsi
 regular classssIbut also stneeds appre- ciate, that, more or less, his ewn reputa-
 ton as teacher will be adjudged by
 the proficiency and success of his schol- ars. NetwithetalaaiEg this fact. when
 he has allowedra pupil to remain in the
 senior cass until the regular course of study has been hndshed it requires a high moral coura etindeed, to deny the com pafattvely low degree iof A. B. to all such
 as he knows cannot stand such an exam inatlon, cannot show such a degree of Knowledge as tlhe members 4ofsfhe faculty would not hesiIatet whether together or slngly, to dec faire their instifutioni de-
 manded of each person whom they so
 honored Tae prafPssor also deeply
 sympsthizes both with the pupil and his nearest relauVfs, and may nct only fear mourning thelr hearty ill will. but that the disappoiRtnae nt may evtinguish the ] last ray of a laudnble ambition, which ] yet burhs in.fbs breast of the boy. It is nara, m most such cases, we believe to decide that it would be worse to give than 10 deny the honor Yet.s should consider how greatly one such honor or title, manifestly i'll bestowed, would der ogate the like as well as the donors them selves Tn the eyes. of score of most worthy recipients. saA
 l thought, a. still do. tfatsthe mem Ders or my class at college with two ex- captions, were. unusually sstudieus H. though good natured and apparently sin cere, in no wise manifest a desire to
 deserve diploma. Perhaps two weeks l before that title was conferred another and very worthy member of my class observed tome: T cannot appreciate my
 diploma if Fl is allowed to graduate as a member of our ella ss.' I replied: T feel So, too; but confess that I do not think
 1 deserve a diploma myself' Had the members of the faculty. on recognizing
 Il s carelessness, each, sir gJy.or together, kindly, yet firmly fxhorted him to do better, and on his refusal to try, have promptly dismissed him; We cannot
 doubt that he, nolsns Xolens, must after wards have held in much higher esteem both themselves and the ins tltuton which they IepreSentsd. than he could be-
 ing allowed to continue his association with them. manffestfy- without profit to
 either save his fees asa studenD, to his own disparsgement. l believe it most
 probable that my said associate, H. has naturally, ever since he left college, held
 such institutions as rule, at least, in
 high disrspute and wSulda ridicule the idea that among menof ordinary sagac- ity and business experience a young
 man should present his title of A. B. as per se evidence that he deserved re- gard as a man of mental culture or ca pacity, or even industry.
 Allowing they had due intelligence, I suppose each profe sser, and especially l. say the president of our university, had the ral courage. not to testify to what
 he did not believe, not to act the part of a
 hypocrite; if, even when on trial, youth
 may have been allowed to join a class Tor which he seemed not prepared, yet will not be allowed to continue to study
 what he manifestly cannot comprehend; when each pupil is as an incentive to dil- igence occasionally assured that he can- not receive any title, or even rec mmen- datien from the university. except such as upon fair nomination he proves himself honorably deserving of When
 such is the rule and the eVidcncs afforded by the experience. of his predecessors as l sures the young man that he may expect
 it in his own case strictly to be enforced,
 what a fire, strong indictment to extra diligence. We believe both that such a
 course would necessitate strict firm dis could enforce the former upon shrdlueta
 cipline. and that professors who would
 and could enGores the former would ap- Trsciate the need Of the latter.
 Tor few years at least we are aware that such a course as is herein advocated
 would probably lessen the number of at
 least the senior class, ard yet more of the
 graduates. Yet how much more worthy
 and how much more proud would we be of those whom our university should send forth as graduates Then can any doubt that few years would suffice for
 such a worthy body of alumni to spread
 far beyond the limits of these United States the deserved reputation of such an alma meter? Enforced to honor her, would they not love to declare it? If the
 military department is a sham, or if our university does not well deserve the title of "A Military College should she be al- l5wed or wish to claim it? Zoe Re spectfully yours. s-sfr eHt vffta jirs C N