Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1898-09-03
hegistor Dem.l

interest during the past month or
more a discussion Of the affairs Of the
West Virginia University. There has
been a vast deal OF unfriendly COM
ment upon this institution, and Il ap
pears to us that some of the newspa-
pers have been very unfair and illogi
cal in their attack upon it and its
president The less some OF them APP
pear to have known about the matter
the more violent they have beeu. a
little matter started the criticism, a
young lady who had been librarian
was displaced by friend Of the presi-
dent, DR.. Raymond immediately a
howl went up that West Virginiau
had been uujustly discharged and a
Chicago person given her place. The
truth of the matter, we are reliably
informed, is that a person not well
fitted for the position was succeeded,
very properly. by a lady who had
peculiar qualifications, especially for
some new and important work that
had to be done.
There was no occasion whatever for
a newspaper war over this small mat
ter, and it should never have gotten
beyond gossiping circles in Morgan
town.
The most important matter OF ccm-
ment, however, has been the alleged
utterances OF DIR. Lester Ward, of the
Smithsonian Institute at Washington,
who was engaged tolecture atthe sum-
mer school of the University DIR.
4 Ward is conceded to be one of the fore
most students in the country in his
line, and his lectures on Sociology are
regarded as standard DIR. Ward is
charged with having advanced theor-
les tending to immortality and holding
in light esteem the sacredness of the
marriage tie, some critics going so far
as to maintain that his views were di
rectly antagonistic to the teaching Of
| Scripture.
The discussion was started with an
anonymous letter in one of the Nor
gantown papers, and the newspapers
over the State took the matter up.
The first article, it appears to us, was
guilty of the mean device of taking
isolated sentences in DIR. Wards lee
lures and quoting them out of their
proper connection, thus comforting
them to suit its purpose and placing
the lecturer in a false position. With
out investigating for themselves, and
without further facts before them, a
number OF editors promptly swallowed
the yarn Of this anonymous scribblef
and have been most incorporate in
their comments on the management oil
the University. 1t may be worth
while to state that Hon. George c.
Sturgiss, president of the board OF re-
gents, over his own signature, de
nounced the allegations as untrue,
and such men as Judge Okey John
son also denied that DR.. Ward had
used the language or expressed the
sentiments attributed to him. AS a
further refutation of the charges, ev-
cry member of DIR. Wards class, in
Guiding some of our most prominent
educators, signed a testimonial ex-
pressing their appreciation of his
work.
Much of the criticism referred to
above. while apparently called out by
DR.. Ward, has in reality been intended
as shots at DIR. Raymond, the presi-
dent Of the University, and here is
where the greatest unfairness is shown.
Dr. Raymond secured a leading lee
turer in his line in perfect good faith.
He should hardly be held accountable
for all that that lecturer should say
certainly he should not be blamed for
what he didn't say. DR.. Raymond is,
in our judgment, a splendid man for
the important place he holds. He is
not perfect, certainly, but for SO young
man he has carried himself with
great dignity and good Judgment.
His work has shown that he is able
and progressive. and he ought to have
fair chance instead of being unjustly
bounded He has taken the trouble
to show up a number of lies, and this
ought to cause unprejudiced persons
to think little before they believe all
they hear.
So far as the idea that there is too
much Chicago ism in the University
is concerned we think the main
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