The evening times., 1899-01-19
PROFESSOR sEDGw1cK's DENIAL
Did Not Reflect the Morals of
University of Virginia Students.

Did Not Reflect on the Morals of
University of Virginia Students.
Charlottesville. Va. Jan. ia dis
patch from Boston, printed in a Washing
ton paper ON January IA, stated that Pro-
fessor Sedgwick. of the MassachusS It's In
stitute of Technology, in an address on
The Moral Training of College and Insti-
tute Life" had reflected most severely
upon the morals of the students at the
University of Virginia. Professor Sedg-
wick, according to this dispatch. dee ared
that The University of Virginia though
long famed for its honor system in the
examinations, is also famed for its i'm
morality and licentiousness. and so we
must conclude that they 1.-THE students)
moral only in spots.'
Professor Thornton, of the University
of Virginia. has received a letter from
Professor Sedgwick, stating that the re-
port of his speech was gross perversion
of his words" Professor Sedgwick then
makes the following explanation:
AT a meeting of the Massachusetts Moral Edu-
cation Association ] invited to speak on
The Moral Training of College and Institute
Life. and did SO. believing could do the higher
education a service by pointing out the great
moral advantages of such life for young men and
women. In the course of my remarks, which
were made without and without much
preparation. | naturally touched upon cheating in
examinations and the honor system This led me
TO speak OF the University of Virginia in terms
OF high praise. | then continued substantially
as follows: This does not necessarily mean,
however, that Southern young men are on the
whole, superior in morality to their Northern
brothers They may have other moral defects
such as drunkenness licentiousness. We are all
moral only in spots.
I
actly what l said or even all that ! may have
said, but they are what meant TO say, and very
nearly what l did say. / was very busy on Fri
day evening, having an important public lee
ture to give on Saturday at IL o'clock, and so
] dismissed from my mind the whole subject
making it difficult for me to recall precisely the
language used. | am a rapid speaker, and have
been told by stenographers that l hard to
take. | therefore believe that | was niisunder-
stood, and thus unsupported. l certainly never
said, and never meant TO say. the outrageous
things attributed TO me in the dispatches.
have, of course, absolutely no knowledge of
the moral condition of the university in any par
ucular, excepting only its leadership in the
honor system. l did not say. and | do not be-
lieve any such outrageous and impossible things
as that lit is famed for immortality and IL
eentiousness." i did not say and l do not be-
lievo, that lit is moral only in spots" On the
contrary / do firmly believe that the Jin;var
sity Of Virginia, like all great colleges uni
versities, and scientific schools, wields, on the
whole, powerful moral influence, and is force
that makes for righteousness This was the gen.
eral tenor and burden of my address, as YOU NAV
see from the very decent report of it in the
Herald OF Saturday, copy of which inclose
May ask you to show this letter to the chair
man of your faculty and your other colleagues
and make its contents known TO the student
body, who have right to demand an explana
ton.
Furthermore, you may make any other use of
it that you deem proper. | only hope that the
discussion evoked by this whole affair may serve
to make better and more widely known the
splendid history and present fair fame of one of
our most ancient and honored universities.