The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1899-01-19
Made No Charges of immortality
Against Virginia Students.
HIGH REGARD FOR HONOR SYSTEM
His Remarks Were General, the Say
ing That we Are Only Moral Only
in Spots was Applicable i'm
General Way - Cannot Re-
call just What He
Did Say.

UNIVERSITY or VIRGINIA, January
.-speciai.-Professor William NJ. Thorn
ton, OF the faculty of the University Of
Virginia, ana formerly chairman Of that
institution, is in receipt Of the following
letter from Professor William r. sedg-
wick Of the Boston Institute Of Tech
nology:
81 sent you a telegram last night ask
ing you TO suspend judgment on the
gross perversion Of my words about the
University of Virginia until could write,
as 1 now do.
AT q meeting OF the Massachusetts,
Moral Education Association on Friday
last / was invited % speak on The Moral
Training of College and Institute Life.
and did so. believing that I would do the
higher education service by pointing
out the great moral advantage of such
life for young men and women. In the
course of my remarks which were made
without notes and without much pre-
paratlon / naturally touched upon the
subject OF cheating On examinations and
the honor system
PRAISED THE UNIVERSITY.
''rhis Ted me 90 speak Of the University
OF Virginia In terms Of high praise. !
then continued substantially as follows:
This does not necessarily mean. how
over. that the Southern young men are
on the whole superior iu morality TO
their mort hern brothers They may have
other moral defects. such as drunken
ness or licentiousness We are all moral
only in spots.
"rhe last sentence a casual and OF
course f0Oiishly general one concluded
this part OF the subject I cannot affirm
that these sentences are exactly what /
said. or were an that I may have said
but they are what meant TO say and
very nearly what ] did say. / was very
busy on Friiay evening, having am inn
portant public lecture to give on Satur-
da al II o'clock and so dismissed from
my mind the whole subject, making IL
difficult for me to- recall precisely the
language used 1 am rapid speaker and
have been told by stenographers that /
am hard 20 take. ! therefore believe that
was misunderstood. and thus misre-
ported I certainly never said. and never
meant 10 say the outrageous things at
iributed to me in the dispatches
THE HONOR SYSTEM.
"I have. Of course. absolutely no
knowledge of the moral condition Of the
University in any particular, excepting
only it's leadership m the honor system
+ did not say. and do not believe. any
such outrageous ana impossible thing as
that 10 is famed for immortality and
Hcentiousness.' / did not say. and l do
not believe that It IS moral only in
spots
con the contrary, 7 so firmly believe
that the University OF Virginia Ike all
our great colleges. universities and scien-
uhc schools. wields. on the whole. a
powerful moral influence. and is a force
that makes for righteousness.
''This was the general tenor and bur
den of ms address as YOU may see from
tho very decent report Of vt in the
Herald OF SATURDAY copy Of which / en-
close
81 viii only say further how deeply
paincd aud grieved ] am by this whole
affair. and how much lament the
cruel. and possibly harmful, publicity
which has been given 20 10. ! have a
profound respect and regard for the Uni
vcrsitv and would not willingly say or do
the slightest thing 90 damage IL, even If
/ could.
PROOF OF FRIENDSHIP.
"You will perhaps recall the fact, IN
supporf OF these statements. that shortly
before your own visit to Boston. after
the fire which destroyed the rotunda.
made in the Transcript-Our principal
evening paper-a strong appeal for the
University. and ! have never since failed
60 speak in its praise whenever oppor-
tunity offered
'May 7 ask you TO show this letter to
the chairman Of your faculty and your
other colleagues. and make It's contents
known 20 the student body, Who have a
right 10 demand an explanation;
"Furthermore. you may make any
other use of it you deem proper. | only
hope that the discussion evoked by this
whole affair may serve to make better
ana more widely. known the splendid MS
tory and present fair fame OF one OF our
l.. ....I Lnnnr.H IImiNar.Iflns.|