Daily new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1897-1906, 1901-06-15
The New President.

ne eleCtlOH oi III. - -, uiIhbVli
to the presidency Of tile University
brought no surprise to anybody.
1t seemed the self evident thing 10
do
Itseemed like proyidential thing
that man whose ntecedents had
fash toned him, as it were for the
emergency should have been accessl-
bic. And it is a happy issue out Of
the problem that his election should
have been consummated promptly,
peacefully, and by the unanimous
vote of the Board Of Regents.
1t is a trite saying that when a
man buys new horse be is sure not
to have the same defects as the old
one
The Board OF Regents, and all
friends of the University, were nat
urally looking for man who would
at least, be free from the glazing
faults that made the recent admin.
istration so odious and so disastrous
to the institution.
We are quite sure that Dr. Purin-
ton will not come TO the position
with the haughty arrogance Of a
prophet raised up Co lead heathen-
ish, haweating people out Of the
wilderness. and looking with con
tempt upon the very institution and
the state into whose service be is
called DR.. Pnrinton is in hearty
accord with the environments Of his
new position. He is not new. He
is one of u.s. He has been associated
with the University from its begin
ming He knows its history from
tlfe laying of the corner stone. He
carries its diploma as the evidence
of his scholarship. He has passed
through all it's departments as stu
dent, professor, Vice President and
acting President. He has been
fashioned, and helped to fashion it,
in accord with its established ideals
He knows our people, and has been
identified with them from his boy
hood.
In short, the new President, is less
of an experiment than any man who
could have been chosen to the posi-
ton.
Moreover, we feel confident that
DR. Purinton viii not founder upon
the same rock that has brought dis
aster and failure to his predecessors
1t has been strange fatality to
nearly, or all the men who have herea
tofore been elevated to this position
that they have Immediately been
seized with the disease commonly
known as the big head. y The eIe-
walton has made them dizzy. They
have imagined themselves the Uni
versitv, and the business OF magni
flying themselves at the expense OF
the University has been the chief
aim. Accordingly they have -
sumed the air and attitude OF an au
tocrat and have gone through the
University with eInb Go command
and TO compel as the commander Of
a vessel would govern a lot Of roust#
abouts and deck han6s in his en-
ploy.
Dr. Purinton has had experience
enough TO know that whatever au
thority man gains as the head OF
an Institution is not what he com
pels, or What he gets by law, but
what his own character and fitness
spontaneously commands. If he is
the right man in the,,right place, every
member of the University will glad
" honor and defer to him. If he
must Of necessity resort to measures
of force to compel a respect which
his own character fails to secure, it
is only matter of time till he will
ANONYMOUSLY fail.
There are many traits in the
makeup OF Dr. Purinton which fit
him for this new and responsible po-
sition. He is sociable, approacha-
Bile, companionable, conscientious,
just, tactful and deliberate enough
not to Jump at conclusions, or per-
versely persist in blunders simply
because he has made them. We be