Evening star., 1901-08-06
The Facts About the Recent Attack
on the National University.
ASSOCIATION OF DENTAL FACULTIES
Failed to Deprive Local lnstitu-
.tion of Membership.
METHODS
EXPOSURE

from membership has attracted not only
LEGAL attention, but interest generally
| throughout the United States. The> repre-
| sentatives of the National University VINO
! attended the meeting were DR.. II. ii. Bar
ker dean of the medical and dental schools;
| DIR. George C. Ober, professor of materla
medica and therapeutics, and Mr.. Henry e.
Davis of the law faculty and lecturer on
medical Jurisprudence in the medical and
dental schools. The association met at Mil
waukee the I'd of August, the executive
committee having convened the previous
day. The representatives of the National
| University were not given hearing before
the executive committee until the afternoon
| of August 2. The representatives did not
have hearing before the association for
| the reason that the executive committee
| had arranged to take up the matter the
| afternoon of Saturday, August 3, at 4:3O
| o'clock and the association was in the
| habit of adJourning each afternoon at .
| o'clock
| The manner of the reception of the rep
resentatives of National University, and
| the lateness of the hour" stated an official
! or the university to a Star reporter today,
| 80 clearly manifested the purpose of rail-
| roading the case through without oppor-
| iunity foc laying the matter properly be-
| fore the association and discussing it that
! II was resolved by our representatives to
| adopt the only course open for the asser-
| flon and preservation of our rights, and ac-
cordlngly an Injunction was obtainsd re-
straining the association from dropping
National University from membership.
| Friction of Long Standing.
| The friction between the National Asso-
| citation Of Dental Faculties and the Ma
tienal University is of several years stand
ing. The National Association of Dental
Faculties is a voluntary organization form
ed in the year 1883 by represent atives of
certain of the dental schools of the country
for the ostensible purpose of increasing
the standard of dental education and pro-
| noting generally the interests of dental
| education in the United States. The asso-
/ citation is made up of various dental
schools of the country or their faculties.
| The dental department of the National
| University was admitted to membership in
1888. when its equipment. standards of
teaching. manner of instruction and char
| acter of patronage We're the same now.
| with the difference that the school has
| greatly improved since it's admission to the
association, and is now in a fourishing con-
| dition and fully equipped as to both appa-
ratus and instructors as a first-class dem
tai institution.
| Several years ago there was manifested
in the National Association disposition to
! discriminate against schools holding their
| sessions at night, and also there was some
| manifestation of criticism of the Washing
ton schools. because of the character OF
| their patronage, in that their students are
| SO largely drawn from persons in the cm-
/ pIoy of the government.
Clique Alleged to Control.
| 'In addition. there developed a DISPOSE
| ton on the part of the representatives OF
certain schools to assume a controlling po-
sition in the management of the National
| Association, so that it is entirely just to
say that there formed and exists
| a clique in the organization, the further
ance of whose aims is assisted, and indeed
made possible, by the peculiar methods of
administration of the association, the fact
being that practically all of the business
of the association is first filtered through
an executive committee of five, in the for
nation and control of which those engaged
i'll the ambitious enterprise of dominating
the association have found most conve-
nient method of carrying out their purposes.
Observing the tendencies of the National
Association and realizing the danger that
was threatened to all of the WASHINGTON
| schools, the National University soon gave
attention to the trend of matters in the
| association, and whether tor this reason or
| some other unknown to .he University, its
| representatives were soon made to feel
| that there was, to say the least want
of cordiality to them in the association.
Unfair Report Tabled.
! THE matter took serious form last wear
| when committee was appointed to come
| to Washington for the ostensible purpose of
| Investigating the school, and after what it
! would be mockery to call an inyestiga-
| tion the members of that committee
| which consisted in part of some of the most
| aggressive members of the association in
| the direction indicated, made report so
| grossly erroneous and unfair that the Ma
tional University was able without diff
Guilty. fully to meet it; but instead of pass
ing upon the merits of the controversy at
that time, the association found it conven-
lent to acknowledge certain irregularities
in its proceedings pointed out by the rep
resentatives of the National University,
and laid the whole matter on the table
This occurred when the association was in
annual meeting at Old Point Comfort but
whether or not the proximity of the place
of meeting to Washington and the number
and character of the representatives of the
| university then present had anything to do
| with the result, may, of course, not posi-
| lively be stated. However, the National
| University thought that it's fight against
the manifest purposes of the clique in the
| association was won, and was greatly sur
prised to find the tactics of last year re-
peated in June of this year with similar
| result namely, that three members of the
association appointed by the president at
| the suggestion of the executive commit ee
| made a flying trip to Washington, and
after most perfunctory visit to the build
| ing of the dental department of the uni
| versity, made similar, but briefer report
| to the executive committee, Indicating un-
| mistakably that the investigation was q
| mere form for the purpose of cloaking the
| object OF the executive committee and Its
! aiders and abetters to eliminate the
Washington school from the organization.
| Also Refuted.
| '"The report of this investigation was
likewise fully made and refuted, and, in
| deed, proven to be ridiculous in the ex-
| treme. A fair sample of the manner in
| which the so-called investigating commit
tee did its work may be found in the fact
| among other alleged shortcomings of the
National University school 1t was stated
| that the school possessed only small spec
| flied number of microscopes, of which two
showed signs of use, and the further fact
| that the committee reported that the law
| school of the National University had been
| discontinued. As to the microscopes 1t
was shown that the school had more than
| twice the number reported, and at the
| recent hearing before the executive COM
! mittee at Milwaukee the so-cailed investi-
| eating committee admitted that it had not
| seen any microscopes at all, but had only
seen certain cases in which microscopes
were said to be; and upon inquiry at the
! hearing the so-called investigating COM
mittee had the hardihood to say that 1t
| had been informed by the dean Of the
dental department. or one of the instruct
ors present at the hearing, that the law de-
partment had been discontinued notwith-
| standing that both of those gentlemen