The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1902-05-08
THE TROUBLE AT CLEMSON
The Sophomore Class Leaves
the College With sympathy OF
Other Cadets.


son College has left the institution
and their course has been approve
by the senior and junior classes. Th
cause of this action on the part of tn
students was the suspension of Cadc
f.. A. Tho,nwell, of Fort Mill, S. g..
and when his class asked the faculty t.
reinstatc him OH the ground that
trivial offence only had been com
mittcd, the faculty refused TO revise it
action, which resulted in the clas
agreeing to leave at once. Only few
remained after this course was resolved
upon, and they followed within day
or two, making total Of "a cadets VINO
joined in this movement.
The faculty hel a meeting after tho
students had left the campus, and o.
it's close the following statement was
given out by Col. II. w. Simpson
chairman of the board of trustees
which was endorsed by President Hart
zog, namely:
&C The faculty last week awarded
punishment to student OF the sopho-
more class by suspending him until
the end Of the session. The sopho-
more class petitioned the faculty TO re-
instatc the student. The faculty met
again and heard a committee Of The
class, but saw no reason to grant their
request. Thcrcupon number of the
class left anu went to their several
homes. While the faculty regret this
action on The part Of the students they
feel compelled to maintain discipline"
The offence of which Cadet Thorn
well was guilty was taking -four glass
test tubes from the chemical lahora
tory without permission. The mem
bers Of the faculty say they have been
troubled great deal by conduct of this
kind and determined some time ago TO
break up The practice. Notice was
given that the next offender caught
would be severely dealt with. Cadet
Thornwell was caught and his suspen.
sion followed. These tubes which arc
small glass cylinders with little or no
value may not have been taken with
any wrong intent, the faculty, say, but
the taking of them was II violation Of
the rules. AS a matter of fact the
faculty say the college has been an
noyed great deal by the disappearance
of a number Of small articles such as
tools, wrenches, etc, and it was con-
sidered absolutely necessary to put an
emphatic end TO the business.
The students admit there Is rule
that no test tubes or other college ap
paratus shall he taken for use by any
Of the students without the consent Of
the professors, but they say it has not
been observed generally. Cadet Thorn
well did take four of the tubes from
the general store TO his desk or stand,
as 1t is called, in the building, but he
took them for use in class work aud
they consider his suspension an out
rage, as no wrong was intended. The
students say they thought the facts
had been misrcprescnted or eXaggcr-
atcd to the faculty and pctltioned for a
rehearing of the case in order That all
the circumstances might be brought
on. When the faculty refused their re-
quest they felt that loyalty to their
classmatc demanded that they should
leave the college in n body and this
was done at once.
The man point urged by The students
is that the punishment inflicted on
young Thornwcll is in excess of that
warranted by the case. For instance
they say there IS a college rule that a
student found with mess hall property
in his room shall be given ten dement's,
yet here was a student who simply
violated a rule and unwlttingly took
certain college property for use in his
class work, without removing it from
the building, for which he was sus-
pended.
The correspondent of The State
talked with great many college STU
dents on the campus. The students
were ', ry much wrought up and over
whelmingly III sympathy with the
sOphOmOres. The senior class met and
adopted resolution Of sympathy for
the sophomores, endorsing their action.
A copy of the resolutions will be sent
to the family of each of The students
who left.
When the sophOmorcs decided TO
leave many of them did not have
money enough to get away on. Money
was furnished them by The members
of the other classes and the college so.
departure of the cadets was conducted
in quiet and orderly manner, anG
there was no demonstration or excite
ment, but n great deal of feeling ant
determination.
President Hartzoz and the othel
members Of the faculty said they re
grett d the matter very much, bu
they felt that they had simply dis
charged their duty as required by th'
circumstances. "It was simply
question:" said Col. Simpson, as t,
who should run this college, the fac
ulty or the students. The faculty fel
that they were the ones TO run 1t an,
have proceeded accordingly.
"There will be no meeting of tb
board Of trustees" said Col. Simpson
"because there is no need for it. Th
incident, while very much dcplorcd
has occurred and has endeI, and th
college will proceed as thoug gh notbin
had happened. We deeply regret tn
hasty action of the students, and "
believe no one will regret 1t more tina
the students themselves when they r,
aIize what a mistake they have made.
The following is the text of I'll
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