New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-02-20

Ecbted and ventilated and kept in n sanitary
condition Certainly it seems pertinent 10 Sus
pest that il is equally bound to see to 1t that
the place is provided with pure water supply
II is no answer to say that the water furnlsneu
bv the company was supposed 10 be pure Inc
university should have made sure OF the ract.
| II could have done easily. 1T boasts great
scientific department, and has In recent year"
been developing Il large school of medicine
with all sorts of laboratories. That IL shoulu
have neglected to employ this elaborate equip
ment in making sure of the cleanliness or us
own water supply would be Incredible IL II
xyera nor known To he true Still more astound-
ing does such neglect appear when we consider
thar the university corporation is itself a large
and influential stakeholder in the water COM
papy which has been supplying the polluted and
deadly water 1t has not only failed to exercise
efficient sllperyisiOn over the water supplied
TO those who have intrusted themselves to lis
care but also It has practically ltSelt paruci-
pated in distributing TO them the contaminated
fluid In brief. the university was under Inc
strongest obliga tons TO guard against such an
epidemic, and it was endowed with exception
ally perfect facilities for doing so. but 1t tailed
TO do SO or even so far as appears. TO make any
effort to do So In that fact is moral indlct-
ment of the gravest character.
Nor are we sure that the responsibility eX-
tends no further than that. few days ago
tbe senior class of the university, in respectful
and proper manner, requested the university au-
thorties to supply them with water that had
been boiled. or with water from artesian weIis'
or with some water that they could drink WITH
out being plague-smitten. One would suppose
the university trustees would have instantly
granted that request if, indeed, they had not
anticipated it by volunteering such service
But. incredible it may seem, they refused It.
and told the students that they would have 10
look TO the keepers Of boarding houses ana
others for pl1re water. It is difficult TO charac-
terize such an attitude the part of the uni
versfty corporation in terms that would not
SAVIOR of impotence and violence. We all KNOW
what would be said if a large manufacturing
or other business concern should thus cynically
disregard the necessities of its employees. Surely
a great and wealthy university is under no less
obligations TO It's students, and-it must be
added. with profound regret at the need of say
ing it-incurs a no less degree of condemnation
when it disregardS them. 1t is said that lne
university is moving for the prompt construc-
ton OF a filtering plant That is We'll But
that plant cannot be in operation much before
next fall. Meantime are the students to Gle OF
typhoid like flies in an early frost? 1t is not
for the water the students will drink next fall
that the university corporation is now reSpon-
sbe. 1t Is for the water they must drink to-
day. In evading that responsibility by so much
as a single hour to the extent of a single
dollar that corporation will be mourning an
other responsibility of a kind from which the
boldest might well shrink.