The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-04-17
ELOQUENT ADDRESS GIVEN AT MARION Prof. William M. Thornton Talks About Jefferson HlSlDEAS OF GOVERNMENT I Member of University of Vlreinia's Faculty Discusses Jetfersons
 Connection With the
 Honor System.
HlSIOEAS OF GOVERNMENT

Jefferson's ideas on education and gov ernment was the theme of an able and eloquent address before the council and students of the Marion Military institute on Jefferson's birthday Government day This day has been set apart in the n- stitute calendar to commemorate the in- auguration of a system of self-govern- ment by the students. The annual ad- dress this session was delivered by Prof. William M. Thornton of the University of Virginia. His subject was The Gen ess of the Honor System" and his ad- dress was a masterly presentation of Jeffersons conception of the form and function of government In education within a democracy and of the embodi- ment of this conception In the University of Virginia
 Of the origin and development of the famous honor system conceived by Jef- ferson, the speaker said In part:
 Tn the report of the commissioners ap- pointed to fix the site of the University of Virginia and devise the plan of or ganization for it-a report drawn by Jeff ferson's own hand-we find his plan of academic government.
 Jefferson's Plan.
 The best mode of government for youth in large collections is certainly desideratum not yet attained by us It may be well questioned whether fear af- ter certain age Is a motive to which we should have ordinary recourse. The human character Is susceptible of other indictments to correct conduct more worthy of employ and of better effect. Pride of character, laudable ambition, and moral dispositions are innate cor reetives of the indiscretions of that live ly age; and when strengthened by ha- bitual appeal and exercise have a hap pier effect on future character than the degrading motive of fear. Hardening them to disgrace, to corporal punish ments and servile humiliations cannot be the best process for producing erect character The affectionate department between father and son offers in truth the best example for that of tutor and pupil: and the experience and practice of other countries in this respect may be worthy of enquiry and consideration with us. It will then be for the wisdom and discretion of the visitors to devise and perfect a proper system of govern ment, which if 1t be founded In reason and comity will be more likely to nour- ish In the minds of our youth the com bined spirit of order and self respect. so congenial with our political institutions and so important to be woven into the American character
 Origin of Honor System.
 This famous passage is rightly re- garded as the origin and the axiom of the honor system. Jefferson's ideal plain ly was to create a character, to appeal for the correction of abuses to the moral disposition of the young; to establish be- tween tutor and pupil an attitude of mutual respect and mutual affections and to avoid all forms of punishment which served rather to degrade and humiliate the offender than to create a clean heart and renew a right spirit within him.
 It Is matter of profound interest to trace out the features in Jeffersons new university which directly or indirectly brought about the realization of such plan. The first of these which strikes our attention is the arrangement of the buildings A second feature is found in the enactments for the government of the university drawn up also by Jefferson's own hand and legalized by the action of the board of visitors. of which board he was rector A third feature grows out of the unlimited personal freedom grant ed to the studets. A further feature Is the remarkable mlldness of Jefferson's penal code. fifth and final feature Is of peculiar interest in view of the system of government prevalent In your own institute. The enactment is as follows:
 Minor offences may be referred to board of six censors, to be named by the faculty from the most discreet of the students, whose duty 1t shall be, sitting as a board. to enquire Into the facts, pro- pose the minor punishment, which they think proportoned to the offence, and to make report thereof to the professors for their appreciation, or their communication of the penalty If 1t be beyond the grade of offence"
 This permissive enactment has never been put in force among us and we are watching with deep interest and appre- citation your own experience in working out a similar form of student self-gov ernment.
 In tracing the gradual evolution of Jef- ferson's ideal of academic government into it's working form we have reached a strange inversion of his plan. The origi- nal enactment proposed to devolve upon the students the discipline of minor of fences and to reserve to the professors the infilction of major punlshments. Un- der the honor system in It's actual op- eration the maximum punishment is Inn posed by the students and all the deadly sins against gentlemanhood and decency have been placed undey their Jurisdiction. The faculty does no more than back up their virdict To the faculty on the oth- CT hand has been left the whole class of minor sins and minor punishments. With capital crimes against academic society they have practically never to deal. A certain number of chronic intellectual or moral invalds has to be dismissed each year to seek a more bracing climate. Beyond this the utmost severity or their yerdicts never needs to go
 Is No Mushroom Growth.
 If this history of the genesis of the honor system in the University of Vir- ginia shows anything, it shows that 1t has not been and never can be the re- suit of statuary enactment, the mushroom growth of a single night. Neither Vir' ginia nor Princeton nor any other uni versity could "adopt" the honor system. That lofty reverence for truth; that noble candour in all the relations of col lege life, which are needed for it's ex- istence come not with observation. Such plants are not native to the arid plains of our poor human nature. In Virginia at least they were exotlcs, planted at first in hostile soil with sleepless care; until their roots struck deep into the col- lege life and drew their needed food from the strata of the human heart still un- poisoned by evil custom and unpolluted by vicious habit.
 Marcus Aurelius Antonlnus. "the best and wisest man." says Long, who sat
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