The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-06-28
"WHITEWASH" FORHILPRECHT
-, pETERS'S VIEW or THE u. OF
r. RUSTEES' DECISION.
~cy YORK Assyrio.oElst Gives HIS Theory
o, the verdict Of the Investigators
. All questions OF Fact. He Says
doubt ON the Dream Investigate Ons.

Ava committee from the DoarQ OF tTustees
y, the University OF Pennsylvania in the
natter OF the charges against the Rev.
Nv Hermann yollrat Hilprecht caused
rs,t surprise to those who first raised
,hs ouestion as to the propriety OF DR..
uilnrsoht's conduct. The charges against
mr. H;lprecht were literary dishonesty,
;,nro,arly retaining objects found by
80 nedition from, and alleged to be the
pronerty Of. the University Of Pennsyl-
,.n;s and that Dr. Hiprecht's claim that
THAT was found at Nippur was library
700 unvarranted by the facts.
The Rev DR.. John p. Peters, rector
n 81 Michae's parish, in this city, ana
himself distinguished Assyriologist, was
one Of those whose criticisms OF Ut. hil-
,rec,t resulted in the investigation that
has lust come to an end
.I suppose it has long been foregone
,,,,,,,.inu among those who have been
watching the inquiry said DR.. Peters
yesterday. that the result would be
whitewashng OF DR., Hilprecht' he
l.. n resign, / understand and l suppose
tho trustees have taken the course OF giving
~, coat OF whitewash and letting him
ano. the easiest way out Of the difficulty
Why have they done this? Well, per-
t,rs il would be we'll for you to ascertain
,,r,sr what conditions the professorship
nr HiIurecht has held is endowed. Ed
ward and Clarence Clark furnished the
ari,i,al fund. Edward Clark is dead.
Clarence Clark is q man well on in years,
,.ar, .et IN his WAYS and very loyal TO those
,,,,, ma has once set out to stand by.
do not know but DR.. Hilprecht's wife or her
fa,nilv or both are benefactors OF the uni
Harsitv as well as the Clarks. Dr. HI,
nrachi ). wife was u widow whom he married
no, long after the death Of his first wife
She is not only wealthy, but enormously
wealthy. Of course DO n3t lor lh huiterv
wish to impute any such thing as orlteIy
or indeed. any improper methods %nat
arsr MT Won know sometimes where large
sums Of money are involved in connection
with an institution it is deemed advisable TO
take prudent, conservative co'i DC !" o."
'". !!For instance. | can conceive It quite
nossible that the trustees might thlnK ~
highly inadvisa5le for anything to trans
ire calculated to shake the faith OF MI
clarence Clark in the work ne mas anu oeeh
il so III orally contributing to support,
so YOU see it is not so very remarRaole
that the trustees have returned the verdict
n acouittal in DR.. Hilprecht's case. what
| do regard as remarkable all out l,lcoi'
ceivable in facts that the trustees shoulo
have let the tnnR uThl tioHs hi'A ., ~
sn,ted in the washing of all this dirty linen
in public. Why they did not quietly begin
and carry through an investigator when
these facts with reference to Ut. hlIprecnl
we're first brought to their attention Is
what il most surprising.
1T was not a matter that required any
e1rert testimony. The board OF inquiry
had no question Of Assyr! illogical learning
TO decide 1t was just question Of the
trustworthness Of DR.. Hilprecht in state
ltu tN1 la in
stance. he prints the picture Of certain
tablet which he says he found at certain
time and place. whereas there was testi-
monv that that tablet was found long be-
iore-testimony that the museum marks
coryotorate. Then, again. there was an
Urn which he says he found and in which
he also says he found a map. There was
testimony that this urn was found long
Jnor to the time Dr. Hilprecht says he
found it, that it did not come from where
Dr.. Hilprecht says it came, and that IT did
not contain any map. In fact, in his book
there are six pictures Of tablets the origi-
nails OF which he says were found by him
at certain places. whereas there is con-
vincing testimony that not one OF them
was so found.
.Now these are not questions for ex-
perts. They are plain Questions Of fact.
The facts as stated were given to he trustees
Of the University Of Pennsylvania by respon-
.ible persons. These persons did not
CUdTStaS against III IllpTcCHt.
They simply told what they knew. 1t was
for the trustees to formulate the charges,
n any were to be formulated. The natural
course, it would seem to me. would have
been to have made quiet but searching
investigation and then acted In accordance
with the result
The saddest part OF it all is the condition
In which the university museum is left.
Chaos Is the word that describes it. No.
body knows what is there. Nobody can
the curators asking about collection l
purchased myself He replied that he did
not know anything about 1t and could not
find out because he could not get permission
even to see a catalogue. As a matter Of
fact. they will not let anybody see anything
there.
AS for DR.: Hilprecht himself, it Is I who
am responsible for his coming to this country
In the first instance. met him first in Mu-
Mich, where we were both students in
Assyrology. When returned to America
and had been here some time. Prof. Gard.
ner who was with us over there. received
q letter from Hilprecht lamenting the
misery OF his position IN Germany, where
Gardner showed the letter to me. Mr..
an associate editor on the Sunday School
Timts-somebody who was equipped to
write on Astrological subjects, recon-
mended Hilprecht and that Is how he came
here.
He always was peculiarly dogmatlc as
we'll as visionary person. He had q great
Ideas Of being the first In everything-of
knowing all about everything. An amusing
Instance Of this kind occurred in Mesopo-
tamia once. when he managed to fall into
the Euphrates. He knew nothing Of horse
or Of horseback riding by experience. But
he had read something about 1t, and, oharac-
teristcally thought himself a master Of
the art. At place by the river side where
we were all riding cautiously, Hilprecht
dashed with his horse dramatically into the
stream.
=, The consequence was he went over
the animals head into the water. His
screaming and hysterical clutching at the
horse's neck were 80 ludicrous that even
the most sedate Of us could hardly keep
our faces straight The water was not over
three or four feet deep. He was not for
an instant in any danger save from his
own Mysteries. We fished him out and
cried him and that was the end Of It,
Yet in due time there appeared In Phila-
deIphia newspaper thrilling account
OF the deadly peril he had been in, OF his
narrow escape from death and OF how BY
his own heroic exertions he had not only
saved his own life. but that Of his horse
as well
Now, that is quite illustrative OF the
mans most conspicuous weakness. He