The Columbus commercial. (Columbus, Miss.) 1893-1922, 1908-01-21
PRESIDENT HARDY
MAKES STATEMENT

81, 600. 90, would give them the
best and most complete Mess
Hall in the South. The Presi-
dent told them that. in view of
all these facts, it seemed to him
they he'd tecome unduly impa-
tient; and the President felt that
their petition was an unnatural
one, which could be accounted
for only by the theory that they
had been poorly advised. The
President thought, and still
thinks, that the entire student
body were honest in their eff
forts, and WeIe entirely ignorant
OF any improper influences that
were at work; and therefore the
President never blamed Q single
man for any connection with the
affair. There is never a month
that passes here that petitions
of some kind do not reach the
executive OF the College, and
never i'm the history OF the Col
lege has a single boy been pun
ished either for presenting such
petitions or for signing such
petitions.
The resolutions were present
ed Dec. 18th, as stated above,
and in five minutes after those
presenting the resolutions were
out Of the Presidents office he
had the Steward tefore him and
gave him a very severe lecture
for allowing conditions to become
worse. and ms tructed hlm to get
extra help and put the Mess
Hall in the very best p ssible
condition and to keep it that way
until we left it, which we hoped
would be in a very few weeks.
The new Mess Hall has been
pushed as rapidly as possible,
keeping the work going there
during the entire fall. when it
was impossible to get money
from the State Treasury with
which to pay the sala les of the
regular College force,
The President has always dealt
openly with the students under
his direction. He has never
written to the parent of any
boy here without first calling
the boy into his Office, and Civ
ing him a chance To improve be-
fore informing his people, and
when he finally found it neces-
sary to communicate with his
people, the boy was always sent
for and he heard exactly what
was being dictated As a result
of this kind of dealing, this is
the first case Of his twenty
years experience a an educa-
tor that an appeal has ever been
taken from his decision by child,
or student; by a teacher or par
ent,
In order that the entire Senior
Class might know exactly what
has been done relative to the
new Mess Hall, on Wednesday
afternoon before Christmas,
the President had the entire
class to meet in Prof Ards Sec
ton Room and had Prof. Ard to
explain what steps had been
taken to make the new Mess
Hall ideal in every respect He
told the young men that the
President and the Board had
given him almost a free hand in
making selection Of equipment,
and that he had been t. Bir-
mingham, Chattanooga, Louis
vile, Cincinnati and ST. Lcuis,
in order to get in touch with es-
adjustments where large num-
bers of people We're being fed,
in order that he might be able
to recommend the very best type
of equipment to meet our needs.
The President urged the young
men to forget all about the poor
equipment of the old Mess Hall
and look forward with hope to a
new one and that he had called
them in. TO show exactly what
was being done in order that
they might speak with authority
at home and elsewhere during
the Holidays. when they should
hear thp old Mess Hall condemn.