The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1909-04-23

Lille. IOluIIS C49S, anu ~ bAAHS 4tA
anything else would enable the boys
to divert attention from the real is
sue, and the result would be, or might
be, what has been the result before
the president would be sacrificed and
the boys would triumph. It seems to
me that DR.. Nell has in this crisis
measured up very we'll, better than I
was prepared to ascertain, and it was
this crisis with which / felt it advis-
able to deal, not going into general
conditions too much. Sooner or later
DR.. Nell will leave, if the trustees
really desire to put big man at the
head Of the institution. I gathered at
Clemson that he has not the full con-
fidence of the student body and col
lege community, men outside of the
faculty."
This is the opinion which is now
expressed publicly by Captain Minus
in the statement which he has given
the press, the statement. which as
signs his reasons for resigning as
commandant at Clemson Captain
Minus unhesitatingly declares that
DR.. Nell is uncertain and wavering in
his judgments, and there is no doubt
that this is the opinion of the Clem-
son College community. He is not in
any respect a strong or big man,
though in our opinion he is good
man and one who wants to do right,
but Clemson is a big institution, a
tremendous institution, and the pres
ident Of Clemson should be man of
strong will-power and determined
disposition. No. other kind Of man
can handle the situation at Clemson,
especially after at least two presi-
dents and three commandants have
been driven from the college by the
student body. It is extremely unfor-
tunate that DR.. Nell has not been
able to measure up to the demands Of
the situation except on one occasion.
The primary trouble at Clemson all
along has been that the president was
not expected to be president. The
board of trustees have had too much
to do with the internal affairs Of the
institution and the president has been
allowed to be little more than figure
head. The same may be said of the
commandant. It will take a stronger
man than DR.. Nell to fight out this
issue with the board Of trustees. 1t
has always been possible, as Captain
Minus points out, to go behind the
commandant to the president or to
90 behind the president to the board,
and this sort Of thing is ruinous to
discipline in any institution. It.may
be said, however, that this has not
been so much the condition at Clemson
in the last two years since Mr.. Alan
Johnstone has been chairman of the
board.
The board Of trustees may as well
realize that Clemson must either be-,
or not be, a military school. If it IS
to be military school, then military
discipline must be maintained in a
military manner by military man
and the commandant must be held re-
sponsible for the discipline. Captain
Minus would have fulfilled this con-
dition if he had been allowed to do
so, for he is strict disciplinarian
and a soldier who knows no fear. If
military discipline is not to be main
tanned at Clemson, the sooner the
form of military rule is done away
with the better it will be for the in
stitution. It cannot be half military
and half not military. This is, in a
word, the problem which the board Of
trustees must solve.