The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1910-03-15
VT. ACADEMY TROUBLE
Four Students Expelled and Sixteen
Walked Out

Walked Out
Infractions Of rules led to the ex- .
pulsion Of few students in Vermont /
academy. Saxtons River. early this
week and as a result l6 students left
the institution ont Of sympathy for
those expelled The ~walk-out' has
had no serious effect upon the work.
however, and the faculty is still in
charge Of affairs. The management
OF the academy has the moral sup
port and announcement Of the public
and it is probable that the students
who voluntarily left will enroll them
selves again. wiser than before. The
principal of the academy is Rev.
George b. Lawson, formerly pastor OF
the First Baptist church at Brattle-
bOro. and il may be said truthfully
that the students in general have the
highest regard for him.
A few boys in FarnsWOrth hall, dis
satisfied because Of punishment Wis
tied upon them and upon one of them
ina particular, tried their best TO stir
up an instruction among all the boys
in that particular dormitory, and in
this they were successful. on sun
day night a disturbance took place
in Farnsworth hall. which was OF
rather a serious nature. The room OF
an instructor was entered in his abb
sence and "rough-hOused" various ar
ticles were thrown about and some
of the boys went so far as to cut the
electric light wires. which was a Grim
inal offense The offenders were
identified and although it was late,
after II, four students were promptly
expelled and in the morning others
were suspended.
On Monday morning some OF the
BOYS in Farnsworth hall exactly l6 in
number. sympathizers of those who
had left summaTily, went home, going
on a sympathetic strike, as it were.
| There was no disorder attendant up
on their leaving but in Bellows Falls
they congregated somewhat, and
| there spread a number OF stories so
wildly exaggerated as to need no con-
| tradiction.
II was reported in Bellows Falls
that four instructors had left. There
| is no foundation for such a report
No teacher has left, nor has any one
any intention OF so doing.
The academy is in no way democrat
lied by the events. REGULATIONS have
been and are going on in exactly the
same way as before. No concessions
of any nature have been made by the
faculty. All school rules are in force
as always No boy of the 'sympath-
| izers" who left will be allowed to re
turn except under the most rigid con
ditions as to general department The
faculty are confident that the parents
who are already supporting them
strongly by telephone, telegraph and
in one case by a personal interview
will continue to hold up their hands
in the matter.
In an attempt 10 justify themselves
the students who have participated
in the disturbance assign as reasons
poor food, too strong discipline and
an autocratic administration. To
those who know the facilities Of the
academy for providing good and
abundant food any reflections on the
provisions appears purely as fig
ment of the imagination. The chief
Mr.. WALLACE is competent, and those
in a position to know state that the
food never has been so good and
plentiful, or so well cooked and serv
ed as IL is now.
In regard to discipline it may b'
stated that when Mr.. Lawson accept
ed the principalship of the academ!
it was to become principal in fact al
well as in theory. Rules were pro
mulgated, rules which were needed
and which make for the best life o
the students in the line OF health
scholarship and general department
To some these rules seemed unnec
essary and an infringement on per
sonal prerogatives which no one ha,
a right TO make One rule whicl
caused trouble was the one whic
does not allow the boys to remain il
bed and miss breakfast unless the
are ill., The trouble of the past wee
has emphasized the fact that tn
! rules were made to be enforced an
I having become convinced of that tn
students have settled down to wor
5 again, and everything is going on a
smoothly as though nothing had haI
ened. -Brattleboro Phoenix.