New-York tribune., 1910-10-05
PROVOST HARRISON OUT.
Educator RetireS from Univer-
sity of Pennsylvania.
DR.. WHITE HAD RESIGNED
Believed to Presage Passing of
Control Into Hands of
Younger Men.
rRv Telegraph to The Tribune.


p,uadelphia Oct. 4-C-harIes C11stfs Aar-
r.zop for the last sixteen years pro
vos+ and really the power behind the
throne. of the University of Pennsvivanra.
resigned this afternoon. The resignation
came unheraIded. even by runlor. ami
caused much speculation here. where II is
known that the university was the pride
of the provost
In his letter 70 the trustees rendering
his resignation Provost Harrison declares
that he has reached that time in life when
Re should give up his active duties as head
Of the university. He is sixty-six years olG
and an active man for his years.
Coincident with the resignation of Pro-
vost Harrison came the statement OF the
acceptance of the resignation of DR.. ].
William White. the John Raea Barton pro
fessor of surgery at the university.
The designations OF both men are looked
upon as an application of the doctrine Of
the survival Of the fittest-"
While nc person in authority. especially
the trustees. will he openly quoted on the
resignations. one of the trustees explained
tonight what Is considered the real reA-
son for the retirement of both educators.
For several years the University Of Penn
been controlled by a number of aged pro
fessors and instructors While these men
ostensiblv instructed the classes and saw
that the highest standard was maintained at
the university. it is said that the work r1r
wears has been done by assistant instruct
ors The names of these never appeared
in the public print. and when commenda-
+ion was due. II was the aged professor
who got the praise
So omen has been the criticism Of these
facts at the university that some time ago
Il was the consensus Of opinion that these
oee5. ,rofaeeors should be allowed to retire
10 private life.
Provost Harrison is the close personal
friend Of these men. Upon him devolved
the task Of informing his old FRIENDS that
their methods had become anttquated ana
should be relegated TO the background.
Professor White whose resignation was
accented to-day. was probably the closest
personal friend of Provost Harrison. 1t is
common knowledge that Professor White
had expected TO resign for some time Pro
vost Harrison felt the retirement Of Pro
fessor White keenly. He has been heard
10 remark that should he be forced TO
notify any of his old friends that their ser
vices no longer were required he would
resign. Coincident with Professor White s
retirement he resigned
George Wharton Pepper, one of the best
known of Philadelphta's younger lawyers
is prominently mentioned as the successor
Of Provost Harrison Mr.. Pepper is in
Cincinnati attending the triennlal conven-
ton Of the Protestant Episcopal Church.
and II is not known whether he would &C
cept the post.
Following the meeting Of the university
trustees to-day the statement was made
that eight OF the trustees had signed re-
quest 70 Provost Harrison that he with
draw his resignation. Investigation proved
that three of the trustees supposed TO have
signed the recall letter had been out of
the city all summer and are not expected
to return for several weeks
Provost Harrison refuses to discuss the
resignation further than TO reiterate what
he said in his letter.
Charles Custis Harrison, eleventh provost
Of the University of Pennsylvania, held It
the dearest purpose of his life to make that
Institution the greatest on earth To
that end he devoted much Of his wealth and
the best Of mis- influence and energy TO the
reformation. the strengthening and enlarg-
ing of the various departments of the uni
versitv His administration has been
marked by a large increase in the endow-
nent the number Of the buildings, of
teachers and OF students.
Nr. Harrison is sixty-six years old. He
is native Of Philadelphia. son of George
LeiD Harrison. a wealthy sugar Tefiner. from
whom the provost Inherited the fortune that
has enabled him 10 give so much peCuntary
aid 10 the university II was in memory of
his father that Provost Harrison. in 1895.
endowed with a gift of S5c000 the George
Ileib Harrison Founda ton for the Encour-
agement Of Liberal Studies and the Ad-
vancement of knowledge. which supports
numerous scholarships and fellOwships in
The graduate schools of the University of
PennS Sylvania.
Retiring from business in 1894. he was
elected provost Dro tenpore of the univer-
sity, 10 succeed Or. William PEPPER. After
Years experiment in the office he accept
ed permanent election. He is greatly be
loved by the student body. He has received
from graduates and undergraduates at diff
ferent times no fewer than ten loving cups
A. tokens of this esteem.