The Washington bee., 1912-03-23
WILL THE BUILDING BE SOLD?
Law Alumni Up in Arms-A Wave of
Protest-Is 1t Scheme TO Abolish
the Law School?

Protests II ScneTne 10 ADOISH /
the Law School?
Editor, Washington Bee.
In connection with the persistent
rumor that the Board OF Trustees OF
Howard University propose to sell
VIM. Evarts Hall, the home OF the
Law Department in Fifth Street, |
ask leave TO file, as it were, the fol
lowing statement Of fact and Opln-
ion by way OF protest against the pro
posed action.
Some years ago the late Dr. TeunS
Hamlin, president OF the Board Ct
Trustees Of Howard University, stood
before the student body in Andrew
Rankin Chapel and spoke, in effect,
as follows. 1 want it distinctly un-
derstood that Howard University Is
not being run by any resident or
group OF residents OF the city OF
Washington. The affairs of this IN
stitutiOn are conducted by the Board
of Trustees. duly constituted by law,
and 1t Is for the Board alone to say
what shall be the policy of Howard
University What Dr. Hamlin said
was true then and it IS true today
What Dr. Hamlin did not say, how
ever. was this. that the Board OF
Trustees OF Howard University, OF
any other University for that matter,
| IS as pOweTlesS to stem the tide OF a
| just indignation as a hshIng smack
J TO stay the oceans fury off the Hook
Of Holland The administrative
| functions Of a university must be
under the direction OF some one
| source OF authority; otherwise uni
| Iversity could not be run. For this
| reason d board OF trustees IS Instl-
/ tuted and maintained. \ university,
| however, has its greatness in the
! character and dignity OF its alumni
| (and its student bOdy). Without
/ these, a university can have a thou
sand boards OF trustees and still be
merely a myth and nothing more.
! The words OF Dr. Hamlin referred
| to above, were uttered III connection
with certain internal disorders exist
ing in Howard University at that
time The denOuement OF those
events IS now a matter of history.
! Then came President Ihirkield, the
man OF energetic excellence, with a
record of all the best years of his
! life spent in furthering the great up
| lift among the Negroes OF this Coun-
/ try He went to work. The result
has been that two blades OF grass
have been made to grow in the place
where before not one blade, but no
grass at all had grown. Under his
/ direction Howard University has be
! come a name to conJure with. Yet
with all he has done and all he will
/ do in the years to come tOt which
! I trust there may be many, Presi-
dent Thirkield has not demonstrated
and he never will demonstrate the
Iuselessness Of law schools for the
training of Negro lawyers, Dean
Swift to the contrary notWithstand-
ing.
Now in addition to all the good
things President Ihirkield has
brought to Howard, close observers
have noted that there has been pres
ent at all times d very apparent. IN
difference. II not indeed a deep
seated dislike, for the law school. DR.
Thirkield, from the moment OF his
coming, took up the Medical Depart
ment as his own sweet child, ION
died and petted II, and gave 1t the
best Of everything, until II got ell
tirely too big for its pants, as ye
old-time mothers used to say, and
finally it turned and struck the very
hand that had so COddled it. Today
the Medical Department stands as
the one department OF the UnIver-
sity whose faculty and students have
assumed an insutferable ar of Inde-
pendence OF. and Insult to, the eNecu-
tive head of the institution On the
other hand President Thirkield has
neglected, ignored, froWned down
the Law School and rammed It into
last place IN everything. lie has
made COntcmptuOus reference to Its
ine library. while the fees which Its
students pay in every year (and
when | say pay | mean pay and not
promise to pay) have been used
where Certainly not in the law Ii
brary. I happened to drop into the
Law School library last September.
While there I noticed several new
volumes spread out upon table.
Upon inquiry [ was informed that
these. with certain exceptions, were
the additions to the law library Tor
the wear I0II-I2 The total number
of volumes scarcely exceeded the an
nual additions TO my own library,
purchased out OF the measley' salary
of a government mule.
In the catalogue, on the ottlclal
stationery. in the academic process
sion. at the graduation, any and ev-
erywhere, if YOU want to find the
Law School, the quickest way IS to
look for the heavenly Prep. Depart
ment. The Law School will be found
alongside OF. or just barely in front
of the heather Prep; that Is, II any
Preps. are there. Otherwise, at all
events. YOU will find the law men last.
The sky pilots" come first, OF course.
1t Is immaterial who comes next so
long as the Law School comes last.
I have heard Dr. Thirkield speak
for thirty minutes about Howard
University, dilating disprOpOrtlonateiy
on the Medical Department, and CIV
inc q few remarks 70 the other col
Ieees of the iversity-eNcept one:
not one word had he to say about
| til. Law School. Last year when the
academic procession formed TO march
into the Chapel for the baccalaureate
! sermon. the eternal Preps, OF course