Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-10-11
NEARING TOO OFTEN
misunderstood TO
HOLD JOB, SAYS BANKER
Ehingham B. Morris Offers
Resolution Explaining U.
of p. Trustees
Attitude
STUDENTS AWAIT RESULT

The trustees Of the University of Penn
syIvana met this afternoon and adopted
two resolutions In relation TO the Near
ing case. This was the first meeting
OF the board since it refused TO renew
the contract OF the young assistant pro
fessUr OF economics as teacher In the
Wharton School.
First they passed. resolution sub
mitted by Wharton Barker, committing
the University to the doctrine OF free
speech. This pronunciamento. which the
most radical member of the board evil
IDENTIFY had set great store by, did not
meet with opposition. 1t was couched
in general enough terms to receive n
unanimous vote.
Then came the important action of the
day. This was the unanimous vote ap-
proving the resolution OF Effingham b.
Morris, president of the Girard Trust
Company The banker had written that
Doctor Nearing wss competent to rise to
the status of professor Of economics as
far as his academic ability was con-
cerned. But he said, Nearing had been
$50 frequently misunderstood" that he
was ineligible to continue his career as
a teacher in the University.
Otherwise said the resolution, there
was no restriction and never would be,
on free speech or opinion. when in
dividual opinions are expressed I'm the
proper manner upon proper occasions and
with a proper respect for the dignity
of their relationship to the University
and responsibility to the institution, such
utterances are welcomed as indicating
progressive growth, no matter how diver
gent they may be from current and gem
eral beliefs"
The trustees met at $3.50 o'clock in the
trophy room, on the second floor of
IlN.I T.Nu lila
and footballs and baseballs Pennsylvania
prowess has won on track, gridiron and
diamond are displayed. Persons who
strolled up there to view beforehand the
scene of the meeting were ordered away
from the door. This is the first time that
the trustees have ever met with any
semblance of a guard in evidence
There seemed to be no question in the
minds Of the younger members Of the
faculty and most of the students at the
big institution today said that this was
to he the most important meeting of the
trustees since a majority of the present
board of "a men took office. What would
the House of Lords" do? For that was
the phrase coined at Penn today for the
trustees, and Il swept about the campus
and caught on like a new song.
1t was the "House of Commons" that
is. the faculty, against the absolute
veto" of the trustee House of Lords" ,"
and the radicals were predicting freely
that the end of the Nearing case would
see the power of the Lords" to reverse
decisions of the faculty in regard to the
latter's administration of faculty matters
go the same way that the power of the
upper house of Parliament to reverse the
decisions of the lower house, has gone.
While the students have divided into
camps and have strong feelings for and
against Nearing, the unavoidable" cause
of the contest, in DIR. ]. william Whites
phrase, they seemed today to feel the
futility of anything they might say or
do to affect the issue.