Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-06-29
FROM SOCRATES
TO SCOTT NEARING
The Issue of Academic Freedom Has
Been Raised by Men Who Were
Different From Their Surround
ings-The Case of Andrews.
By GEORGE W. DOUGLAS

BY GEORGE w. DOUGLAS
60 FAR as have been able to discover
- Professor Socrates was the first teache
over whom the issue Of academic freedom
was raised. He was charged with impiet!
and corruptlng the youth because his view
were different from those held by the ma
jority in his time He has had an able de-
fender in the person OF Doctor Plato, bu
the man with a judicial mind must admit to-
day that his accusers had an arguable case
against him. They won, at any rate and the
distinguished professor Of ancient Athens lost
both his Job and his life They had a most
summary way Of getting rid Of men who
talked too freely in those days.
It Is an open question whether there Is
! any issue Of academic freedom in the Uni
! versity of Pennsylvania. we are told that
there is by a lot Of professors who are talk
ing so freely that there is not room in the
newspapers for all that they say in denuncla-
tion of the trustees who are supposed to
deny them the right of free speech. The
psychologists are giving learned opinions on
the law and the teachers Of literature are
discussing the Psychology of the crisis, but
the administrative officers are maintaining a
silence which is more or less discreet, ac-
cordlng to the point OF view of the man who
are agreed is that an assistant professor the
term of whose engagement had expired has
not been re-employed
How Andrews Got Out From Brown
If the issue had been as squarely framed
as 1t was In the case of E. Benjamin An
drews and Brown University there is no
knowing what might have happened Presi-
dent Andrews was enthusiastic advocate
Of the free coinage of silver in the first
Bryan campaign and before He was a BIZ
metallist and when the opportunity came to
join with men who believed with him he did
not hesitate New England however was
opposed to free silver. Brown needed
larger endowment and a more adequate
equipment. So long as President Andrews
going about the country talking Bryan
ism men of wealth turned deaf ear when
1t was suggested that they come to the re-
lief of the institution established in the state
where Roger Williams went to get for him
self the freest liberty OF speech and opinion.
The Rockefellers, in particular, were lacking
in that enthusiasm for the college which
their denomnational affiliations justified
Brown in expecting. The trustees, therefore,
at their annual meeting In June, 1897 ap-
pointed a committee to confer with Doctor
suaded to keep his free silver views to him
self, They said as much in letter in which
they told him that the proclamation Of his
financial views had caused the loss of gifts
and legacies and would probably continue to
injure the university in the same way.
Doctor Andrews resigned rather than be
restricted and in his defense of his position
he laid particular stress on his right to
that reasonable liberty of utterance" in the
absence of which "the most ample endow-
ment for an educational institution would
have little worth" This form of words
doubtless expressed the views of the trustees
OF Brown. They broke with Doctor An
drews on the definition of the phrase "rea-
sonable liberty of utterance"
Poulticed by Rockefeller Gold
After Doctor Andrews retired and went to
the University of Nebraska where free silver
was popular, Brown elected his successor,
Dr. w. H. P. Faunce, pastor of the Rookie
feller church in New York, and 1t got, along
with Doctor Faunce, considerable amount
of Rockefeller money as a poultice to heal
the wound left when Andrews was severed
from the college.
The Yale Review remarked at the time that
the Brown trustees stated their case weakly
and suggested that If they had objected to
the connection of the University with the
policy of Reputation involved in free coinage
of silver at 16 to ! they would have occupied
a position not so easily assaiable.
The University Of Chicago. founded by
Rockefeller millions has been charged with
restricting the freedom of speech of its pro-
fessors and more than one man has raised
the issue when the term of his engagement
ceased. Prof. e. W. Bems. now an expert
on public utilities was in the storm centre
OF radicalism in the closing decade of the
fessor of economics in a Western college was
afraid to refer to Henry Demarest Lloyd's
Wealth VS.. Commonwealth" in his class
rooms because the son of trust magnate''
was among his students; but Prof. Albion
w Small! OF the University OF Chicago.
bought the first copy of Lloyd's arraign-
ment of the Standard OIL Company and on
the day that he received It he read from 1t
for two hours to his classes. But he told
the students that the book was an
parte statement and that It's conclusions
should not be accepted until the other side
had been heard. Professor Small is still con-
nected with the University.
Trouble Brewing in Wisconsin
Not many years ago Leland Stanford uni
versity was charged with suppressing free
speech because a professor whose economic
Views were different from those generally ac-
cepted was allowed 10 go There are several
universities in which the Issue has heen
raised this year beside the University OF
prnf Jamag RreWar of thA