Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-10-03
Trustee, Sympathizer With
Views, Agrees to Dismissal
of Scott Nearing.
DR.. J. w. WHITE EXPLAINS
ERRORS OF INSTRUCTOR
Complains That Assistant Professor
of Economics Laid His Views Be-
fore an Unrestricted Public.

PHILADELPHIA, October DIR. j..
William White. a trustee of the Uni
versity of Pennsylvania. tonight made
public an open letter to the alumni Of
that institution approving the action
taken by the trustees in not renewing
DIR. Scott Meanings relations to the
university as an assistant professor Of
economics.
The letter is the first official utter
ance made public by any of the trustees
who Endorsed the action taken in
which reasons are given for not re-
engaging DIR. Nearing after his term
had expired.
The action of the board of trustees
the university and others. 1t was
charged that he had been dismissed be.
cause of certain economic views, and
that the attitude of the board tended
to restrict free speech among the
teaching STAFF.
Would Vote Against Nearing.
Dr.. White, on American hospital duty
in France when the action was taken,
says he would have voted not to re-
new DIR. Meanings relations. He says
he is in general sympathy with the
school of economists to which Dr.
Nearing belongs, and that he would
not object to their views being set
forth as part of a systematic EXPOSE
ton of one side of an important science.
DIR. White says that some time ago he
found that opinions and theories
which require for their proper under
standing a careful, logical foundation
and an acquaintance with correlated
facts and theories were being laid by
DIR. Nearing before audiences-not of
university students-who were quite
unfit to digest or appreciate them. He
found that persons had received from
DIR. Nearing the strong impression that
he advocated the ruthless redistribu-
ton of property, that he believed in the
personal iniquity of those who lived on
incomes derived even from their own
savings, that he thought that the alter
native of work or starvation should be
presented even to the old, feeble and
the diseased"
Nearing Misunderstood.
DR.. White says he thinks that DIR.
Nearing was misunderstood. but that
nevertheless persons whose good will
and respect for the university were i'm
portant were so positive that those
were his teachings and were so affected
by them that they said they could not
let their boys be exposed to such in
fluence."
DR.. Nearing was asked. the writer
states. IL he could not lessen this grow
ing feeling by better adaptation of
his arguments to the understanding of
his audiences He failed to comply
with the request.
Incidents multiplied as years went IN.
by minor ones, such as the unauthor
lied use of the title of professor of
economics" when his rank was that of
instructor; certain remarks about
SCHOOLS he disapproved. and injudicious
announcements such as his assertion
that his faith in the courts and the
law" had been utterly destroyed" by
a three-week experience as a juror,
IL 1t fell In fruitful soil, lead to acts
like the hanging Of Leo Frank"
Many Of these utterances came. the
letter continues. at time when the
depending upon donations from indi-
vidual benefactors.
Ill-Advised Statements.
DR.. Nearing. the writer says. attacked
the Carnegie pension fund and said
that the representatives Of private
wealth" had got the old fellows"
meaning that they owned or controlled
the professors who were already ac-
cepting or soon would accept pensions.
These statements. DIR. White said. re-
fleet or "the merta! or moral integrity
Of many of the most highly esteemed
members of the most intellectual class
in this country"
For these and other reasons. which
he gives. DR.. White says he thinks the
usefulness of DIR. Nearing to the univer-
sity had come to an end.
With reference to the condemnation
OF the action Of the board. DIR. White
says that it has been largely based on
misunderstanding of the situation.
Nothing could be more unwarranted
or further from the TRUTH" the letter
says. than the assumption that the ac-
tion in the Nearing case was a part of
a so-called plan to carry out a reac-
tionary policy against free academic
discussion and freedom of Individual
speech"
DIR. White does not agree with his
colleagues as to the question Of not
assigning reasons for their action. He
says the matter Is one of legitimate
public interest. He expressed his per
sonal attitude By saying tina: the right
thing has been zone in the wrong way
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