The Washington herald., 1915-07-10
An Amazing Code Of Morals.

Three college professors connected with three
of the best known universities in the United
States, have stepped into the spotlight with the
information that they knew Prof. Holt, OF Cor
nell, was Prof. Muenter who was fugitive from
justice, indicted for the murder of his wife. 1t
is peculiar kind OF publicity to seek, but these
prominent educators ought to have the full bene-
fit of their public. confessions. They are Prot.
Gould, of the Chicago University; Prof Munster
berg of Harvard, and Prof Bennett, of Cornell.
Prof. Could visited Cornell last November and
says he fully identified Prof. Holt as Prof.
Muenter with whom he we'll acquainted. He
says further that Prof. Holt recognized him. The
Chicago professor revealed Hollis identity to
Prof. Bennett co-worker. but on pledge OF
silence, because Holt a good teacher, was
making good and trying to do right. Prof.
Munsterberg, of Harvard, who knew Muenter well,
also identified Holt as the fugitive from justice.
Criminal history is filled with incidents illus
tratng the old saying that there is honor and 10y
atty among criminals and we have moral courts in
States to handle and punish moral delin-
quency where the statutes do not apply We
have also had good deal of highly moral discus
sion about lowering the moral standards OF the
student bodies in our colleges, because there have
been accusations of cheating and gouging in exam
nations, but have left the educators, like the
preachers, to largely formulate their own code of
morals, the old assumption that the teacher
taught by example we'll as by precept.
With the publicity of the confessions of these
three college professors that they consider 1t
moral to give of their own profession chance,
even though he fugitive from justice rest
ing under an Indictment for capital crime, it
is difficult to get excited over the grave charge
that boys at the Naval Academy refused to peach
their fellows accused of securing advance copies
OF examination papers, or even conclude that we
need more stringent criminal code to punish the
associates of petty thieves who keep silent in OBJ
servance of their code of honor.
The dual personality OF Holt was no ordinary
or trivial development in criminal history. If Holt
were Muenter, every citizen who had knowledge
of that fact was bound to aid the State of Massa-
chusetts in identifying the man indicted for the
murder OF his wife, that he might be brought to
the bar OF justice. The suspected of moral
delinquency is in grave danger in Withholding
guilty knowledge OF murder, but here we have
three prominent educators, whose life work is to
train boys for good and honorable citizenship,
calmly accepting the responsibility for permitting
a fugitive from justice, to pose teacher at
Cornell while he plotting other desperate
crimes against humanity and the nation itself.
nat tHty MSlc ucIClNSu THINNING tHal iioh
was making good does not relieve them of their
responsibility for this criminal continuing at large
a danger to all his associates and to humanity
They failed in OF the highest duties of citizen
ship by taking the law into their own hands.
1t is perhaps not surprising that these educa-
tors should have assumed that they had a moral
code which was dictated by conscience rather than
by the common law of the land. We have heard
much hectic discussion as to the mower of con- |
science over those who assume the role of
servers at the fountain Of knowledge and moral
training Some of them have contended that they |
we're the sole judges to what they should teach |
and how to teach it, and they have had much sup
port from the press and the pulpit. 1t is not a !
long step from that assumption to this other by |
the educators who aided fugitive from justice
to continue in his insane efforts to destroy his |
fellows, and overturn the government.
A self-centered college professor is not very
much different from any other self-centered man |
out OF an asylum, and we have had so many new
moral codes thrust upon notice in the last
lew years that it is confusing to the great body
Of the people who expected to live under |
hem. Some of most popular new educa-
ion" centerS appear to grow moral codes as the !
mushroom grower develops his richest fungi from
he most offensive muck. The public confessions
Of these college professors, almost makes one
aspect the verdict of the Western farmer who
allied college professors dedicated ijits.'