New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-06-23
PENN GRADUATES
gERE HAyELITTLE
pITYFOR NEARING
William A. Redding, Alum
niPresident, Puts Conf
dence in Trustees.
fAVORS FREE SPEECH,
BUT NOT LICENSE
uflIiam Guggenheim Thinks Dis
missal Was Probably Best
for University.

t,,ding University Of Pennsylvania
,,,nni in this city are not scrambling
-, one another 70 enlist in the
..,,nept for Professor Scott Near
-. reinstatement. On the contrary,
,-..s older graduates who hold most
= n. important Offices in alumni or
citations, there appears a strong in
'F,,,ion to stand by the trustees in
A,r dismissal Of the instructor in
economics.
syou nay be assured that the trus-
80. had s good reason for dismissing
y,,rirs." said William A. Rcdd,ng, Of
p,35ing Greeley { Goodlett, IN his
,s,. IS Park Row, yesterday. As
,,,.i6snt Of the General Alumni Soci-
~ Of the university, with $4,000 mem
Nv, scattered over the world, and
.,,,;5srt Of the New York Alumni
,,,o,istjor. which bands together q
,,,eritv Of the 100 graduates on or
!, the vicinity of Manhattan Island
". Redding Is IN close touch with
Penn affairs.
NV views on academic freedom are
,,Cly eyprcssed,' he continued. Il am
: tsyor Of freedom of speech, but
-. license. At Philadelphia, as in
r,-v other university, we md two fac
s,,; on this question. The radical mi
,srjty would say TO our COO professors
81 Instructors: Speak out-say any
sinr you lke--eXpress your own opln-
Nv, on sll questions regardless Of
vl,t the university stands for. That's
A., view. More conservative men like
-r,sf would say: Yes; speak freely
,Sout questions of the time which per
nm 70 the subjects you teach, but
i,,r 20 out Of your way TO engage IN
sr,rovsrsial matters wholly outside OF
,,iyersity affairs That Is freedom OF
r.eeh without license.
aFor instance, can we permit in
ryuc,ors 70 stand up in classrooms and
v,sch agnostics TO boys who have
Am. 10 college from Christian homes
c.r we permit instructors 10 rldicule
"A. sanctity Of marriage when a vast
rsjority Of people in this country be-
Itye in the marriage relation? Or
hIll we encourage academic attacks
a sny class Of persons such as men
sho have acquired great wealth. II is
WY clear in my mind that there must
n some limitation TO the freedom
rtnted to instructors, particularly II
hsy are expressing opinions on funda-
-srtsls Of religion or morality"
M. Redding said that he had never
ret Scott Nearing. His only first hand
noEledge of hearings alleged radical
vndencies had come from a marked
,opy Of a Philadelphia newspaper, in
Ehith the Wharton School instructor
lad q communication criticislng men
:! wealth as q class. According to Mr..
h.iding's recollection, the article stated
hat great fortunes were smassed nee
ssarily by grinding laborers down to
he lowest depths.
New York alumni have no plans for
asking q protest against the trustees,
H far as Mr.. Redding knows. Among
he officers and ex-presidents on the
zsneil Of the Pennsylvania Club are
Villains L. Saunders, former Attorney
General George W. Wickersham, Will
AZ Guggenheim, Judge Henry G. Ward,
q the United States Circuit Court of
APPEALS; Lloyd c. Griscom, William
B Bouton and Severe Mallet-Prevost.
William Guggenheim, Of Guggenheim
Co., treasurer of the local Pennsyl-
uris Club, said that he would prefer
q reserve comment until all the facts
stre before him.
This is the principle at stake" he
,Iplsined. Can the trustees OF uni
srsity exercise any control over pro-
i.ssofs and instructors In the matter
q free speech? ! should say at once,
% genera. principles, that, of course,
hey can. II in their judgment certain
.i,ersnee. are harmful TO the institu-
pon, then il is their duty TO dismiss
se man VIII, made those utterances.
ne trustees are liable TO be the best
Hages Of what is best for the uni
Wrsity.
I've been a student Of philanthropy,
rt know that the greatest enemy Of
norm is the reformer. Some Of us
ave come 10 accept Socialism on a
hutd, practical plane. But those who
rs radical, overencourageG by the
reving acceptance of Socialism, over
s'p all bounds and become fanatical.
hd nothing is so discouraging TO those
10 are working for higher ideals IS a
matte In this way the word soc. al
81 comes TO be used only to be
isssed"
NE Nearing case was the main topic
gsonversation al the Columbia faculty
70 yesterday. College professors are
i'as 70 saw that the Pennsylvania
ss'iees action looks like a real test
The freedom Of speech principle
'seh Professor Edwin r. A. Selig-