The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-06-23

10 THE fsDlTpR VI III DtN-sHs u
the article In THE SUNDAY SrS on the
dismissal OF Professor Scott Nearing
from the Wharton School OF the Univer-
sity Of Pennsylvania by the trustees the
following remark Is credited to DR..
Lightner Wilmer Of the same institution
For the trustees OF an institution OF
learning even to appear to control the
opinions Of It's faculties Is usually the
nrst step toward the deterioration and
dislntesrstion OF the institution OF which
they are legally the administrator In
trust for the entire community.
cal example of the intellectual acumen
~ the critics OF the action of the
trustees OF the university. implying, as
II does, that the obligations OF the
trustees to the public absolve them from
all obligations whatever In respect to
the possible intellectual and moral alb
CREATIONS Of tn. teaching stan. II is
an explicit statement of the case for
free speech as II Is understood. II
II can be said to be understood. by
academic yawpers for the right TO speak
as they please with absolute immunity
from consequence. because they appar
entity lack the intelligence to perceive
that there Is in fact no svch right. social.
legal. political or Industrial that no
one can In any OF his various social
relations Insist on the unlimited right
to say what he pleases without paying
the penalty In the partial or total ter
mination OF those relations.
OF course 1t Is quite true that the
trustees OF an institution OF learning
have no right to coerce the opinions OF
the faculty. but II is equally true hat
the faculty has no better right to CO.
Arra thu nrtipna nf thu trtatasa q
teacher does not care to submit to the
control OF the latter ne has the I'M
doubted right TO sever his connection
with them; they In turn have the
equally undoubted right to displsce him
for one who presumably needs the posi-
ton as much as he and who will Ill
It TO their greater satisfaction.
As a matter OF fact. though. the
free speech apostles have no desire
to suffer m%artyrdom for the cause.
When II Is proposed that they shall
and pay the forfeit they or their friends
set UP the free speech whine and call
heaven and earth to witness that they
are the victims OF brutal. malignant
oppression and that the lamp OF learn
ing will he extinguished and liberty of
thought perish forever from among men
II authority IL not %subverted. the funda-
mental rights OF others curtailed and
themselves licensed to bring contempt
on the institutions whose servant they
are by the exploitation OF absurdities
that are tho very negation OF reason.
do not mean to imply that there
might not be cases where the trustees
OF an institution Of learning might ex-
ercise or attempt TO exercise what would
be considered by general consent a
wholly u~nwarrsntable restraint on the
opinions OF the faculty. There are ques-
tons. political. fiscal and moral. on
which the best minds conscientiously
disagree. there are others on which
there Is practically no dissent among
the educated. There might be a color
OF excuse for interference in special
cases In the first It would be the duty
OF a board Of trustees to suppress heresy
In the latter, not by coercion, but by the
exercise OF the right OF dismissal, an
altogether different thing. though the
free speechers" cannot perceive the
distinction.
| wish to say In conclusion that I
have not considered the case of Pro-
fessor Nearing. because. for one rh!ng.
! know nothing OF II, but the doctrine
OF free speech" as enunciatcd In the
Wilmer statement. a statement typical
OF many that would impel one to ex-
press the hope that some patron OF
learning will some day found a chair Of
common sense:
''' which only 10 me Gin OF heaven
And, though no science. fairly worth the
seven.
Such n foundation would md q very
ample field for Its services In what are
called the big institutions OF learn
ing in this country. those institutions
so prolific Of material that
they can AFFORD 10 provide faculties for
that arch ~humhuggery known as The
science" of sociology. which neither Is
nor can be a science. that Is. a collec-
ton Of definite principles expressing a
constant and necessary relation in So
cial phenomena, because. except in the
vaguest and most general way, no such
relation IL possible. ~TuscuLANus,
NEW YORK, Juns ~.