Evening capital and Maryland gazette., 1915-09-17
PRINCETON SYSTEM
FOR NAVAL ACADEMY
President Wilson Tells Captain
Eberle to Try it Here--Heads
of Departments to Confer
With Him.
NEW REGIME BEGINS TODAY.
Admiral Fullam's Successor Expected
to Improve Things---Supt. Eberle
Counted Upon to Establish Such Re-
forms As Will Restore Prestige
Lost Recently bv Naval
Academy.

LOSt NcCcutIy Nv NdVdl
Academy.
Reports from Washington are to the
effect that President Wilson is taking
a direct interest in Naval Academy
matters, and has been in consultation
with Secretary of the Navy Daniels and
with Capt Edward W. Eberle, who will
relieve Admiral William F. Fullam as
superintendent on Monday, relative TO
certain matters which were brought to
his attention in connection with the
court of inquiry which investigated the
so-called "cribbing" matter, and the
board of investigation which develop
ed the facts as to the hazing which
has taken place during the present
academic year.
1t is understood that President Will
son feels keenly the fact that affairs
at the Academy have been the subject
of general criticism. and is determined
| to remedy any defect that may be
found. 1t has been general knowledge
here that President Wilson has taken
from the beginning very strong and
direct interest in the allegations of the
use of improper means in eXamina-
tions, and the matters connected with
the punishment of the seven midship-
men originally accused, and the devel-
opments during the rehearing of the
matter before the court of inquiry.
In fact, it was known that the orig
inal recommendations for dismissal
were placed before the President, and
that he was the first to point out that a
| condition was disclosed which made it
| improper to dismiss seven midshipmen,
| when it was plain thst eithe a large
proportion of the other midshipmen
were more or less guilty or that a sys-
tenn had grown up which raised ques-
ton as to the guilty intention of any
midshipman.
1t was said, on competent authority,
| that the President did not accept the
distinction which the Naval Academy
authorities made that only those mid
| shipmen who saw the original papers
were guilty of any offense, while those
| who saw copies of them were not. 1t
was upon this point that the whole
| question hung, and, as is now we'll
known. the court of inquiry, after an
| exhaustive session, finally adopted this
view. In short, it held that except in
few cases, it was not proved that
| those who used the original papers
knew that they had advanced copies of
| the examination, and it gave the ac-
cused the benefit of the doubt, as it was
bound to do.
The President is reported as favor
| ing the Introduction of the honor sys-
tem," such as in vogue at Princeton,
the University OF Virginia and other
leading institutions at the Academy.
The view at the Academy has been that
| there is no need of a formal honor
system there, because the essence of
the discipline at the Academy is that
everyone-students and officers-are
on honor at all times, and that the
midshipmen can be trusted to deal
with the few cases where the conduct
of another midshipman is not up to the
standard.
In fairness to the midshipmen, it
must be pointed cut that the proceed
ings of the court of inquiry brought out
only one incident where the use of un-
fair means by a midshipman in the
class room was even suspected, and
the evidence was so weak en- this point
that no further steps were taken.
| 1t was made clear that what was
needed was not system of imposing
honorable conduct upon the midship-
mentor they can be trusted to OBJ
serve this where a line of conduct is
accepted by them-but define clearly
what is required and to make a clear
application of honorable principles to a
certain set of circumstances. For in
stance, many incline to the belief that
the dope" system has been so gem
eral; that it was acquiesced in by many
of the teachers, and that it had be-
come so abused that the midshipmen
found it hard to distinguish between
proper and improper helps.
In view of the rather isolated condi-
tion of the student body at the Naval
Academy, they depend almost entirely
upon themselves for their standards.
They assume that these are the highest
that can be obtained. but the facts
made public recently make this open
| to question along certain lines. This
is exemplified by the difficulty always
met when an investigation of hazing
takes place. In the recent investiga-
ton, a considerable number of mid
shipmen were recommended for pun
ishment for lying. This dicloses a
very grave condition of affairs, for
these midshipmen We're testifying un-
4 l. ~.
legged lying.
1t may be said, of course, that these
were midshipmen of the new class,
and had not imbibed Academy stand
ards. However, it cannot be denied.
and the history of every other case
that has been tried. indicates it, that
the midshipmen witnesses believed that
they were expected to protect othr