Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1918-04-23

Some years ago an article appeared
/ in one of the popular magazines, under
! the caption of Blasting at the Rock of
/ Ages" The writer alleged that in GER
| tain of the largest and wealthiest uni
! versities in the United States most
| pernicious teaching was being given,
/ in which the foundations of faith and
the first principles of common morality
| were attacked. He followed his first
/ articles with several additional papers
| in which he made his charges quite spe-
| cific, naming both the institutions and
| the particular professors who were in
| volved.
! To his specific charges no specific an
/ swers were made, and only general de-
malls were published, coupled with the
counter charge that he was muck
raker"
! At the time / was in position to as
! certain for myself the facts in the case
/ of one of the institutions named by
him. and L found that every statement
he made was absolutely ii accordance
! with the facts.
Recently the press dispatches have
reported conduct of the baSest and
most disgusting sort upon the. part of
a professor in one of these universities,
I which is in line with the pernlclous
! teachings which he has been pouring
forth for some time past.
IT appears that he has led aStray the
young wife of soldier now doing duty
in France. His victim is reported 10
be no more than twenty-four years OF
age. while the shameless professor is
/ ffty-five years old, and has grown
| children.
/ A more disgraceful case can scarcely
be conceived. and detailed description
of il would not be "fit to print.
OF course, the university will now
| get rid of him, and the institution ought
not to be held responsible for the deeds
of this degraded creature Inc most
careful administrator of an educatlonal
| institution might be deceived and be-
| ing deceived might admit to It's teach-
| ing staff an unworthy man.
But the university is to be justly
blamed for retaining a man who was
procIaiming from his professors chairs
principles which could not fail to lead
TO immoral results. He ought TO nave
been turned out long ago for what ne
had been teaching, if the press reports
are correct
These reports say that as lecturer
on sociology and the relation OF sex
| thereto his utIerances have peen most
pernicious, and that among ms tedch-
| ings were the following propositions
had their fling as men do. Dissipated
women often make excellent wives.
"Chiyalrv is the persistence OF the
old race habit of contempt for women
ANY girl. mentally mature, has the
right to have children and the right 10
limit their number.
The morality of women is an ex-
pediency rather than an innate virtue.
Marriage as it exists today is rapid
" approaching a form of immortality.
"Matrimony is often an Arrangement
by which the woman trades her IRE
proachable conduct for irreproachaoie
gowns.
"Children are not the result of mar
rage hut marriage is the result OF
children"
This case is not cited with any pur-
nose to injure the institution In Whlch
this man has been engaged, but II IS
mentioned as an example of much loose
teaching now prevalent in many OF the
most opulent iversities-instltulloh
responsible to neither church nor state.
These irresponsible institutions ooass
of what they call academic freedom
under the cloak of which the most
damaging doctrines are disseminated.
Recently the Wall Street Journal
neriodical devoted to the promotion OF
commercial interests, pointed out as q
matter of the most profound business
Importance that the faint of German
rationalism had spread among our
clergy" The editor of this journal Oh
finance declared, ultimately, the Yer
man substitute for the God we spiritual
ly conceive took the form or What Wa"
called higher criticism.
The editor was justified by the facts
in all that he said. This sort of pol
sonous stuff has been current for years
in certain American universities VI
great wealth and wide reputation.
Less than two years ago, the proteS-
sor of psychology and pedagogy IN an
eastern college for women, printed
book in which he sets forth Satisfactorily
the results of an investigation he nao
conducted. by which he affirmed that
among eminent educators there was
the most widespread disbeliefs in GOD
and Immortality. Moreover, he boldly
asserted that such disbeliefs was in d.
rect proportion to the abilities OF the
mon in question. Worst of all, ne de
clared. in the introduction OF his Oook'
that the abandonment Of the belle1 IN
a personal God and in personal immor-
tality. though it involved the disappear
ance of existing religions, need not prlns
to an end religious life"-a preposterous
proposition contrad1cted oy every re0Oi
of human experience.
Much of this lax teaching, which, is
suing in even laxer living, springs from
the position assumed by many men In
universities which they express by say
ing, II keep an open mind" AS appheo
TO religion and morality such an attitude
is about as sensible as would be the case
Of men who would be saying constantly,
81 keep an open mouth" loIllns
mouth is not more silly than Iolllns
mind.
The fundamentals of religion and mo-
rality are fixed, and one who does not
hold them as settled may be regarded
as a person who is afflicted with valvu-
| lar disease of the intellect.
Some things are no longer open to
discussion.
The German rulers have decided, it
seems, that they can revise, il not re-
peal. the moral law of common honesty
and call the most sacred treaties mere
scraps of papers" They have come to
this shameful conclusion through theti-