Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-09-26
CONSTITUTION FOES
ASSA|LED At PENN
Provost Smith, Addressing Stu
dents as University Term
Opens, Praises Document
CHEERS GREET GOVERNOR

Tribute to the Immortal document.
the constitution Of the United States,
and rcbuke to those who assailed it was
given today by DR.. Edgar Fahs Smith.
provost of the University of Pennsyl-
vania, in his address to the students at
the opening session of the year.
Governor Sproul, who was a guest at
the exercises. spoke briefly. telling the
students to take advantage of the many
opportunities of today.
1--WE are told suddenly, said Provost
Smith, that a new charter of human
liberty has been discovered and are in
vited to take it as our guide and sail
unknown seas. uttering invocations in
its name.
THE old constitution served us WELL
1t served the men who came here from
other countries. Now that it is sud
denly assailed by some among them who
have been ut no pains to learn what the
instrument means, what the principles,
of our government are. and by their in
telleCtual blood relatives of American
descent. the men and women who love it
by it.
''The constitution is marvellous
document. Its study and re reading
bring this out most clearly. In these
days of change and unrest it is well to
have something to anchor upon. The
constitution is such a support. And
, those who are of the University of Penn
fsylvania in particular should be ia
| miliar with this production, for of the
twenty eight signatures to this i'm
mortal writing. seven are there of those
who held allegiance TO the university.
They were ours. -
Individual Rights Never Infringed
The constitution placed the legisla
: tive power in the hands of representa-
tives of no class. 1t provided that the
representatives of the people should
never take away from the people Ger
tain individual and personal rights :
that these principles should never Be
infringed. either by the states or the
! nation. and it created a judiciary to
guard that provision.
so there was nothing nebulous
vague or intangible about American
| freedom. The constitution. whose
birthday the nation celebrated n few
days ago. was no glorious spree of
| words like the French declaration of
! the rights of man. 1t was made up of
hard and practical declarations. and we
have lived by them ever since.
; Sproul Extols Modern Opportunity
Governor Sproul said:
They say that thirty years ago.
when [ was a student. opportunities
were much greater than now. But such
| is not the case. for you students are
| about to live through one of the most
glorious periods in history. Opportu-
mites are being lavishly offered on every
hand. Make the most of them. Work
and work alone will give you the value
! that should be yours.
! A rousing welcome was given to the
Governor by the students. He was given
! the rousing varsity cheer with the word
'Sproul' tackled on emphatically at the
, end.
The enrolment of 11,000 students
recorded today is the greatest in the
| 'niyersity's history. 1t was the first
time in the history of the institution
that the registration books had to lie
closed.
The program began with the academic
procession. in which the provost. Vice
Provost Penniman and the deans of the
various schools and colleges of the Uni
versity took part. Announcements of
the years work We're made by the heads
of the yariouS dPDartmentS