Norwich bulletin., 1920-06-28
SHOULD NOT HAVE ALLOWED
 HUnrPBRIEs, BERKELEY LEcTU1

I of the trustees of Berkeley Di- Einity school at Middletovn which made its report Wednesday upon the HurI1ph- ries affair that brought the school into much noteriety at the time of the lecture. The committee, one of whose members was Judge Gardiner Greene Of this city, finds a1ss, that the Afnericanisnn of the dean of eIIe school, Rev. pr. William P. Ladd, is beyond question, but says that the Humphries lecture should not have been permitted and that the school has suffered through it. The committee is pleased to say that Dean Ladd has re- signed from some of the socialist organ izations whose objects he endorsed, If | the literature of the organizations Is to | be believed. Tt is unfortunate for the | welfare of the school" the report says. l that such connections be made"
 Text of Report.
 The following is the report of the corns nlfttee of investigation appointed by the trustees of Berkeley Divinity school:
 The board of trustees of the Berkeley Divinity school acting at the request of Rev. William P. Ladd. D. D., dean of the school, have investigated the various charges made against the school and its dean. This investigation has been made by d special committee consisting of Bur ton Mansfield. Esq. Hon. Gardiner Greene and Frederick J. Kinssbury, Esq. all members of the board of trustees. The nature or the charges will fully appear in the following summary which 1 lag been carefully prepared as a result of said investigation by said gentlemen. and Rev. $. R. Coliaday, D. D., aid Rev. | w A Beardsley, also members Of said ] board. Said charges are fully covered l herein, some specifically and some in a | general way
 l The school was charged with being a i spawning place for bolshevik propaganda 1 and radical socIalistic principles, and a l certain lecture given at the Williams library on Dec. 2, 1919. by Wilfred | Humphries, was cited as an illustration of this.
 Defense of Soviet
 Humphries was a member of the '. H ] A. overseas staff for year beginning the latter part of 1917. He rendered
 faithful service and piloted over loot
 refugees across Siberia, and was thu
 means of preserving the lives of hundred 7 of them. Opinions of those who heard hi
 lecture seem to be divided as to whethe he was bolsheeik propagandist. bu : from persons who know him well mem bers of the Y. NJ. C. A.. we conclude tha he was. He is not now and was no ? when he delivered the lecture mcmbe of the '. Nj. c. A. He has been known { address radical groups in many instance. | and from the testimony which the com nittee was able to procure, his lecture seem to have been more or less of a l apology for or even a defense of th soviet government. We are satisfied ths q it would have been much better had tn lecture not been given at Berkeley. an that Humphries ought not to have bee
 lNVI r-AF AF- A. Y for the good of the school or for the goo > of those who are interested in her guit l ance and support Yet in favor of tn; IL action We find that the same lecture hs U been given at Smith. Fassar Simmon 5 Clark, and other educational institution
 in this general vicinity. Hunphries can y to Berkeley, as he went elsewhere untl. :, the auspices of the Intercollegiate socia u istic society, and no apology is requir, ,, for his appearance at Berkeley. whi, - should not be required at those oth .9 places. where his lecture seems to ha been received without dissent The cr | icism so frequently made that neither [ s dean nor anyone else connected with t M school. expressed his disapproval tn
 and there. does not appear 10 yeur col , mittee to be well taken. May we say
 this connection that we are content in {
 thought thst in regard to this lecture {
 United States governTnent is quite able
 handle the case against Humphries. if a exists. and that m 10 the. present tin ID so far as we have been Informed no pl rk ceedings have been brought against hi ist Put School Undef saspieiou. Or The Humphries lecture however. V on only a secondary matter. It was the on casion for the outbreak of some suspiei,
 against the school. the dean and the f he ulty. which had prevailed for a consid if able period Some of the people in 2 he near Middletown. and the Middieio on Press. openly say that inc school led been the center Of radical socialism 'ys some time and that the teachings th lp- promote soclalistic ideas That al le ent one or more Of the students have b at socialists ofean advanced type. That ( or are not radical in the sense that they er- lieve in violence or civil disorder but { wn they hold views which are radical In C ing trast with those which are ordinarily !
 by the people of the country in regard ark social and industrial questions So or as your trustees have been able to Tel nun however. socialism in a radical or
 vanced form is not taught in the sch
 There was a course dealing with so
 problems introduced before Dr. Isadd ON came dean, in Dean Hart's admins ,ss tion. The course, however has not I 
 ,ooi pursued as actively in the last few Y, Iss- as before.
 sla- No Socialism Taught in School. ths As to the charge that young men .os taught socialism in the school, we fin, fol evidence thereof. and the faculty ( | ta that such is the case. and the stud inc also deny 1t. The dean believes. I IdsT ever. in allowing a broad latitude in me curriculum. and in granting inc stud tbe wide liberty, w.th means for the s,;rI cussion of many different subjects s bv to give them an opportunity to look ,tch the different problems of life Tn
 hv respect, however, we think that the
 dents should be guided in their stu
 by and be taught to discriminate care ad- between the good and evil effects of Is20 various theories presented to them , to their consideration and investigation.
 We are of the opinion that in on
 two cases among the students, adv H tendencies might have been promotes seeds might have been sown by SEh agencies than the school itself, and 'ark most advanced socialist snions le who have been students in recent v ltbie says he does not know whether Ser. Fri and Dean Ladd are responsible fot John views. However. we feel very stro $50 that in some unfortunate way. the g
 B. has received a reputation wAi.h hil was her progress, and her influence. sdict
 will Assanst Teachins soctat.sTn. uta- We cannot control. and we do net uar- to control the individual ideas Of life, of the teachers of the school. They Hing a right to be socialists if they wish Ja- we cannot for a moment permit am
 tion or influence of theirs. as teac crest which would seem to develop soei n to as a political idea. The Berkeley [