The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1920-03-26
SAYS SUGGESTIONS OF BOARD
ARE SPECIOUS CAMOUFLAGE
Mr. Robinson Reviews Trouble at
Clemson-Says Food Served is Not
Good and Pay for Walters Too
Small-Quotes From Reports.

lne State.
We have felt great hesitation ir
gjving any publicity to Cur views II
regard to the report of the Clemson
board, because of our personal inter
est through son in the sophomore
class, and because we had hopec
others who are much better acquaint
ed with the matters referred to II
the rerort of the trustees, through
its chairman, could and would take
I'D the matter.
But in our opinion, this report
places the matter in an unfair light
before the public, and it is a grave
injustice to the student body, as g
whole, a body which we believe has
been actuated by the best of motives
for the present and future welfare
and interest of the college.
The report as published, over the
names of the chairman, doubt
less drafted by him, undertakes to
place the responsibility on the stu
dents, and to criticize them severely
for conditions which we believe should
oe laid at the door of the board it
self, and of those who they have
placed and maintained in authority
at the college.
Those who are nc too old to re-
member their own college days, or
too blind to have gathered anything
from experience or ol rvation, must
knew that in a body of over eight
hundred young men, there are some
endowed with prudence and judg-
nent, even if they are young. And
that when student body, as a whole,
acts as this has,, there is something
more than implicit following of
foolish and unwise leadership" and
the reason must be sought in some
thing more than the speculative sug-
gestions of the board that it has
grown either out of the spirit of un-
rest prevalng throughout the world
q or is the result of dangerous
and unwise advice and leadership,
which has nagnifed small things In
to aggravated grievances" Such an
answer is specious can.afouge, which
will not satisfy the thoughtful citi-
zen, much less the students and their
parents, who represent many homes
throughout the state.
We hardly think the report recog-
nizes or realizes the sober and solemn
responsibility which should come with
knowledge of the Importance Of the
decision Of the board to the many
young men whose future is to be in
fluenced so vitally by it.
Taking up somewhat in it's order,
the report, the first matter dealt with
is the trouble in the dining room or
mess hall. While the report itself
does not give it, yet we are satisfied
that a careful examination of it,
especially when compared with the
3Oth annual report of the same board,
made through the same chairman, to
the general assembly of 1919, will
disclose deeper meaning and rea-
son for this trouble.
In the report itself, it is disclosed
that while there was a lack of scholar
ship cadets for dining room duty, as
reported on March 7, these scholar
ship walters, who were giving, accord
ing to the report, four hours per day
of service land according to students,
decidedly more than that including
such work as scrubbing the dining
room, for the sum of $40 per month,
there was no trouble to get cadets to
serve when the pay was raised to $50
per month. Might it not have oc-
Cured to the wisdom of the board,
as it seemed to have dawned on the
college authorities, that a compensa-
ton less than that which a negro
waiter receives at the average hotel
today (besides his tips) for services
not involving more time and not in
volving as much menial labor, had
something to do with the lack of SER
vice? What worthy student, who
was working his way through college,
could maintain himself on $40 per
month? Wasn't this the real reason
for the lack of service in the dining
room, and wasn't this the real basis
for the spirit of resentment by the
students?
Any one who knows the student
body of that institution, or the homes
and families from which they come,
knows that with perhaps the ex-