The Washington times., 1921-07-20

nent law
yers who tried to put an end to free
dom of thought in Harvard University
In the course of the hearings. Prof
Pound. dean of the law school, an
nounced that IL the decision was
"Ffeedom Of Speech" he would re-
sign.
President Lowell, thereupon. said
that Dean Pounds position on the
subject was inevitable, and that,
moreover. he himself In that case
would resign the presidency OF the
university.
Reaction Defeated.
So instead of making our colleges
safer for reaction, the lawyers who
got up the crusade against Chaffee's
book have accomplished nothing. ex.
cept to put on record with renewed
emphasis the fact that Harvard is
place in which the tradition of free
dom Is not easily overthrown.
The book has been thrown out OF a
number of libraries by librarians or
trustees who have perhaps been read
ing too late at night Vice President
Coolidge's series of attacks on the
amount of freedom of thought allowed
in women's colleges. An issua will
now be made in these Libraries on the
question of restoring the book to circu-
lation.
The funniest thing in the Chaffee
case was an accidental connection with
the Stillman divorce case. 1t hap
pened in the following wise:
The reactionary lawyers who got
after Chaffee were also after Dean
Pound and Prof. Frankfurter. There
fore. they put in a clause against out
side activities"
StiIlman Case Echo.
The joke developed in the fact that
oneN of the persons put on the COM
mittee was connected with Stillman,
not only in a business way but in
Stillman's new well-known outside
activities"
What the attackers meant by out
side activities" of course, was the
part taken by these law authorities in
attacking Palmerism, defending labor
cases, and making a study of munich
pal government. .... Oh
Under the last head sensation is
scheduled for next fall. when there
will be published the results of a Sc
ries of studies made by Dean Pound,
Prof. Frankfurter, Raymond Fosdick
and a number of other experts into
all branches of the government Of
Cleveland, Ohio.
II Is going to be rich reading. One
of the choicest parts will have to do
with the behavior of the judiciary.
No part of the book bears on Cleve-
land more than in other cities, except
that ii happens to be the city chosen
for investigation.
Meantime the Vice President has re-
peated his call to arms in the Define
ator, and / repeat that he owes IL to
the country to issue an equally shrill
alarm about the mems universities.
II women are not to be allowed to
think about the greatest question in
the world-the industrial and eco
nomic question-it would seem to be
fully as unsafe for men to allow their
minds to frisk in that perilous region
Quotes Coolidge.
Here is the Vice Presidents thesis:
Children rebel at the authority of
teachers and parents, teachers rebel
bel at the authority OF school boards,
college faculties rebel at the authority
of presidents and trustees and the
people rebel at the authority OF gov
eminent"
Is all this rebelliing by college facul.
ties and the people-sometimes called
kicking-justified in a country gov
erned by the flux of opinion?
Mr.. Coolidge thinks not. Says he:
Authority came into being
with the creation. 1t has the sanction
of the Creator. 1t is righteous"
OF course it is criticism of the exact
meaning of the right to private prop
erty that worries Mr.. Coolidge most.
He says you can never limit 1t. Some
historians think 1t was limited in 1865.
Human nature does not change"
says Mr. Coolidge. There gain he diff
fers with Huxley and the school of
n of nvio w n ha http at
is the only nature that does change.
Such historians declare that in this
ability to change lies the difference
between man and all the other ami
mails. /