The Bozeman courier. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1919-1954, 1926-05-21
HOW ABOUT THE UNIVERSITY?
From the Dawson County Review

III g4O 0V00 O0AA &eSN4(W
It was announced a short time ago that Pro
fessor Sidney Cox of the University of Montana
at MissOula had resigned to accept a position at
Dartmouth. And this is presumed to close the
famous incident of the Frontier.
The Frontier is the name of a student publica-
ton, the last issue of which about a month ago
contained some obscene material which aroused
furious criticism from all over the state. The
magazine is published by the class in creative
writing of which Professor Cox is the instructor,
and the Objectionable material was passed by him.
AS soon as it appeared most decent people con-
it unsparingly and looked to the Univer-
sity authorities to take appropriate action. In
stead Chancellor Brannon and President Clapp of
the University saw fit to issue apologies for Mr..
Cox and to defend him and the publication.
When the storm broke, the State Board of Edu-
cation was in session and the question was i'm
mediately brought up. The Board properly passed
the matter to the chancellor for action.
Right there was where the chancellor booted
a bad one. If he had acted with prOmptitude and
fired Mr.. Cox Immediately and unceremoniously,
the whole state would have applauded and the
chancellor would have made himself solid and
improved the standing of the University i'm
mensely.
Instead of that he pussyfoOted. It is intimated
that he privately told Mr.. Cox that he had better
look around for another job, but publicly he urged
the necessity of going slow and doing nothing
with haste. It is reported hat in the meeting of
the state board, when he suggested that they must
have more evidence, Governor Erickson banged
his fist on the table and, pointing to a copy OF
the Frontier, shouted:
There's the evidence, and all that is needed!
Chancellor BrannOn and President Clapp both
are reported to have defended Cox and praised
his "clean mind" and suggested that the maiI
trouble was that the people of Montana needed
educating up to his standards = that he was too
far advanced for people to appreciate his vigol
and originality.
"Wel," as one old timer remarked to us, "t
he thinks that language is original, I can tell hin
that I heard plenty of that so years ago in OLD
mining camps. The only thing original about i
is that decent people then didn't think it prope
to print it. Maybe the world is changing and i
is proper to print it now, but don't think man,
people have changed"
We doubt if most of the mothers and father
of Glendive or of Montana will differ much fror
the old timer or will see the necessity for bein
educated upward" to Professor Cox's standard
Rather VIZ think the great majority will fel
t vently regret that the authorities did not sun
: marily kick out the offenders and cleanse th
s University of the cancerOus growth which al
t pears to be growing and flourishing there.
The general opinion of the University author
tiles seemed to be that nothing was seriousI
8 wrong with the material published in the Frontie
: although it may have been indiscreet because {
g many Of the public are not yet educated ups
: such intellectual daring"
e Our impression is growing that the Universit
e need considerable house cleaning. Too man
Y stories Of improper conduct, false standards, an
t bolshevistic tendencies come from Missoula
While W do not expect perfection, we do thin
: the general moral atmosphere Of the Universal
d is not wholesome. The number Of the Frontit
g under discussion indicates that the teaching
d not altogether clean and decorous. Many othl
8 tales are related Of Professor Coxs "intenecta
e daring" In the past the University has Ia
8 trouble with sociaIistic and a~narchistic nstru
tors, and rumor has e that the present faculi
Q is permeated with e. ame modernism.