The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1927-07-28
DENY USE OF
ARMY Club I.
AT De PAW
President MurIin Employed
No Pressure for Drill
Secretary Says. Aa
EDUCATOR is SCORED
Magazine Article Attacks
Alleged Tactics of uni
verSity Head.
By Times Special

By Times Special
GREENCASTLE, Ind, July %
DR.. william Blanchard, faculty Sec
rotary, today denied that President
Lemuel H. Murlin of De Pauw Uni
versity used any extraordinary
means of obtaining permission Of
the faculty to continue military
training as a required subject an
other year.
After announcement that the fac
ulty voted in May to have the mill
tary tactics study voluntary. DR..
Murlin asked for another vote by
the Australian ballot. The second
vote, shortly before school closed in
June, reversed the former decision.
president Murlin merely asked II
the faculty would be willing to let
the military work remain compul-
sorry another year on his recon-
mendation, and it was agreed to-"
DR.. Blanchard, chemistry professor.
declared.
No Pressure, He Says
There was no pressure brought
to bear on anyone. We believed 1t
would be we'll for the military de-
partment to remain in its present
status for an other year until things
could be thrashed out again.
I'VE feel that If the work was
optional, the unit might disappear
from the campus because of lack
of support. The faculty is not OPP
posed to military training, but some
are objecting to the compulsory
feature.
There were about 400 in the de-
partment last year and the war de-
partment requires that at least 100
take the instruction" said Blanch-
ard.
II personally am not opposed to
military instruction. but / should
like to see the course wholly volun-
tary," he said.
Wins Student Vote
Dir. Blanchard said President Muir
lin asked the student council for an
expression of opinion. but that no
pressure was brought on the stu
dent governmental body.
The students voted for compulsory
training another year.
President Murlin, who resigned,
effective June, 1928, is in Maine at
his summer home. Campus leaders
said faction of students chafed
under the compulsory military train
ing.
Several religious publications have
discussed the DePauw situation.
The Christian Century scored Com
pulsory Drill in a Church College,"
in the July IA issue.
DR.. Murlin was flayed in a state
ment by the Committee on Mill
tarism in Education, Of which
George A. Coe is chairman, Bible
House, New York City.
housekeeping Charged
Must military training in colleges
and schools rest not only on COM
pulsory drill for students. but also on
presidential attempts to goose-step
the faculty?" asks the committee.
"After a year or more Of discus
sion, the faculty of DePauw voted
last May that military drill should
be optional. The vice president, three
deans and the committee on educa-
tional policy we're among those con-
curing in this decision, officially
announced. Then President l.. H.
Murlin got the action rescinded.
First, he called for a new faculty
vote by secret ballot by mail. This,
however, failed to reverse the
faculty's previous vote against COM
pulsion.
Second, he called a special meet
ing of the student council and, with
almost half the council not present.
got an to 6 vote in favor of COM
pulsory training. Six of the eight
affirmative votes were cast by MEM
bers of the Scabbard and Blade mil
itary fraternity and by girl sponsors
Of military companies.
Pressure Is Alleged
"Then advanced military student
officers, while freshmen and sopho-
mores we're lined up in military
formation, passed petitions through
the ranks asking that compulsory
drill be continued. The freshmen
and sophomores signed. while mill
tary officers stood around. Then the
campus was combed for additional
signatures.
Third, the military, having OBJ
tanned great many student sig
natures, asking that drill be made
compulsory upon next years fresh
men and sophomores, President
Murlin issued orders to the faculty
for a new secret faculty vote. This
time he urged continuance OF COM
pulsory drill for one more year, at
the end of which-another vote.
Many self-respecting members Of the
faculty refused to participate. His
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