The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1933-11-17

Athearn, president, recently.
= Dr. Athearn, it was learned to-
day, was dismissed, primarily be-
cause he attempted to broaden
the attitude of Buffers college of
religion and to raise its standards.
Research by The Times today
also reveals that DR.. David Starr
Jordan, president of Leland STAN
ford university in California, from
1891 to 1913, who laugh zoology
and biology at Butler from 1878
to 1879, resigned before he was
dismissed for about the same rea-
sons by the university board of
directors, as was DR.. Athearn a
few weeks ago.
DR. JORDAN, who died in 1881,
- was regarded as one of the
foremost educators of his time.
He taught Herbert Hoover and
Ray Lyman Wilbur, former sec
rotary of the navy, when both
were students at the California
university. He was the author of
numerous books and was an in
ternationally known authority on
zoology. His numerous academic
posts included the presidency Of
Indiana university.
In DR.. Jordan's book, 1.-THE Days
of a Man." published in 1922, he
has this to say of Butler and the
rule of the downtown office:
The academic years of 1878 to
1879 proved to be my last years at
Butler. They were pleasant years,
but soon the institution was torn
into two factions. One wished to
make the college purely a feeder
to the Christian church, the other
to forward its growing relations
with modern scholarship and also
to meet the local requirements OF
the city of Indianapolis.
The first group took up the
complaints Of many of the rural
clergy, who felt hurt by the cleo
ton of professors not of their
faith. Although both the founder,
Ovid Butler, who controlled a ma
jority of the corporation stock,
and DR.. A. C. Jameson, the broad
minded president of the board of
trustees, were strongly opposed to
the Sectarian movement.
"DUTLER and Jameson refused
ID to interfere, however, and the
majority of the trustees voted to
vacate the three chairs held by
individuals not belonging to the
Christian church.
Unfortunately, the president,
DR.. Otis A. Burgess. a man of
considerable ability, finally joined
their forces, to the great injury
of his standing in the city.
The trustees decision created
a storm, for the teachers con-
cerned we're much beloved, espe-
cially in indianapolis, where
Catherine Merrill, professor of
English. had been for years an
inspiration to all, young and old,
who were interested in literature.
Scarcely less appreciated. APP
parently, was my friend, DR.. Mel
vile B. Anderson, who held the
chair of modern languages and
who then went to Knox college.
The third of the beloved
cheretics' was Charles E. Hollen-
beck, the librarian.
And as Butler was largely de-
pendent upon the city patronage,
the attempt to revive denomina-
tionaI intolerance greatly hurt the
institution"
DR. JORDAN goes on to say
- that he resigned. knowing
that he would be the next
hereto" to be discharged from
the university.
During the weeks of disSen-
sion.' he says in his book, before
my departure, 1 took strong
stand against the proposed
changes. severely criticising the
president for yielding to pressure,
which, in my judgment, he really
diSapproved.
At the end of the chapter deal
ing with Butler, DR.. Jordan
pointed out that his successor, DIR.
Oliver e. Hay, who was elected
because he was member of the
Christian church, was supposed to
be an anti-evolutionist, later