The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1934-03-02
Liberal Viewpoint
BY DIR. HARRY ELMER BARNES

DR. GLENN FRANK, the colorful young
! ~ president of the University of Wisconsin, is
! the subject of sarcastic attack by Ernest L.
Meyer in article entitled Glenn Frank
Journalist on Parole, in the American Mercury
The title of this article is taken from a re-
mark of Dr. Frank in which he described him
self as journalist on parole after assuming his
duties at Madison. Mr. Meyer asserts that as a
journalist he was only "a Billy Sunday evan
gelist on parole"
Dr. Frank actually was, it,seems, at one time
a great admirer and an associate of DR.. Sunday
and developed oratorical gifts under the evan
gelst'S instruction
Mr. Meyer presents a specific and docu-
mented case against DIR. Frank as a successful
and liberal university executive. He is alleged
! to have started and given much publicity to a
daring experimental college and then backed
out under fire, leaving the dean and faculty
high and dry.
Though an ostentatious liberal he denied
Dora Russell the right to speak on the campus or
to be invited to dinner by a fraternity She
spoke however, in the Madison Unitarian
church, and few weeks later a university fra
ternity was permitted to give a much publicized
dinner for Gilda Grey, the eminent shi1nmy
artistic"
Dr.. Frank has been the recipient at Madison
of relatively princey income. He has received
salary OF $4,000 a year, plus 5000 for ex-
penseS, and, in addition, received $4,000 a year
for his brief syndcated articles, widely printed
| a the same time, he has approved out
L "A rageous salary cuts which have been espe-
cially difficult and disastrous for the overbur-
dened and underpaid younger instructors. In
deed, he added insult to injury in the case of
the latter by publicly insulting them and their
status. Nevertheless. he onlv reduced his own
salary from $4,000 to $4,000
Mr.. Meyer further plays up DR.. Franks lack
| n vvlrrr 71oI
as the occasion of the Goethe celebration at the
university. He also charges that DR.. Frank has
assiduousy cultivated nOtoyouSly anti-social
and putocratic Chicago mllionaires while dis
courteous by neglecting distinguished visiting
scholars 1t is asserted that he has subordinated
his professional interests to political ambitions
Much of this indictment is known by me
personally to be specifically correct, though Mr..
| Meyer himself admits that there has been no
abridgment of freedom since Mrs. Russells visit
and comedies that the university faculty COM
! PEELED Dr. Frank to abandon the Meiklejohn ex-
detrimental college.
I have no personal reason to laud or defend
Glenn Frank. But, after reading and re-
reading this article still think he is notable
asset to American higher education. He is doing
much more than his enemies at Madison to
make higher education a real force in promot-
! ing social intelligence.
NTR. MEYER admits that the University OF
WI Wisconsin faculty as a whole, all the
ballyhoo to the contrary Notwithstanding, is
highly reactionary. Even the notOriLS Red
snooper, Mr.. Chapple, could find only sixteen
/ radicals and atheists" in a faculty of over 500
and his requirements for such classification
were extremely loose and expensive. Almost
any sane and civilized could qualify
DR.. Glenn Frank has shown some recognition
! that education must be related to life today He
has tried to promote a movement away from
the old stale and musty subjects that reek of
medievalism or earlier. He has tried to get his
faculty to face reality If he has failed, the
! blood is on their heads.
Dean Sellery may give able instruction on
medieval cathedrals and cloisters, but l know
/ of no evidence that ever has helped a single
one of his thousands of students to live more
inteligently after leaving Madison. Dean Good
night may have reduced college petting, but
know of no one who contends that he ever has
prepared any Madison student to face more
adequately the problems of sex and marital
relations.
Much of the criticism of Dr. Frank has beer
! engineered by Mr. Chapple. All that needs be
said about the latter is that by comparison
| Huey Long appears TO me like a combination OF
Aristotle and Lord Chesterfield
After all is said and done, DR.. Glenn Frank
| with all his faults, is one Of the few bright
! lights in American higher education since the
war. If Mr.. Meyers article helps him to do a
little soul searching, he even may be more
! valuable in the future.