Year: 1870

sOr Explains the DifhCulty


The Harrisburg Topic of yesterday publishes
the following article, written, it says, by pro-
fessor in Dickinson College, although it with
holds the name of the gentleman


l wish to make a candid statement of facts,
in relation to the recent trouble in Dickinson
College.


First. AS to the decnature of the request of
the classes for leave of absence. The college
had had vacation of six days terminating on
the Monday of the previous week, while the
summer vacation was only six weeks off, to last
for eleven weeks. The Junior class had lost the
recitation in Professor TricketCs department on
the previous Tuesday, because change of an
hour had not been formally announced, though
every member of the class knew of the change,
seven of them having been notified in person.
The change was from four to five o'clock.
Whether properly not, the recitation was
lost. By q rule of the faculty of long standing,
no single professor is allowed to excuse before
hand class from recitation. The procession of
colored people terminated shortly Iafter two
o'clock and there were no other exercises con-
nected with the celebration till ~ o'clock =.
Nj. The recitations took place at five o'clock.
Again: since attempts have been made to repre-
sent the refusal to excuse from recitation as q
political matter, will state that both the pro-
fessors refusing are Republicans and heartily
endorse the fifteenth amendment.


Secondly. AS to the penalties assessed. For
some time past several of the students, most of
whom were in the classes concerned, had been
guilty of violations of college orders, many of
them very immoral On Sunday before the
celebration, while the people of the town were
in their places of worship, the college bell was
rung two several times, and an alarm of fire
excited in different quarters of the town. The
absence of the classes was in defiance of the
declinature of the professors to excuse, and it
was effected through conspiracy. These are
by the statutes of the college, which the pro-
fessors are appointed to keep, not to amend
separate offenses of high order. IL not pre-
vented, they would soon disorganiZe the college.
All the above circumstances entered into the
question OF imposing punishment. This pun
ishment was by minus marks, which were not
to affect the continuance of any student in his
class. They operated solely to alter the relative
positions of probably not more than one-fourth
the number of students. One who would have
stood might now stand 4: might now be 8,
etc. Since all received at least one hundred,
the relative positions could be affected only by
the excess of the marks received one hundred.
The object of minus marks as a penalty is to
affect relative standing, and in cases of combiua-
tion must be distributed unequally. This un-
equal punishment is in accordance with the
statute OF the institution and the usages of civil
society.


Thirdly. AS to the insubordination of the
students. committee from each class pre-
sented request for a diminution of the minus
marks After due consideration, those who
had received five hundred were relieved of two
hundred. The others were not affected. Ger
tain individual students desired to show that
their absence was not on condition of the alb





was pending in their cases, the students sent in
an announcement that they would attend no
more duties till the college faculty came to
terms with them. They remained in that state
of resistance refusing three several times to
meet the faculty, when the faculty proceeded
to announce to them personally that unless
they attended recitatlons during Monday they
would be suspended until September. On
Monday night the Executive Committee
of the Board of Trustees met them,
and presented to the faculty paper which the
students were to accept. This paper the stu
dents contemptuoHsly spurned by an almost
unanimous vote. The penalty announced by
the faculty has gone into operation, and the
revolving students are now gone from Carlisle.
Students attending college are under the super
vision of the faculty and it would be improper
for body of thirty-tive students to linger in q
small town at the hotels, when their parents
and guardians have no expectation of such a
thing. 1t is customary in all colleges to require
students disciplined as these have been to go at
once to their homes. 1t is unnecessary to add
that in cases where it was impossible for the
students to leave town in the prescribed time,
they were allowed to remain longer.


The professors have been insisting on scholar
ship as condition of remaining in their classes
1t is not uncommon for students to hate pro-
lessor who will not allow them to follow theil
own inclinations.