484 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXVIII. No. 719 



With President James's administration I 

 began to bump over a corduroy road that led 

 me to believe there was something wrong 

 under the surface. I felt that I had been 

 compromised, in several particulars, in my 

 dignity as a professor, and finally, having 

 failed to get a satisfactory explanation, at the 

 end of three years of friction, I wrote to the 

 president suggesting that he ask my resigna- 

 tion rather than to keep things going as they 

 were. I knew, and the president knew, that 

 if he asked my resignation I could request a 

 hearing before the trustees, and he would have 

 to show grounds for his request. As he would 

 do nothing, I finally asked the board of 

 trustees to court-martial me. I was con- 

 scious of a clean record, and did not fear a 

 fair trial. I quote the first paragraph of my 

 letter to the board: 



When an oflBcer in the army, by the act of a 

 superior, is placed in a position which compro- 

 mises his reputation, he may apply for a court- 

 martial. In this spirit, I request an investigation 

 by your honorable body. 



The letter was addressed directly to the 

 board, and was forwarded through the dean 

 of the College of Science, and the president 

 of the university. As evidence that I had not 

 appealed to the board before exhausting every 

 resource with the president, I presented to the 

 board, at the first meeting on which the case 

 was called, copies of two letters which I had 

 sent to the president — one of the date of Sep- 

 tember 7, 1906 ; the other February 14, 1908 ; 

 and I gave copies of these letters to each 

 member who was present at that meeting. I 

 quote from said letter of September 7, 1906, 

 as f ollovre : 



Although I have headed this letter " unofficial " 

 and have marked the envelope " personal " so that 

 it will reach you without passing through clerical 

 hands, it will contain nothing which I wish to be 

 guarded by the seal of privacy, and I expect you 

 to use its contents freely: especially with others 

 whom it may concern. I intend it for an informal 

 discussion: a friendly pour-parler, so to speak; 

 preceding official action, if such action must be 

 taken. 



I am in doubt as to your attitude toward me 

 and my department, and I wish to go straight to 

 you for information. ... I know of no reason to 



justify any action that would insinuate that I 

 was inferior to my colleagues; and if you have 

 any such reason in mind, I wish you would bring 

 it up and let us have it out, fairly, fully, and 

 finally. . . . 



I believe I have every moral right to remain 

 here, and share all the benefits, in the growth of 

 the institution to which a long term of efficient 

 service (with many extras) would entitle me. 

 On the other hand, if my position is to be com- 

 promised, in its dignity, either as to salary, 

 amount of work, or responsibility, I would not 

 be willing to retain it. 



After such words as these, in a pour-parler, 

 and even much more vigorous ones in an 

 official letter, later, there was no excuse for 

 the president to refuse to clear things up one 

 way or the other, and the only higher court I 

 could appeal to was the board of trustees. 



When my case was called, I appeared before 

 the board and made a brief preliminary state- 

 ment, to the effect that I wished a clean slate, 

 but that I did not wish to make a personal 

 attack on any one, and would regret it if 

 any personal questions arose. I also stated 

 that I hoped the case would reveal certain 

 defects in our organization that I knew 

 existed, and that I hoped the hoard would see 

 and correct them. 



I was then excused, with the understanding 

 that I would be called later. As I left the 

 room I told where I would be, and how I could 

 be back in three minutes if they telephoned 

 to me. 



The vice-president, the former dean and 

 the present dean were then called. They were 

 questioned by President James, and their 

 testimony was taken in my absence. No 

 record was kept. 



If the president brought in these gentlemen, 

 expecting that they would condemn me, their 

 testimony must have been a sort of a 

 Baalam's blessing; for at least two members 

 of the board, who stuck by the president 

 through thick and thin, told me that the evi- 

 dence was so much in my favor, that if I 

 would withdraw the case, I could do so with- 

 out prejudice to my reputation for anything 

 that had been said. 



The board took a recess for lunch, after 

 which they transacted other business and then 



