October 9, 1908] 



SCIENCE 



485 



adjourned without taking up the case again. 

 This was March 10; the meeting was at the 

 university. 



The next meeting of the board was held 

 April 3, in Chicago. I was not notified and so 

 was not present. 



The next meeting was April 23, also in 

 Chicago. I was notified and was present. 

 The president of the board asked me what I 

 had to say. I replied that I did not know 

 what I would have to say until I was informed 

 as to what had been done in my absence. I 

 then said : " First, I should like to ask, ' Are 

 there any charges against me ? ' " The presi- 

 dent of the board gave me the official answer, 

 " No." I then said, " This gives me a clean 

 slate and leaves nothing for me to defend; 

 but I have some witnesses who can tell of the 

 difficulties I have had in the development of 

 my department. I have brought these wit- 

 nesses here at my own expense, and if you 

 care to use this opportunity to learn of the 

 conditions under which some of us have to 

 work, I offer you their testimony." They 

 were called in, and I voluntarily left the room 

 to allow them to speak without the slightest 

 restraint. They were questioned by different 

 members of the board. Finally, the president 

 of the board, in a genuinely courteous way, 

 gave me ten minutes to " close the case " — 

 these were his words. After I had left the 

 room. President James, who had been present 

 all the time, read from a nineteen-page type- 

 written memorandiun in which he reflected on 

 me both personally and professionally. 



A resolution was then put to a vote, that 

 the " board of trustees do not recognize that 

 Professor Kemp has any just cause for griev- 

 ance against the administration of the uni- 

 versity." This was lost on a tie vote. Then 

 occurred an accident which gave me the first 

 tangible thing I could get from anybody. 

 The president had taken the seat which I 

 vacated when I left the room. I had left a 

 whole stack of reports, etc., on the table; for 

 I did not know what I might have been called 

 on to prove, and I was prepared to show, if 

 necessary, that my recommendations had not 

 been carried out. After the vote went against 

 him, the president left his memorandum 



mixed in with my papers, and when I gathered 

 these up, after the meeting, I found it. 



Here I had incontestable proof of the presi- 

 dent's unfairness. He had presented this 

 paper behind my back, and it was full of mis- 

 leading statements — especially half truths, 

 very adroitly presented. Indeed I must give 

 the president credit {sic') for the way in which 

 he put some of it together. He attacked me 

 on practically every point which is essential 

 to the head of a department, viz., as an 

 administrator, as a teacher, as a man of sci- 

 ence, and in my relation to my colleagues. 

 Everything was general — not a specific act 

 was alleged. Here is a sample : 



I do not think that Dr. Kemp's salary should 

 be increased at the present time, or at all, until 

 we get an entirely different atmosphere in the 

 department, and particularly in the relations of 

 the department to the other departments in the 

 university. 



If the president had said this to my face, 

 I should have asked to which departments he 

 referred; and what was wrong. If this were 

 true, both the president and the dean had been 

 guilty of flagrant dereliction in their duty, 

 for not having called my attention to it. The 

 same would apply to the head of any depart- 

 ment making such a complaint. 



I have received disciplinary letters from the 

 (former) dean, on meeting a class out of 

 schedule hours' and on " smoking in uni- 

 versity buildings." If such trivial things as 

 these could be put in writing, there is no 

 excuse for secret action on one of the most 

 serious accusations that could be brought 

 against a professor. 



Speaking of atmosphere, I believe I can say 

 that my department has always contained as 

 much university oxygen as any about the 

 place, and my students who have breathed 

 this " atmosphere " have gone out loyal, 

 strong and true university men and women, 

 who have made a record of which any pro- 

 fessor may be proud. Thai is the real test. 



Later in the day, I came upon a group of 

 the trustees who were discussing the meeting. 

 The reading of the memorandum behind my 



' This was done by unanimous request of the 

 class and involved no conflict with other classes. 



