BRITISH PEER.

Auckland Star, Volume LXXI, Issue 77, 1 April 1940, Page 7

BRITISH PEER.

Appointment To ILS. College Staff Declared Void. "CHAIR op Indecency." NEW YORK. March 31. Declaring that the College Board was "attempting to establish a chair of indecency." Mr. .lust ice McGeehan. in the Supreme Court, declared void the appointment of Earl Bertrand RussrJl, professor of philosophy at the University of California and a noted writer on many scientific subjects, to the chair of mathematics at the City College of New York

The judge added: "The appointment is an insult to the people of this city." He upheld a woman taxpayer's charge that Lord Russell's teachings wouid tend to corrupt the students.

Counsel for the defence pointed out that Lord Russell had been engaged to teach mathematics, not morals.

On the grounds of academic freedom, the Harvard University authorities announced that the Court's decision did not affect its appointment of Lord Russell to teach philosophy and semantics.

Announcing a campaign for the reinstatement of Lord Russell in the City College post, several liberal, academic and religious groups claimed that Lord Russell had been the victim of an intensive campaign in the Hearst Press, in which he had been stigmatised.

Earl Russell—better known as Bertrand Russell—is 67 years old. He is the author of a number of important books on mathematics, and on philosophical subjects, and was a strong pacifist during the Great War, his inclination in this direction paining him six months' imprisonment. Among Earl Russeil's books Is one on marriage, expressing his unusual views, while lie also at one time conducted a very unconventional school in Su?s;x for young boys and girls, at which the children were not required to attend lessons unless they liked, were never physically punished, were allowed to be rude, could read what they chose, had no religious teaching, had baths together and slej't together, and ran about unclothed in warm weather.