ACADEMIC FREEDOM

Press, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22004, 30 January 1937, Page 18

ACADEMIC FREEDOM

TO THE EDITOR OT THE PBESS. Sir, —Your leading article in your Thursday’s issue on academic freedom interested me greatly. With many of your arguments and conclusions I am in hearty agreement, but I would enter a caveat against others of which I am at least doubtful and suspicious. We are all champions of free speech, to-day, but the freedom implied is, like all freedom, bounded by sanctions and restriction to hold it Within reascpnable limits and prevent it-from running to riot and disorder. We all- want liberty. Most of us do not want licence in speech. Your chief concern appears to bo that professors university teacher, are not allowed to express their opinions and promulgate them without check or hindrance no how outrageous those may be to the' community or people the professors serve and teach. I and many others take a contrary view and hold it strongly. A professor is chosen on account of his -proved abilities to teach some specific subject or subjects to the students. So long as he confines himself to those subjects he will be listened to with respect. But if he leaves them to launch into subjects beyond the scope of his recognised authority, he will not command the same respect nor will he deserve it. !

Because a professor knows much of languages or literature or economics, it does not follow that he is a heavenborn statesman, and the opposition to greater academic freedom is largely due to the intrusion of some professors into the political arena and thex hot-gospelling of political theories that arp anathema to most people—the communist gospel for example. But if a professor feels that he must preach such opinion the most honest and forthright course for him is tc vacate his chair and merge into the common crowd. There, without offence, he can preach what he will: but people feel that to make that chair a sounding board for doctrines unacceptable to the public who pay him is hot playing the game. He is making his offkv a mere office for his own political views.—Yours, etc., DISSENTER. January 28. 1937.