AMERICAN CONTROVERSY

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23616, 28 March 1940, Page 12

AMERICAN CONTROVERSY

PEER-PROFESSOR'S VIEWS '/ REVIEW OF APPOINTMENT XEW.YORK, March 20 As a result of one of the greatest American controversies for years, the Board of Education will meet behind closed doors to review the appointment of' Earl Russell as Professor of Philosophy at' the City College, New York. An outcry was raised in some quarters oh the ground that the views of Earl Russell—better known before he succeeded to the title in 1931 as Bertrand Russell—are irreligious and immoral. His opponents accuse him of defending Bolshevism, while his defenders say he was one of the first Liberals to denounce the Soviet regime. They add that, although his views on marriage are unorthodox, it is libellous to call them libertine. Einstein is the most formidable 'fighter to enter the lists for Earl Russell. He said: "Mediocrities have always opposed great spirits. They cannot understand a man refusing thoughtlessly to accept hereditary prejudices." The supporters of Enrl Russell include 200 university professors, New York Women's City Club, and the New York branch of the National Lawyers' Guild. The opponents are led by the Roman Catholic Bishop Manning and include the Brooklyn Holy Name Society and other Church organisations.