APPOINTMENT VOID

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23619, 1 April 1940, Page 9

APPOINTMENT VOID

EARL BERTRAND RUSSELL AMERICAN COURT' RULING PROFESSORSHIP AT COLLEGE (Received March 31, s.r> p.m.) NEW YORK, March 30 Declaring that the College Board was "attempting to establish a chair of: indecency," Mr. Justice McGeehan, in the Supreme Court, declared void the appointment of Ear) Berfcrand Russell, 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 would teW 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 hrd been the victim of an intensive campaign in the Hearst press, in which ho had been stigmatised.

An outcry against the City College appointment was raised in some quarters on 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.

The supporters of Earl Russell include 200 university professors, the New York Women's City Clubj and the New York branch of the NationaJ Lawyers' Guild. The opponents are led !>v the Roman Catholic Bishop Manning and include the Brooklyn Holy Name Society and other Church organisations.