THE CASE OF PROFESSOR VON ZEDLITZ

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2583, 4 October 1915, Page 4

THE CASE OF PROFESSOR VON ZEDLITZ

The resignation of Professor von ZiiiDLrrz, announced this morning "is imvinu-Bean wwivetl by the Victorian Ooljsgs .Csuftpilj, would ead- what

most people will regard as an unfortunate incident. Had the Professor been allowed to follow his own judgment much unpleasantness and misunderstanding would have been averted. At the outset of the war, Professor von Zedlitz _ appears to have recognised tho possibility that his continuance in his office at the College might be open to objection, and in consequence tendered his resignation. The step, which was wholly to his credit, j he was dissuaded from carrying out, through tho action "of tho Chairman of the. College Council, and later through the action ol: the Council '"itself. The gentlemen controlling the affairs of the College held Professor von Zedlitz in high esteem. They knew hiin to be a man of high scholastic attainments, and they had confidence in his integrity, and so they persuaded him to continue in his office. Their position seems to have been that they regarded the issue as a personal one, whereas the public regarded it as a question of principle. As we have repeatedly pointed out, no responsible person, so far as we know, has attempted to suggest that Professor von _ Zedi.ltz should be asked to relinquish his office on personal grounds; no one has questioned his capacity or his personal character. They do not come into the question which concerns the public on the issue raised; that is tho policy of employing persons of German nationality in our State educational institutions. It is ,to tho credit of Professor von _ Zf.di.it?. that he should have shown 'a better sense of the fitness of things than the .Victoria College Council itself, whoso advice appears to havo led him astray from his original pur-