Book by Ex-Yale News Head Hits Alma Mater

If William F. Buckley, Jr., Yale '50, expected to start an academic revolution at his alma matter with his book, "God and Man at Yale," he'll probably be disappointed. Except for six features by faculty and a series of editorials in the Yale Daily News, all of which tried to shake the Buckley thesis out of kilter, nobody in New Haven has reacted. Certainly no attempt to reform Yale to "proper" conservatism along Buckley lines has gotten rolling yet. Buckley blames much of the lamentable liberality of Yale on her alumni whom he feels should watch her. He timed the publication of the book with his university's 250th birthday, officially celebrated yesterday, when more than a usual amount of alumni would be in New Haven. But so far, still no revolution.

Buckley introduces his thesis with "I myself believe that the duel between Christianity and atheism is the most important in the world. I further believe that the struggle between individualism and collectivism is the same struggle reproduced on another level. What I call a failure to Christianize Yale was not due to any lack of sympathy on (President Seymour's) part. It was due to the shibboleths of "academic freedom" that have so decisively hamstrung so many educators in the past fifty years."

The author deals more specifically with the role of researcher and teacher. The scholars "have constructed an appealing and compact philosophical package (academic freedom), labeled it truth, and tossed it for enshrinement to the undiscriminating fellow, the liberal... he (the scholar) distends the protective cloak of research to include his activities as a teacher, thereby insuring himself license in the laboratory, which is right and proper, and license in the classroom, which is wrong and improper." Defending the rights of the majority, and assuming that Yale graduates are predominantly Christians and capitalists. Buckley further maintains that Yale must teach the ideologies and value judgements of its alumni. "The responsibility to govern Yale falls ultimately on the shoulders of her alumni

Buckley Labeled Fascist

Labeling Buckley's system as fascistic, Theodore M. Greene, Professor of Philosophy at Yale, wrote that "It would become propaganda, dull, slavish, and uninspired, for the teacher's one concern would be orthodox conformity."

Many other critics agreed that Buckley's theory of education is inconsistent. While he proposes that the alumni govern what professors teach, he insists that "a student (would) remain the final arbiter under the system I propose. Under no circumstances should he be shielded from the thought and writings of men with different values; but the professor should do his earnest and intellectual best to expose the shortcomings and fallacies of such value judgements."

The Yale faculty was eager to condemn Buckley's views on teaching but none came to the defense of those who were attacked personally for their views on politics and religion. Believing that Yale considers Christianity as just another philosophy, he states that Dr. Lovett's classes are thought of as "guts" by the undergraduates; that Mr. Greene teaches "ethics, not religion," and that "Mr. Schroeder does not seek to persuade his students to believe in Christ, largely because he has not... been completely able to persuade himself." Buckley continues that "Mr. Goodenough has claimed to be "80 percent atheist and 20 percent agnostic." And so the condemnation continued, dealing with all college departments.

Abhoring every tenet and implication of collectivism. Buckley claims that Yale economic courses are saturated with anti-free enterprise thought. Selecting judicious quotes, he demonstrates that all the texts in Economics 10 preach government control in varying degrees. Marx, Hitler, Laski, Huxley, and Dewey are propounded without any intelligent reports by philosophy professors. No teacher at Yale goes unscathed by the author's analysis of the curriculum.

Book Cannot Be Ignored

Even if Buckley's theories on education are refuted and proved inconsistent and fascistic, his attacks on individuals will undoubtedly cause a faculty introspection at Yale. The Yale Daily News asserts that "we cannot afford to ignore this book." Neither will the graduates nor the administration for that matter. Each one of Buckley's accusations will have to be countered in some manner. And since the book deals with personalities at the college, Yale will not be able to keep up the comparative calm that exists there now.

One would suspect that Buckley considers himself the Ober of Yale University. Mr. Ober, a graduate of the Harvard Law School, has drafted laws to cope with Communist influences in Maryland. "Liberals," Buckley says, decided that "Ober was on the wrong side. He was treated not as an alumnus offering a tenable policy change for Harvard, but as a recalcitrant Main Streeter who didn't understand academic freedom." Mr. Ober, like Mr. McCarthy, has stirred up a lot of adverse controversy and investigation. Buckley, although his writing may be flamboyant and his facts not entirely correct, will probably join their ranks.

Former Daily News Editor

Although Buckley was a well-known, controversial figure during his undergraduate days, few of his old friends have come to his support. As editor of the Yale Daily News, Buckley condemned Truman, Acheson, Hiss, Humphrey, and Bowles. He backed the MaCarran Act, the Taft-Hartley Law, and the Committee on Un-American Activities. He waged incessant warfare against liberal professors and anyone who wasn't Christian and individualist. A few days ago however, the News said in an editorial that "The Buckley book is characterized by naivete, misinformation.... and the crassest dogmatism. It is an... attempt to construct a new Yale along the lines of the scholastic institutions of the Middle Ages."

But Buckley will return to his aims mater. The News is going to sponsor a debate between Buckley and a man who will review God and Man at Yale in a coming issue of "The Atlantic Monthly." William Buckley may be termed a her etic, a fascist, a muddled individualist or what have you. His book may accomplish nothing, but if his book does any thing, it will probably reinforce the tenents of academic freedom.