PBH Withdraws Support From Philosophy Clubs

Phillips Brooks House has refused to continue supporting the Philosophy Club's Program of discussions among high school students because of "trouble with the Catholic Church." PBH would support the program only if the philosophy group agreed to get formal permission from the school and parents of each high school participant.

"PBH is opening itself to attack by supporting the program," Mary B. Taylor '62, PBH President said last night. "We can't risk the damage to our other activities." She added that objections from parents and schools, as well as the Church, had influenced the PBH decision.

Because of the decision, the Philosophy Clubs Program has broken its affiliation with PBH and turned for financial support to the Harvard-Radcliffe Humanists, a group still in the organization stage. "It would be impossible for us to keep operating with the new restrictions," Lisa Bieberman '63, head of the program, stated last night.

Miss Bieberman said that requiring permission of parents and schools is incompatible with the purpose of the program, which she defined as "providing a forum for the free exchange of ideas on basic philosophical issues." The program has been operating free of such control since she founded it two years ago.

Some of the strongest opposition to the program's activities has come from a Catholic priest in Belmont, the Rev. Robert Boyle. "The student speakers get into areas of morality and philosophy that are beyond their competence," Boyle said last night. He added that the presentation of some topics in the meetings is "not proper" for students of high school age.

Card Touches Off Action

PBH action against the program was apparently touched off by a card which Miss Bieberman distributed at registration this fall. The card read: "Some things are banned in Belmont, among them philosophy. Corruptors of the youth urgently needed." It showed "an amazing lack of good judgement," Miss Taylor remarked.

PBH is "not against the untimate goal of the program," Miss Taylor said.