4 YALH ALUMNI JAE ALOMNL WKLY Published every Thursday during the College Terms and conducted by a Graduate Editor and Associate Editor, and Assistants from the Board of Editors of the YALE DAILY NEWS. SUBSCRIPTION, - $2.50 PER YEAR. Foreign Postage, 85 cents per year. PAYABLE IN ADVANCE. Checks, drafts ans St should be made payable to the Yale Alumn eekly. All correspondence should be addressed, Yale Alumni Weekly, New Haven, Conn. ADVISORY BOARD. For College Year, °96-7: H. C. RoBINSON, °53. J. R. SHEFFIELD, 87. W. W. Skippy °65S. J. A. HARTWELL, 89 S. C. P. LINDSLEY, 5 S. L. S. WELCH, ’89. W. Camp, ’80. BE. Van INGEN, 91 8. Ww. G. Daaaert, 80. P. JAY, 92. EDITOR, LEWIS S. WELCH, °89. ASSOCIATE EDITOR, WALTER CAMP, °80. NEWS EDITOR, GRAHAM SUMNER, '97. ASSISTANTS, JOHN JAY, '98, D. H. Day, °99. A. S. HAMLIN, °99. BUSINESS MANAGER, E. J. THOMPSON. (Office, Room 6, White Hall.) Entered as second class matter at New Haven P. O. ae PRs sick New Haven, Conn., NOVEMBER 5, 1896. THE McLAUGHLIN MEMORIAL. The comparatively recent completion of the book-plate, given for the vol- umes won by the McLaughlin prizes, fills out in most fitting form the me- morial to one of the minds of Yale, which, though it had only begun to exert its power, when an early death ended its labors here, had already left its strong mark on the literary life of the University. It completes, too, a memorial to a spirit, as sweet as it was strong, of a texture as whole- some as it was refined. In fine, a memorial to one of those men whose lives and teachings make a college or a university, and whose absence can be atoned for by no substitute what- ever. A literary prize, marked as this is, is most fitting as a memorial to Pro- fessor McLaughlin. It can hardly be said, however, to meet all the oppor- tunities of the occasion. He who would peipetuate a sweet memory, and a helpful and inspiring influence, could hardly find an opportunity so good as the establishment, in honor of this teacher of Yale of some chair, or the building of some structure, or the donation of a department of the Li- brary, which would add largely and nobly to the equipment of Yale in the teaching of the English language and literature. lin ise el aiaeS ca titeg di ENGLISH AT HARVARD. At a meeting of the Board of Over- seers of Harvard College held last Wednesday it was voted, “That, in the judgment of the Board of Over- seers, every candidate for admission to the under-graduate departments of the University should give evidence that he can writethe English language with such degree of neatness and skill in penmanship, correctness in spelling and grammar, and with such facility of expression as will enable him to enter, without further elemen- tary instruction, on the elective stud- ies to which he proposes to devote himself, including the more advanced courses in English composition; voted, that the Faculty be requested to press steadily towards the attainment of the above end,” — The determination of the Overseers to bring into College only those who are proficient in the elements of Eng- lish composition, seems to be very marked. There is little doubt that in this step they have the sympathy of all those who are seeking to raise the standard of English in our’ univer- sities. It is said that the preparatory schools are inclined to answer Har- vard’s complain of the poor prepara- tion of the candidates by declaring that the trouble was with the char- acter of the examinations in English —that they were too academic and formal, in nature. However that may be it is hard not to favor any plan that will reduce the ignorance of their own tongue on the part of those en- tering our colleges to-day. It is really deplorable. a OG STILL A GREAT NEED, The equipment of Yale for training in debate was never more a matter of concern than it is to-day. A fierce campaign has closed in which the services of the public speaker were perhaps in greater demand than at any previous time within recent his- tory. All the talk about the decad- ence of oratory and the substitution of the printed page is quieted abso- lutely, in the face of such a demon- stration of the value of equipment for platform service, as the last few months of the country’s history has shown. There are many points on which the graduates of Yale may congratulate themselves in the present situation and a great advance has certainly been made all along the line in the past two or three years. The interest of the student worid has certainly been aroused. The record in inter- collegiate contests showsthis, and what the Weekly is able to print to-day of the present outlook further emphasizes the permanent advance forward, on this side. We know, 00, that some- thing has been done by the Faculty, aside from the assistance given in coaching by professors. The Rhetoric Department, under Dr. Baldwin, and some special opportunities for debate in other courses, give advantages which were not to be had five years ago. What is done is well done and the Rhetoric Department has undoubt- edly accomplished a great deal. But the equipment in this general Department for training for life- work is still utterly inadequate. There is no denying this fact. We do not need to turn to Harvard’s curriculum where the direction of the Faculty has been going on for now nearly 20 years, to satisfy ourselves of the great needs in this Department. Where shall the men and means come from for this great task? oe Alina FP Ran ne om The facts about the Musical De- partment of Yale, published else- where, are very simple and unadorn- ed, but they carry their own evidence and explanation of the great success which has from the first followed this branch of the University’s system. Sh ag gis oh An Englishman’s View of Yale. {From an Interview with Ian MacLaren.] - In the magnificence and splendor of the buildings and appointments there is nothing equal to it in Oxford or Cambridge. There are not men in England rich enough to erect such buildings as the Vanderbilt dormitory. The Yale gymnasium is magnificent, being far ahead of anything in that line abroad. The Faculties are very much larger, which, of course, makes the work more ‘efficient.