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About Yale Alumni Magazine | View Entire Issue (March 3, 1898)
hes 3 YALE ALUMNI WEEKLY all the penal statutes ever made, or all the gibbets ever erected. We have in this country no nobility of rank or blood; we are only beginning to have a Class bound by obligations of inher- ited wealth or social position. For the most part, our nobility is the proper nobility of learning, and if college graduates have had greater opportuni- ties than others, and if in every commu- nity they are looked to as leaders, as they are, these very opportunities, this very position of command imposes its obligation which we cannot shirk— Noblesse oblige. The obligation was never greater than it is at the present moment. All around us efforts are constantly making to stir the unthink- ing into disastrous conflicts. Journals of wide circulation publish the basest of cartoons, with the sole object of bringing about a war. It is to the credit of the American people that under the trying circumstances, we have thus far kept our head. It is: for us to see that we do not lose it here- after. It is for us to see, as far as lies in our power, that a thoughtless and hasty conflict shall never be waged by this nation, and that the world may know that the Republic is for peace. “Noblesse oblige! It is for us to set an example of patience and forbearance to our fellow-citizens. It is not the hasty temper, but the long enduring heart, that triumphs in the end. There is another lesson that we learn at college that ought to serve us now. We are living in a time of great social changes. It is happening to us as it has happened to popular governments in the past. As the strength and wealth of the government has increased, the notion has become more and more widespread that the government should take care of the citizens, instead of the citizens taking care of the government. In one way or another, on one pretext or another, men are seeking a support from the government, and we actually hear the doctrine seriously advocated that the government is under an obli- gation to take care forever of those who served it in war, whether their service was good or bad. We, on the other hand, have learned that every good citi- zen owes a debt to his country which, to the extent of his liability, he is bound — to repay. The question is not what we can get from, but what can we give to, our country The true sentiment was never better expressed than in those lines of Euripides addressed by Iphigenia to her mother, which Mr, Lowell quoted in his noble oration at Cambridge, ‘Thou borest me for all the Greeks, not for thyself: alone.’ That sentiment rings in our ears, and it is for us to see that the sentiment becomes the common property of all Americans, not of college men alone. We have assumed the responsibility of educated men, the responsibility of out Republi- can aristocracy, and that responsibility we must faithfully fulfil.” -_ MR. FARRAND’S SPEECH. The quartet then sang “Old Nassau,” and Mr. Wilson Farrand, Princeton ’86, was called upon to respond for Prince- ton. He said: “T find myself decidedly embarrassed to-night, for this is my first experience at a Yale dinner. However, I feel more at home than I did at first, for it seems to be not very different from our Princeton dinners. I have long wished to attend a Yale gathering. At last that wish is gratified, and now there is only one ambition left—to dine with the Bryn Mawr alumni. : “Vale and Princeton stand to-day as the leading types of sound conservatism in American higher education. This is an age of educational progress, but what is sometimes reported as progress is proved by the test of time to be merely gyration or flying off at a tan- gent. One of the most discouraging things in the educational world to-day is the readiness of educators to seize new ideas, without waiting to prove them sound and true. This is less true in higher than in elementary education, but it is beyond question that the so- called progress of some of our higher institutions has been more rapid than wise, and it is altogether probable that some steps have been taken that will have to be retraced. Yale and Prince- ton are not standing still. They are advancing, and advancing steadily, but they refuse to let go those things which have been proved good, until they are assured that they can replace them with better. “Two things in particular they have retained which in many institutions have been sacrificed. In the first place, laugh at them; they have held fast to the college ideal. The aim of the college is to turn out men, while the aim of the university is to turn out scholars. Yale is a univer- sity by virtue of her group of profes- sional schools, and of her graduate school. Princeton will never do much in the line of professional education, but for years she has been building up a graduate school, in which is done advanced work of a high grade. She has advanced so far in the direction of her goal that she now feels justified in assuming the title of university, but while Yale and Princeton are universi- ties, they have never sacrificed the col- lege ideal. They have done much, and will do more, in the turning out of scholars, but their chief glory and their pride will always be, as it is now, in their college work, and in their turning out of men rather than of scholars. “Tn the second place, Yale and Prince- ton have retained that intangible some- thing that binds their sons to them with a love and a devotion unknown else- where. Among all the colleges of the land, these two stand out pre-eminent for the enthusiastic devotion and sup- port of their students and alumni. This is due not to excellence of scholarship, not to athletic achievement, although these have their part, but it is due to the fact that we gained there some of the most precious and helpful things in our lives. This is why I find myself to-night joining in your enthusiasm. I am not ashamed, therefore, to sing your songs, and to cheer your cheers; and to do so indicates no disloyalty to my own Alma Mater. I join with you in your enthusiasm because I know that the tie which binds you to Yale is the same that binds me to Nassau Hall. I am glad and proud to-night to bring to you, the sons of Yale, greetings, | heartfelt and sincere, from your friends and neighbors, the sons of Princeton.” Rev. William R. Richards, D.D., 72 spoke next, on “Yale in the days of Noah” [Porter]. Dr. Richards said in part: “There was one bright redeeming feature, as I learned from the Voice, in the college life of our country, or rather. two features. Oberlin and Harvard are set on high, side by side. Oberlin and Harvard, as’ showing what a college ought to be! And yet some people are never satisfied. I am told that President Eliot has remarked that he had learned to stand almost everything, but he did not think he could stand much longer being praised by the Voice. “But to return to Yale. singular phenomenon how many things are said against her, and from how - many quarters. She seems in no dan- ger of falling under the woe pro- nounced on good people “when all men speak well of them.” The posi- tion reminds one of the splendid isola- tion that some of our English friends like to speak of as characterizing their own country. And it occurs to me that we cannot do better, under these cir- cumstances, than adopt as our own what has become an established prin- ciple of British statesmanship, and that is to maintain their navy at such a degree of efficiency that they could defeat any two of their strongest rivals combined. The time seems most op- portune for adopting such a policy when Cornell, both by her fine rowing on the water and by her dignified bear- ing on shore, has proved herself so worthy a competitor. - 2 A CHRISTIAN COLLEGE. | “But let me say a word more about these many charges against us and our doings. Our natural indignation at the malice and falsehood of many of them must not blind us to any faults in our- selves that have provoked any of them. No outside attack can harm Yale much, but any unworthiness in her own sons can. Any drunkenness or vice of blackguardism or in athletics anything like professionalism. We could afford to laugh at such attacks as appear in a sensational newspaper, but wherever these things really appear in our col- lege community we cannot afford to they are what hurt. One of the speakers at the New York dinner said the other night—and I was pleased to see how cordially his senti- ment was endorsed by those who heard it—‘Yale must be a college of Chris- tian gentlemen.’ And we want to do what we can to strengthen all the influ- ences which will work to that end. ““After us the deluge,’ my toast put it. And there seems reason to fear that the phrase is not far from the truth. Every thoughtful man knows that it is a time of crisis and peril; that emer- It is rather a . gencies may be at hand which will sub- ject the existing order of society all over the civlized world to the most extreme tests, and all lovers of truth and right, all scholars, all gentlemen, all Christians will be called on to do all that is in them to ward off disaster. Whenever that deluge comes, Yale men expect to be there, of course. will be in it. And please God we hope, not only to keep our own ark afloat, but also to pull in many another poor fellow out of the wet.” MR. HEALD’S RESPONSE. Mr. John O. Heald, 773, spoke for “Yale in New Jersey.” He said: Mr. President and Gentlemen: When I look at the rosy cheeks and the erect and proud form of our President, it seems as if I might point to him as embodying all that might be said of Yale in New Jersey and crumble into my chair amid the deafening applause from this sea of upturned faces; but then everybody can’t be Mike Schultze, and the rest of us will have to be content with our humble lots. P “Tt is said that every tone has its responsive chord in the furnishings of a room, and that if one is fortunate enough to strike the right tone, the dainty earthen jug on the shelf over the door will respond. I think I may prop- erly take this beautiful illustration as ap- plicable to our blooming President. For years he has striven in the arena of politics and education, so to speak, to catch the eye of the vox populi, with majorities, alas! rolled up against him; but now, thanks to the discerning eyes of Yale in New Jersey, he has at last struck the jug, and is entitled to snatch it from the shelf and call it his own indefinitely. Long may Mike and the jug reign supreme over us in our play- ful gambols around this board! I wonder if Dr. Kennedy, who, I understand, is responsible for my senti- ment this evening, had this particular crowd in mind when he picked out the one which has been given me. Let me read you what I assume to be the con- text of this sentiment: When an Essex Deacon dropped in to call And a homesick feeling seized them all. In Essex County there’s many a roof Well known to him of the cloven hoof. But he happened to be in a pleasant mood, aS ies drinking with ‘‘roughs’’ at a Boston ax) I couldn’t tell all they did in rhymes, But the Essex people had terrible times. While wondering to myself just ex- actly what degree of sarcasm or pos- sible truth the Doctor intended from his philosophical position to give to my toast, it occurred to me that the best way was to ask the assistance of the Yale men of our Association. I therefore sent out the following re- quest to a large number of graduates throughout the state. 182 Park Avenue. “Sir: You are probably aware through the Metropolitan press that I have been unanimously selected to respond to the toast “Yale in New Jer- sey” at the annual Yale dinner. Wish- ing to be able to give valuable infor- ’ mation to my audience, I am sending out one thousand circulars in order to find out what if anything Yale has done for anybody in New Jersey. Will you please immediately send me on the enclosed postal card a complete history of your life since graduation, stating in detail what Yale has done for you? “Yours very truly, etc.” “Brom the mass of responses, let me read you the following as indicating in fact the tone of self-satisfaction that exists or is alleged to exist in all Yale men in New Jersey. 48 Wall Street. “My dear Mr. O’Heald: “What in thunder are you driving at? Is this a gag or do you really want me to tell you briefly what Yale has done for me in New Jersey? In case you are in earnest I send you, under separate cover, bound volumes of the proceed- ings of the East Orange Town Im- provement Society, my speeches in the first Cleveland campaign and fifty or more little talks I have had at one time or another in relation to the trol- leys. You can read any or all of them at the dinner if you wish. You will see from these, and from looking at me, that I have grown, at least I think I have, since Yale undertook to do any- thing for me in New Jersey. I expect to have something to say at the dinner myself, and think in a day or two you They can pick enough from my works to interest the audience for a half hour or so, until I get a chance at it. “Yours very truly, : Hamilton Wallace.” “Before proceeding, let me digress a moment. It has been suggested by a very prominent organization that I call your attention to the efforts now being made to save our Alma Mater—Prince- ton having been given up as hopeless from certain alleged crying evils. Dur- ing a, recent parade. of the .W.- G. T. U. through the streets of one of our neighboring towns, a company of elderly matrons marched along bearing a banner with the inscription“ We bend the knee, not the elbow.” A wander- ing son of toil, slightly under the influ- ence of liquor, read it as it pasesd and exclaimed, ‘Well, they evidently in- dulge in that disgusting habit of drink- ing from the bung hole.’ “A word to the wise is sufficient on this subject, it seems to me, and I for one feel perfect confidence that Yale University, students and Faculty and Corporation, are perfectly able to take care of any internal questions, whether relating to morals or otherwise, which may arise. I have been told that a very brief history of this Association would be of interest on this our fifteenth 3 anniversary. I accordingly have pre- pared a list of the meetings and where they were held, the presidents and speakers. | YALE IN NEW JERSEY. “And now, gentlemen, after this some- what comprehensive treatment of the subject of my toast, let me say in clos- ing that Yale in New Jersey is just like Yale anywhere else. Wherever we find Yale men, we find the right side of every qustion in morals and even of politics; this side of the Mississippi, at least. “Permit me, as an old Glee Club man, to call attention to the work of that organization in helping the formation of alumni associations all over the coun- try. In their concerts they are doing good service to Yale in arousing Col- lege enthusiasm. If the Club goes to a place which has no association, one is apt to be formed soon after. Our own Association was formed in this way, as a result of a Glee Club concert, and ours is the fifth in order of age in the country.” After the regular toasts had been dis- posed of, an informal meeting devoted to song and good-fellowship was held for an hour or two. THE GUESTS. The names of guests and members are appended: Camillus G. Kidder, Harvard ’72; Francis J. Swayze, Harvard ’79; Wil- son Farrand, Princeton ’86; Gardner Colby, Brown ’87; J. Ames Chamber- lain: E. S. Simons, Princeton ’82; N. H. Swayne, ’93; Rev. W. R. Richards, D.D., ’75. | ’*62—Frederic Adams. ’63—Hamilton Wallis. ’72-Geo. Richards, W. B. Wheeler. ’72-_John O. Heald. *74—T). A. Kennedy. ‘7 Wm. R. Howe, Wm. S. Righter, En}. Eee ’76—Geo. E. Coney, Chas. Benner, Jas. B. Dill, John A. Wells. ‘v7 Thos. A. Hine, R, M- Colgate. 78 A H. Sherman, A. D. Chandler. 79 P.G.—F. W. Baldwin. °21__Fred’k Seymour, N. F. Thomp- son. *8>--Chas. B.. Storrs. | ’2,-C. E. Eaton, C. A. Mead. ’8e__F. Schultze, Jr., R. S. Storrs, W. ' D, Evans. 296 C. W. Goodrich, N. M. Good- lett, S. M. Colgate. 87 Wm. L. Phelps, Geo. E. Hill, Paul Spencer, Edw. Staehlin, S73. Cobb, Louis Burgess (87 S.). ’88—Geo. M. Gill. ’o1—J. P. Lloyd, Jr., E. Dean Ryder, Malcolm MacLear. ’91 D.—Chas. H. Dickerson. 92 S.—J. Gardner Meeker, Hi -3. Atha. ’°93—A. H. hep ’*94—A. S. Taylor. eet ank S. Butterworth H. W. Harris. ES ’97—R. S. Kilbourne, R. D. Mills, F. R. Lehibach, N. W. Wallis. ’98-R. G. D. Douglass, G. G. Schret- ber, F. W. Sheehan, J. C. McLauchlan, H. E. Butler, G. W. Simmons. 1900—Edgar P. Ward.
