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(See Description.)
BOW OF THE YALE,
there is a service for Yale University
now, whether here in her own home,
or in the sons whom she has sent forth,
like that of the ship which bears her
nameto keep watch and to warn the
country against dangerous policies
entered upon in a time of excitement,—
to teach men to be patient in time of
delay or defeat,—to bid the politicians
keep their hands off,—to hold men
back from unwise thoughts of an im-
perial policy and territorial expansion.
The United States may have to play
a new and larger part in the world’s
affairs and the new time will make new
and larger demands upon University-
bred men as leaders of public opinion. .
The duty of the day is the thorough,
patient, intelligent support of the
Government in the prosecution of the
war, holding it and public opinion
closely to the one worthy purpose of
our contention in the interest of hu-
manity and civilization, of making an
end of Spanish misrule in the Western
Continent.
At the conclusion of Dr. Lines’
remarks, which were frequently inter-
rupted with applause and which were re-
ceived with most enthusiastic demon-
stration at their conclusion, the Presi-
dent introduced the final speaker of
the evening, Prof. Bernadotte Perrin,
whose address is given in full below:
Professor Perrin’s Speech.
In the old world, in Italy and Spain,
they are closing tniversities, because
the students are rioting against the
government. In the new world, in New
Haven at least, we fear we may have to
close the University because its students
are thronging in such numbers to the
support of the government.
In the earlier days of my manhood,
those who, like me, had been born too
late to take part in the great Civil War,
used to bemoan the fact that no great
cause was likely to appear in our day
which would stir our souls, as the souls
of the men of Sixty-One had been
stirred.. There were political and eco-
nomical issues enough, but somehow
they did not warm us. -And lo! before
our eyes, which were long blind, a great
cause has -been-slowly evolving itself,—
the cause of humanity against inhu-
manity,. of progress against decay, of
civil and.religious freedom against civil
and religious repression, of the Nine-
teenth against the Sixteenth Century.
And now again the land is full of ardent
youth offering themselves up in their
country’s service.
It is needless to deny that many of us,
undergraduates, Faculty and graduates,
deprecated war, and felt that war might
have been and should have been either
postponed or altogether averted. All
honor to such conservatism! But the
day for conservatism is now past. When
_a government of the people, by the
people, and for the people, after much
long suffering and under great provoca-
tion, deliberately, with full legislative
process, and with a certain majesty, ap-
peals to war to right the wrongs of
others, all voices of criticism and dis-
sent must cease. Alexander, still con-
quering on the outer verge of the world,
received a letter from his regent in
Macedonia rehearsing at great length
the caprices and intrigues of the queen
mother Olympias. “Lo”! said Alexan-
der, “ Antipater knoweth not that one
tear of the mother’s eye will wipe out
ten thousand such letters.” So one call
from our country for fighting men to
help her must drown all voices of com-
plaint and chiding.
FOR THOSE STAYING AT HOME.
We all hear this call of our country
for men to help her, and we all respond.
But we cannot all respond in the same
way. We cannot all go to the front in
uniform. Some heroes must remain
behind, and oftener than not it is real
heroism to remain.
common daily duties never seems so
dull and common as when beloved
comrades march away from us in the
pomp and pageantry of war. Their’s
is the easier duty. All the martial
inheritances of a fighting and conquer-
ing race light up their faces and thrill
their souls as they file away from us
crying “dulce et decorum est pro patria
mori.” Yes, but the plough must still
be sped, seed sown, harvests gathered,
mills run, the great machineries of com-
merce, justice and legislation must still
be kept moving, our schools and col-
leges and universities must still train
and educate. Happy heroes are they
who face the brunt of the issue in the
strenuous service of the camp or on the
red edge of battle. Not unheroic are
they who keep the old appointed path of
duty in earnest and manly endeavor
until some second, louder call shall
come for fighting men. Then we'll
close the University, if necessary, and
give the grass on the Campus a chance
to grow.
discipline in his absences.
The dull round of
AN INSPIRING SICK EXCUSE.
A college officer is not expected to
get patriotic inspiration from a lot of
“sick excuse’ papers. But such was
recently my lot. After reading several
of the too customary sort, I drew one
from the weekly pile which brought
me to my feet standing, as the men of
Sixty-One were brought to their feet
by the guns fired at Fort Sumter.
“Dear Sir,” it read, “Mrs. X— and
myself appreciate the fact that our son
has overstepped the bounds of college
We appre-
ciate also the kind leniency of the Fac-
ulty in the case. The cause is all
around us, in the minds of all, in the
air. While we share in his enthusiasm,
and may pardon ourselves if we think
it inherited to a certain extent, the
need for soldiers is not yet so apparent
to us as it is to him. It is, however,
assuming too great a risk for us to
check in this boy too rudely a sense of
duty which carried his father through
four years of war, and which brought
his mother’s two brothers to their
graves from gun-shot wounds in the
war of the Rebellion. We must have
a little time to think of this matter, and
to talk it over with him. We want to
keep his loyal spirit, and keep our only
son if we can consistently; but if need be
the boy must go first.”
Yes, we want to keep the loyal spirit
in the boys who stay with us to do the
less congenial duty of the day, the
spirit and the boys, if we can consist-
ently; but if need be, the boys must go
first. And as they go with glad faces
forth to the dread uncertainties of war,
we say to them, “Yours is the more
glorious and so the easier duty. Do
not scorn the heroes who remain behind
to perform the humble duty. Our
hearts go out with you to camp, trans-
port, battle-ship, and all the stress and
anguish of your war; but we want your
hearts to turn back to us, your brethren,
that so the hearts of all Yale men may
be knit together in this great cause, as
they have been in the emulous ways of
peace.”
THE END OF IT ALL.
And it is unto this end that we send
our comrades to the front, unto this end
that we put Maxim guns upon the
cruiser Yale, not that there may be war,
but that, there being war, peace may
the sooner come. “Earnestly do we
hope, fervently do we pray,” as our be-
loved Lincoln said nearly forty years
ago, “that this awful scourge of war
may speedily pass away.’ Then shall
the hearts of all Yale men be reunited
in the greater work of peace, in beating
back ignorance and vice, in lifting the
fallen, cheering the faint, succoring the
oppressed, administrating well the great
agencies of the highest civilization,
multiplying the blessings ot mankind,
and ushering in the everlasting king-
dom of the Prince of Peace.
PASSAGE OF THE RESOLUTIONS.
The enthusiasm of the meeting had
increased during Prof. Perrin’s address,
and he was frequently obliged to pause.
At the conclusion, the applause was
very long continued. President Dwight
then asked those in favor of. the resolu-
tions to express their approval by
standing, which brought the entire
audience to their feet.
The meeting closed with singing
three verses of “Bright College Years.”
The effect of this has already been de-
scribed. The meeting was not long
enough for the audience, who stayed to
cheer the President and Lieutenant
Weston and Sergeant Chappell. The
students then requested the privilege
of marching behind the band to the
Campus and singing there, a privilege
which the President readily granted.
The march was carried out very effec-
tively but without any demonstration
that was not orderly in its character.
At the close of the meeting, the resolu-
tions were telegraphed to President
McKinley and to Secretary Long.
More About the Guns.
The following is from a letter re-
ceived from Mr. Thomas F. Lane, the
Washington agent of Vickers, Sons &
Maxim of London, the makers of the
pair of guns which have been poking
their noses from the bow of the Yale
the last three weeks:
“With reference to the Maxim 3-pdr.
semi-automatic guns for which you ask
a description, I have the honor to in-
form you that these guns are designed
chiefly to constitute a part of the
secondary battery of battleships and
cruisers, and. their chief value is the
protection they give such war vessels
against the attacks of torpedo boats, as
well as against all forms of unarmored
vessels. Their great rapidity of fire
enables them to deliver a large number
of shots per minute, so that once the
gunner has brought the gun to bear on
the approaching torpedo boat or un-
armored vessel, he can deliver at times
as many as 60 shots in a minute, each
projectile weighing 3.3 Ibs., and hav-
ing a penetrating force great enough
to pass through any ordinary obstruc-
-tion, including the coal bunkers of a
torpedo boat.
“The guns on the Yale will be ex-
ceedingly valuable in attacking another
vessel similar in construction, and in
action, these rapid fire guns have been
found invaluable by reason of. their
ereat rapidity of fire and the ease with
which a number of. these guns may be
concentrated on a single vessel. In
the Maxim-:semi-automatic 3-pdr., a
marked advance has been made over all
other 3-pdrs. heretofore developed. The
construction is so designed that once
the gun is loaded, it can be fired and
the empty case ejected automatically,
and the only. handwork required is. that
of training the gun on the enemy and
feeding the cartridges into the cartridge
chamber, thus doing away with the ser-
vices of one man, who in other forms
of guns is necessary. to operate the
lever to open and close the breech.
“We append a sheet giving the bal-
listics of the gun. *
“For many years the 3-pdr. has given
the greatest satisfaction to the British
Naval Service, and I think it is rea-
sonable to believe that in the hands of
an American crew, this gun will give
far better results than have ever been
heretofore obtained. I hope the two
guns which you have placed on the
Yale will prove thoroughly efficient to
the satisfaction of the Naval service.”.
The: following are the ballistics re-
ferred to
Weight of Projectile, 3.3 lbs.
Muzzle Velocity, 2,100 f. s.
Extreme Range, 4,000 yards.
Caliber, 1.85 inches.
Weight of Gun, 4% cwts.
Weight of Naval Carriage, 4/2 cwts.
Length of Gun over all, 113.8 inches.